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Pakistan routed England by 108 runs at Edgbaston on Thursday in the opening match of a triangular one-day tournament on Thursday, but the contest was almost abandoned after a pitch invasion threw the match into chaos just before the finish (briefly reported in Friday's edition).

England, chasing Pakistan's 273 for six, were on 159 for nine in the 44th over when hundreds of fans, the vast majority wearing Pakistan colours, ran on to the ground, forcing the players off and stealing the stumps as they swarmed all over the playing surface.

Pakistan captain Waqar Younis and team manager Yawar Saeed made appeals to the team's fans, warning them the match would be abandoned unless they moved back behind the boundary boards. The pleas followed a meeting between match referee Brian Hastings, the umpires and the two team captains. Play resumed 31 minutes later, with Nick Knight and last man Alan Mullally eventually returning to the crease. A further interruption then followed after one ball from spinner Shahid Afridi when fans moved in front of the sidescreen.

Right-arm wrist spinner Afridi wrapped up the game in the 48th over as Mullally was caught behind, with England all out for 165. Number three Knight was not out 59 while Afridi ended with three wickets for 15. Pakistan captain Waqar Younis helped to restore order by persuading fans to go back in the stands. "Most of the crowd were Asian," he said. "It was necessary for me to go out there."

Waqar played down the trouble, however, saying: "This is nothing new for me. When you play in Pakistan and India this is quite common. It's a shame but it happens. It's part of the game. "We do really need some more security, (but) I don't know what they can do. They can't really put up fences overnight." His opposite number Alec Stewart retorted: "He (Waqar) might be used to it, but it shouldn't be happening. I can't remember anything like that around the world."

Waqar admitted that match referee Brian Hastings had considered calling the game off after a meeting with the umpires and two captains, and said the International Cricket Council, the sport's governing body, could have been forced to intervene if the game had not been finished.

Pakistan's victory - greeted by another fan invasion and another disappearance of the stumps - had been set up by opener Saeed Anwar's 77, his 40th half-century in one-day internationals, and Inzamam-ul- Haq's 79, his 60th, after the touring team had won the toss and opted to bat.

England were in the hunt at 47 for one in the 10th over before their long collapse began. Left-handed opener Marcus Trescothick's departure for 28 off 30 balls began a procession which saw five top-order wickets fall for 62 as Pakistan caught a string of fine catches. Off- spinner Saqlain Mushtaq took a wicket with his fifth ball, a caught- and-bowled to remove Ben Hollioake, to make it 108 for six, and Afridi bowled Dominic Cork with his first, giving England no way back.

The second game sees Pakistan take on Australia in Cardiff on Saturday. Thursday's incidents were reminiscent of similar crowd invasions during the 1999 World Cup, with extra security and army personnel drafted in after several crowd invasions. England, who accepted their status as the tournament's also-rans before a ball was bowled, ended the game in disarray.

Their cause had not been helped by losing Andrew Caddick 24 hours before the match and Graham Thorpe a few hours before the start, leaving them short of five first-choice players. Their feeble batting, however, followed two batting collapses in the second Test ending on Monday, while their support bowling was again shown up as short on both variety and teeth. Australia and Pakistan must already have their thoughts on their Lord's rematch.

© Dawn