England Defeats Pakistan by Five Wickets in Opening Twenty20 Cricket Match

England beat Pakistan by five wickets today in the opening Twenty20 cricket international in Cardiff, securing victory with almost three overs remaining.

Eoin Morgan hit the winning runs, striking a boundary to finish unbeaten on 38. Michael Yardy was 35 not out, while wicketkeeper Steve Davies hit 33 runs.

England reached 129-5 from 17.1 overs after restricting the tourists to 126-4. The teams play again in Cardiff in two days, with a five-match one-day series starting Sept. 10. England won the Test series 3-1.

Earlier, Umar Akmal top-scored with an unbeaten 35 for Pakistan. Graeme Swann was the pick of England’s bowlers, taking 2-14. Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi each claimed two wickets in the England reply.

Pakistan was without three players at the center of an alleged betting scandal, who were suspended and charged with breaches of the sport’s anti-corruption laws last week.

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