England contrived to lose to Pakistan yesterday in that collapsible manner with which they have renewed acquaintance over the past couple of weeks.

Asked to make 243 to win, they reached 196 for three - 47 needed and 60 balls to get them in - before losing their last seven wickets for 44 runs, the final wicket falling to the last delivery of the match.

Eight losses in a row then for England, a sequence of incompetence matched only by one in 1989-90.

England deserved to lose. But not Marcus Trescothick, and not Owais Shah either. Trescothick, missed off a wicked skier to third man by Pakistan's top scorer Yousuf Youhana in the fourth over when he had just five runs, was not to be dismissed until the second legitimate ball of the final over, going for the six that would have given his side victory at the last gasp. By then he had made a majestic 137 from 142 balls, with 11 fours and three sixes.

Shah, who has now played two innings in differing circumstances, has excelled both times. Yesterday, he arrived at the crease with England 26 for three in the 11th over and apparently grinding to a halt against topflight new ball bowling from Waqar Younis and Abdur Razzaq.

He was finally out for 62 from 95 balls - run out by Younis Khan's direct hit from cover after a calling mix-up - by which time he and Trescothick, with exhilarating batting, had added 170 from 183 balls. It is better to draw a veil over the rest of the England batting. Suffice to say they faced only 69 balls between them and scored 25 runs.

There was, as there generally is in one-day cricket, a dramatic finale. Nine runs were needed from the final over, to be bowled by the offspinner Saqlain Mushtaq.

Trescothick pushed the first ball through the covers and ran two, whereupon Saqlain produced a wide. Six needed from five balls then. To go or not? Trescothick eyed up the legside boundary and decided it was time to settle the match. He top edged towards deep midwicket where Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik converged. It might have been a classic comedy collision had not Afridi held both nerve and the catch magnificently while Shoiab crashed into him. The batsmen had crossed, though, leaving Andy Caddick on strike. He winkled a single round the corner and scampered to the other end.

Now it was the turn of Allan Mullally. Saqlain tried his wrong 'un, but it slithered down the legside. Mullally got some glove on it (technically a chance to the keeper), but Ken Palmer signalled wide. Palmer is a name that sends shivers down Pakistani spines and the protest was vehement but in vain.

Four needed from three balls. Mullally paddled a single and sat back on his bat. All yours Andy. Into the blockhole went the penultimate delivery and Caddick could only keep it out. Saqlain and Waqar moved their field this way and that, getting it just so. Caddick had to find the boundary. He stepped down the pitch but too early. Saqlain had seen him coming, slithered the ball past his outside edge and saw him stumped by a yard.