Double setback for England
England suffered a double disappointment on Monday, first losing to Twenty20 novices Pakistan and then discovering they must do without the injured Steve Harmison in the NatWest Series.
A 33-ball 53 from Marcus Trescothick failed to help the hosts muster a par score at Bristol, and Pakistan were comfortably able to knock off a target of 144 for seven with five wickets and more than two overs to spare.
"We probably ended up a little bit short. Obviously losing those wickets in that quick cluster really hit us hard," said Trescothick. "From then on, we had to delay the attack - because we didn't want to expose the lower order too early. So we were probably 20 or 30 runs light."
Pakistan's batsmen were always in control - and Shahid Afridi's 28 runs from only 10 balls kept them well ahead of the game.
"They fought pretty well - that innings from Afridi was quite crucial at the time," said Trescothick.
"Afridi is a little bit hit and miss at times, with all due respect to him. But when he is good like that he is destructive and can take the game away from you very quickly."
Speaking before Harmison's absence from the five forthcoming limited-overs matches was announced, Trescothick was able to reflect on a promising debut from 20-year-old Stuart Broad who - along with veteran Darren Gough - is likely to have to make up for the unavailability of England's premier strike bowler.
Harmison, who has failed to respond to treatment for soreness in his lower back, is being kept out of the action as a precautionary measure only. As for Broad, Trescothick is very optimistic he will prove a worthy contender to do the job long term.
"It was a good start to an international career," he said of the youngster, who put himself on a hat-trick in only his second over but then fell foul of Afridi.
"I think he's a good prospect - and the way he approached it and the fashion he bowled in was encouraging," said the England opener. "We talk about picking characters, and I think he definitely has something."
