Cook leads from the front again

England can go 2-0 up with a win, with two matches remaining in this one-day series - and as in the first fixture on Monday, their new opening pair laid the foundations for a competitive total.

After Cook won the toss, England were 65 for none after 15 overs - an improvement already on the partnership of 57 between the captain and Pietersen two days ago.

England's progress was nonetheless patchy as Pakistan ran through five bowling options in quick time, and the tourists were indebted to two leg-side wides from Aizaz Cheema - one which beat the wicketkeeper and went to the boundary - to get them under way.

Cook, who played out a maiden to Umar Gul's first over of the match, needed 10 balls to get off the mark - but did so with an especially well-timed back-foot drive wide of mid-off for four off Cheema.

He beat the same fielder with a drive on the up at Mohammad Hafeez, for the second of two successive fours off the off-spinner.

Gul almost fooled Pietersen with a slower-ball leg-break, which ended up a wide long-hop and was smashed just over cover for four as the batsman succeeded only marginally in readjusting his timing.

Pietersen had an anxious moment on 23 too when Shahid Afridi reviewed Aleem Dar's not-out verdict for lbw, but simulation sided with umpire and batsman and left Pakistan with no remaining DRS options.

Cook was more fortunate to survive, on 28, when wicketkeeper Umar Akmal dropped a faint edge from an attempted cut at Afridi.