Woolmer satisfied with bowling performance

Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, was satisfied with the performance of his bowlers after England A made 268 for 3 at the end of the first day of their warm-up match at Canterbury. Mohammad Sami, Umar Gul and Danish Kaneria were the three wicket-takers, as England A were restricted to less than three an over in good batting conditions.

Woolmer expected the pitches to be similar for the rest of the season and was happy with the workout before the first Test at Lord's next week. "We've got to bowl in these conditions, I can't see them being different to this."

The Pakistanis had beaten Leicestershire in their first warm-up match, and Woolmer said the conditions there were difficult for the bowlers too: "We've just got to get used to English conditions which at Leicester proved they are not as fast as everyone thinks they are. They are slow, slow pitches."

He was also positive about Kamran Akmal's chances of playing at Lord's after bruising his left index finger. Akmal left the field after lunch while Faisal Iqbal took over the wicketkeeping duties. "It's just slightly bruised," he said. "He's got full movement, there's no break. Zulqarnain Haider, who has kept for the A team, is on standby and he's training every day."