1st ODI: Pakistan vs England, Abu Dhabi 1st Inns

England 260-7 [Alastair Cook 137, Ravi Bopara 50, Ajmal 5-43, Afridi 2-55].
Marvellous knock by Alastair Cook today, scoring his all time best score of 137 from 142 balls. Saeed Ajmal picked up 5 wickets for 43 runs, his all time best bowling figures in Odis. 

Pakistan need 261 for victory.

Why Harry Redknapp just can't say no to the England job

It has to be Harry. Everybody loves Harry. I have, ever since I used to watch him playing on the wing for Bournemouth when I was a kid. And the England job is made for him. He’s English, a great motivator and he’s at the top of his game. But my advice to Harry Redknapp this weekend is: Forget it, don’t do it, it’s too much hassle. Here’s a man who’s recently had heart surgery, who’s just spent the most stressful three weeks of his life in the dock at Southwark Crown Court and who’s already 64. And there’s another thing. It may just be that managing the England football team is the impossible job. In fact, I’m beginning to think managing the England football team is definitely the impossible job. For a start, you don’t have ready access to your players. When you do get them together they’re invariably knackered, and anyway most of them lack the technical sophistication of the best in Europe. But worst of all is the pressure. Harry may be a hero now, but when things start going wrong, he’ll be slaughtered, just like the rest of them. He would start with an advantage. He is the overwhelming choice of the football media, so they will cut him some slack. So Harry must ask himself the question: Do I need it? When he does ask himself, he will conclude that he doesn’t. But here’s the thing. He will then phone the FA to say he’ll do it. Harry’s like that. He loves his country, he loves the game and he’ll find it impossible to say “No”.