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Kamran Akmal leads Pakistan against England

LEEDS, England - Kamran Akmal led Pakistan to a total of 294 for eight against England in the second one-day international at Headingley here on Sunday.

The wicketkeeper top-scored with 74 as the tourists tried to turn attention away from the spot-fixing scandal engulfing their tour of England.

Kamran Akmal put on 122 for the first wicket with Mohammad Hafeez (43) while Mohammad Yousuf (46) and Asad Shafiq, with a maiden ODI fifty, put on 74 for the third wicket.

Stuart Broad took four wickets but at an expensive cost of 81 runs in his maximum 10 overs.

Pakistan, 1-0 down in this five match series after losing by 24 runs at the Riverside on Friday, made a fine start after captain Shahid Afridi won the toss and elected to bat.

Tim Bresnan, on his Yorkshire home ground, was repeatedly driven for boundaries by Kamran Akmal andf his first three overs cost 25 runs.

Broad, bowling too short, was uppercut down to the third man fence by Kamran Akmal and hooked down to fine leg by Hafeez for boundaries.

England’s normally assured fielding became increasingly ragged, with several fumbles from the usually exemplary James Anderson boosting the total.

Meawhile every wide delivered was cheered by a vocal contingent of Pakistan supporters in a sold-out crowd of 18,500 crowd.

A switch to spin did not check Pakistan’s progress with Hafeez driving left-armer Michael Yardy over mid-off for four.

But Kamran Akmal, who made 53 on Friday, was lbw to Paul Collingwood’s medium-pace, although replays suggested he was outside the line of off-stump.

In all he faced 72 balls, hitting 12 boundaries.

Hafeez was then bowled by off-spinner Graeme Swann for 43 but at 137 for two in the 26^th over Pakistan were still well-placed for a large total.

Yousuf drove Yardy for six before trying to run the ball to third man, but was caught by wicketkeeper Steven Davies off Broad.

The 24-year-old Shafiq in only his third match at this level, then treated Swann, England’s leading bowler of the past 12 months, with disdain by driving him for six over long-on.

Shafiq then completed his maiden ODI fifty, off 57 balls with a six and three fours.

But next ball, with Pakistan having taken the batting powerplay, Shafiq was out when he tried to cut a wide Broad delivery.

Ravi Bopara held the catch at backward point despite colliding with England captain Andrew Strauss.

Pakistan’s tour of Britain has been overshadowed by newspaper allegations of a betting scam that saw no-balls deliberately bowled in the fourth Test against England at Lord’s last month.

The claims, published in the News of the World, led to the suspension of Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif by the International Cricket Council