Monday, September 11 2006 13:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Birmingham: Sajid Mahmood stars with both bat and ball as England falls over the line to beat Pakistan by three wickets in the fifth and final one-day international at Edgbaston here Sunday (10 Sep, 2006) and so ends the series all square at 2-2. Set a meagre 155 to win, England finishes on 155 for seven with 19 overs to spare.

Michael Yardy is 12 not out and Mahmood, who comes in at 118 for seven, is 22 not out after taking two for 24 in his maximum 10 overs.

England's attack had put them in a position to gain a morale-boosting victory ahead of next month's ICC Champions Trophy one-day tournament in India by restricting Pakistan to 154 for nine in 50 overs.

Fast bowler Mahmood, the son of Pakistani immigrants, responds to the jeers of the massed ranks of Pakistan supporters with two wickets.

Medium-pacer Paul Collingwood, in his 100th one-day international, provided good support with two for 23 in eight overs, including the prize wicket of Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq.

"We made a bit of a mountain out of a molehill," admits England captain Andrew Strauss to Sky Sports afterwards.

"We shouldn't have left it to the tailenders to finish off the job." "We bowled really well. Chasing 150 you should really do nine times out of 10," he adds after seeing his side come from 2-0 down this series.

Man-of-the-match Mahmood says he is always confident he could see England home. "It's pretty tense but I was there with Michael Yardy and I knew as long as we stayed there we could do it," he says.

As for his bowling performance, he pays tribute to the work of England bowling coach Kevin Shine.

"I've been working quite hard with Kevin Shine, trying to get the ball in the right areas and it worked," he says.

Meanwhile Inzamam says the toss, which he loses for the first time this series, plays its part. "The toss was very important as this ball was moving." "We had a little bit of a chance and with a couple more wickets we could have won."

Man-of-the-series Younis Khan's top-score of 47 is the only individual total above 18 in Pakistan's innings with extras second-top on 24.

England is well on course at 102 for three but then loses three wickets for four runs in eight balls to slump to 106 for six.

Kevin Pietersen, going for an ugly heave across the line against leg-spinner Shahid Afridi, is bowled for 34 off 33 balls with six fours.

Then, three balls later, Jamie Dalrymple is plumb lbw to Afridi.

Collingwood makes 22 before he is lbw, aiming across the line, to medium-pacer Abdul Razzaq.

And when Chris Read's top-edges hook off Razzaq is caught by Naved at fine leg, England is 118 for seven.

Mahmood though settles England's nerves with the bat with three successive fours in the 30th over off Rana Naved.

Pakistan's performance all the more impressive is that they are without lead fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar because of a knee injury.

England starts briskly before Mohammad Asif clips the top of Ed Joyce's off-stump as Strauss's Middlesex teammate shouldered arms.

Strauss then struck some impressive boundaries before England loses two wickets in two balls to be 49 for three.

Ian Bell, who made 86 not out in England's eight-wicket win in the fourth one-day international at Trent Bridge on Friday (8 Sep, 2006), managed just two on his Warwickshire home ground before edging Asif to third slip Imran Farhat, in for the dropped Shoaib Malik, off the last ball of the 10th over.

Next ball left-hander Strauss goes for an expansive drive against Anjum and wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal, diving in front of first slip Inzamam, holds a superb two-handed catch to dismiss the skipper for a 35 feauring eight fours.

Collingwood, on two, is then given a reprieve when Anjum fails to hold a caught and bowled chance with England 59 for three in the 14th over.

Earlier, Strauss wins his first toss of the series and chose to field on a pitch with some early life.

But it takes the arrival of first-change Mahmood to spark a collapse that sees three wickets lost for eight runs in 15 balls, Pakistan 51 for three when the Lancashire quick had Mohammad Yousuf (11) edging to second slip Strauss.

Collingwood then snares Inzamam lbw for two as he walked across his stumps.

Razzaq, whose whirlwind 75 not out at Trent Bridge took Pakistan from the depths of 115 for five to 235 for eight, comes in with his side in an even worse position at 72 for five.

But on five, Razzaq gives Collingwood his 50th one-day international wicket when he is bowled off-stump.

Younis's 80-ball innings, including four fours, ended when a top-edged reverse sweep against Dalrymple goes straight to Joyce at short third man.