Shoaib Akhtar dismissed Marcus Trescothick with the first ball of the match before England battled back to 271 for nine against Pakistan in the third one-day international at Southampton's Rose Bowl on Tuesday.
Andrew Strauss made 50, Jamie Dalrymple 62 and Paul Collingwood 61.
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan was the top bowler with four for 57 while Shoaib played an equally important a role with two for 59, as well as taking a catch and completing a run-out.
Pakistan, though, who lead the five-match series 1-0, will feel confident of another victory after a polished bowling performance which reduced the home team to 125 for four in the 25th over.
Collingwood and Dalrymple gave England a chance with a 101-run stand for the fifth wicket but neither batsman had the explosiveness to set a truly formidable total.
Pakistan's only disappointment was their outfielding which, at times, verged on the comical.
Inzamam-ul-Haq's decision to bowl first in the day-nighter received an immediate boost when strike bowler Shoaib's first ball, an inswinging yorker, clattered into the stumps via Trescothick's pads.
Strauss, though, responded with a series of fine shots in a 46-ball stay which included eight fours. He got off the mark by clipping Shoaib to the square leg fence and he was soon unsettling Mohammad Asif by advancing down the wicket and whipping him away to leg.
Strauss took England past 50 in the ninth over with consecutive fours off Shoaib. The only man to check Strauss, indeed, was his team mate Ian Bell who failed to get out of the way of a return drive from his captain and took a painful blow to the stomach.
SNICKED BEHIND
Strauss, however, finally aimed an expansive cover-drive off Abdul Razzaq and snicked behind to make it 79 for two.
Pietersen looked set to put England in control for the first time in the series but, having hit 20 at a run a ball, he thick-edged Rana to backward point.
That made it 113 for three and Inzamam turned the screw by reintroducing Shoaib who quickly induced a false drive from Bell (42) which was caught at point.
Collingwood and Dalrymple rebuilt with sweeps and nudges, taking the home side to 195 for four after 40 overs.
Dalrymple, however, having reached his half-century off 69 balls, was then beautifully yorked by Rana and three balls later Rikki Clarke missed a straight delivery from Razzaq to depart for a golden duck.
Collingwood also fell in the dying overs, a paddle to fine leg off Rana well taken by Shoaib as he ran back.
