Bored with writing and re-writing the sorry tale of England's exit, certain sections of the British press built this game up as a war by proxy, and those that didn't hoped it might at least produce some fireworks and guarantee them a front page trail. But the non-partisan elements of the crowd far outnumbered the Indian and Pakistani supporters and if they had come to see an explosive encounter they would have left disappointed.

A few modest rockets notwithstanding, the game was firework-free and the only serious injury was a knock to Indian golden boy Jadeja's pride when he tripped over the boundary rope attempting to make a quick return to the pavilion and fell on his backside.

Both teams failed to fire on all cylinders. Shoaib Akhtar bowled 5 miles an hour short of what he had achieved at Trent Bridge. Afridi, Ijaz and Saleem Malik never got going and Inzamam was for once as slow to score with the bat as he habitually is between the wickets. Tendulkar and Moin Khan both almost set the game alight before losing their wickets needlessly short of the 50s they both deserved. Appropriately it was a combination of the plodding captaincy of Azhar, whose regulation bowling changes produced immediate wickets so often, four times in all, they might have fooled the first time spectator into believing that they were indicative of genius at work, and the steady fast medium bowling of Prasad, that won the day.

Wasim Akram gave Shoaib, the young pretender, an object lesson in clever bowling in the opening overs. While Shoaib vented his anger on the opening pair with little effect, and was effortlessly cut through third man on one occasion by Ramesh, Wasim tied Tendulkar down and kept him guessing with deliveries that forced him to either play or else prod outside off stump. Ramesh, who never found his feet but did find his touch weighed in with a wonderful four off Wasim through midwicket and the opening pair pushed the score beyond 40 in the first 10 overs.

Abdur Razzaq replaced Shoaib from the Stretford End and straight away found an extra yard, bowling at over 85 mph. In his second over he trapped Ramesh with what looked like an off cutter and bowled him as the batsman tried to play across the line. New bat Dravid, the man in form, took only three balls to get his eye in and then flicked Razzaq through long leg for a delightful four.

As the clouds gathered threateningly overhead Azhar Mahmood came on to bowl from the Warwick Road end. Tendulkar started to look as if he was in his stride, seeing the ball a little earlier, and he turned Mahmood's third ball through square leg for four. In the next over Razzzaq got the treatment, when Tendulkar turned a delivery off the hip for four through backward square leg. As if consciously building the tempo he found a delivery wide of off with the end of his bat and steered it down to gulley, drive the next ball through a gap in the covers and then, spinning round, smacked the next through midwicket for four.

His next boundary was the shot of the day. He drove an uppish delivery from Mahmood outside off to the boundary. Any other player would have lofted the ball but Tendulkar held his bat steady at the end of the stroke and let the ball do the work along the ground. Dravid took up the chase and sent Saqlain, brought on to replace Razzaq, over the top for four and cut Mahmood through point for another boundary. The Indian run rate was pushing five an over and Tendulkar decided it was time to attack. But this was not a day for explosive play and when Mahmood saw him coming down the wicket he cleverly pushed the ball wide of off and Tendulkar hit it straight to Saqlian at mid off who took the catch and threw his hands in the air in joy.

Promoted up the order Jadeja looked all at sea wafting repeatedly outside off. He had scored only 6 off 14 when he raised his bat defensively to a lifting ball from Mahmood outside off and edged it to Inzamam. Wasim moved his bowlers around profitably, as Azhar showed none of the form he had apparently been enjoying in the nets and Dravid was also unable to make runs in front of the wicket.

The 150 came up in the 38th over. India had scored the first 50 from 80 balls, the 2nd 50 from 58 balls and the third from 89 balls. Wasim came on at the Stretford end in the 40th over and struck with the penultimate ball when Dravid, attempting to push the run rate on, drove uppishly into the covers where Afridi plucked the ball out of the air with his left hand. Afridi could have had the wicket of Azhar in the next over when the Indian captain came down the wicket and drove to deep mid wicket but Afridi dropped the difficult chance and it went for four.

There was little sign at this stage that it was to be Azhar's day. He had taken 16 balls to get off the mark, and he and new partner Singh could only take 8 runs off the 42nd, 43rd and 44th overs. In the 45th Singh took drastic action and swung Saqlain for a massive six over midwicket. Azhar, after a few half-swings made a good contact in the 47th over, smacking Saqlain for a towering six into the crowd at long on. In the 48th over, after pulling out of the first ball, perhaps to unsettle the bowler, he pulled Shoaib for four through midwicket. He then belted the young Pakistani through the covers on the up to bring up his 50 in 69 balls. Wasim wouldn't bring the field in the expectation that Azhar would continue to look for boundaries. Sure enough Azhar continued to throw his bat around, almost hitting another four through mid on. Wasim himself came on for the penultimate over which set up a fascinating contest between the captains. Azhar swung and missed twice, and connected once to send the ball bobbling to the cover boundary but short of the ropes. Wasim offered a tempting ball outside off which Azhar flicked square on the offside into the hands of Ijaz at backward point.

India failed to plunder from the last over. Singh tried to smack the last ball for the maximum but instead holed out to Wasim, leaving India well short of a good score.

Pakistan started in extremely positive fashion. Anwar pulled Srinath's first ball through midwicket for four. Emboldened he dispatched Mohanty, bowling erratically as usual, twice to the fence in the second over, first stepping out to a wide ball to smack it through the covers and then cutting through point past the despairing half dive of Kumble. But Afridi at the other end is not the opening bat he used to be and of the back of an edged four, he was well caught by the outstretched arms of Kumble at point attempting to cut.

Ijaz came out as positively as Anwar and struck the first ball he faced through the covers for four. Anwar continued in a positive vein, stroking Mohanty for three through the covers again and taking 8 runs off the fifth over including a fantastic four pulled through midwicket. In the 8th over Azhar switched Srinath to the Stretford End, and he looked far more comfortable with the sun on his back, beating Ijaz with a beauty outside off. He beat Ijaz again in the 10th over with a ball that came back in from outside off and Azhar took a good low catch at second slip.

Saleem Malik seemed the very antithesis of what had come before and showed no ambition in facing Mohanty who helped himself to the first over of the innings. Srinath then followed with another maiden and Mohanty would have bowled a third were it not for two stray wides. Pakistan needed a change of tempo and Azhar obliged by replacing Srinath with Prasad at the Stretford end. Malik found room through the covers to hit the first runs off the bat for three overs. But the next ball moved in, hit him on the roll and umpire Bucknor launched another bid for international recognition in taking a good 10 seconds to raise his finger. Prasad had the temerity to add another maiden to the Indian analysis in the 16th over. When he added the wicket of Anwar, wafting outside the off stump and edging a delivery to Azhar who took a good diving catch, holding the ball in his fingertips, the Pakistan challenge looked to have run out of steam.

Kumble came on from the Warwick road end and conceded only one run of his first over. He then had Mahmood caught at the wicket to a bouncing delivery, his second of his second over. Pakistan's slim hopes of reaching India's total rested with Moin Khan and Inzamam, and at first the pair were unconvincing in their assault. Moin rather than Inzamam, took on the mantle of the slogger. He hit a massive straight six off Kumble and another off Singh in the 32nd over. He glanced Kumble for the most delightful four to chants of 'Moin, Moin' in the next, but Azhar was probably happy to bowl Singh and Kumble through most of their overs as the Pakistan rate was climbing above 6 an over required. After the second drinks break Azhar brought Prasad on at the Warwick Road end for Kumble, who had bowled 6 overs, conceding 26 runs for one wicket. Moin pirouetted to pull Prasad's second ball and top edged to Tendulkar who cooly took a catch at long leg. A useful 34 off 37 balls but not enough to save Pakistan.

Razzaq, injured when he clipped a six off Prasad, was bowled by the returning Srinath with his very first delivery. Prasad trapped Inzamam leg before, Saqlain Mushtaq lasted only 4 balls before he too was adjudged leg before to Kumble and then Wasim holed out in the 46th over to Kumble at midwicket in a last despairing attempt to reach the boundary.