It was a case of job well done for England as their imposing total proved too much for a spirited Pakistan chase with Andrew Strauss' team winning the first ODI of the five-match series by 24 runs.

It was an all-round and professional display from the home side who racked up a healthy total of 274 for six on a quality pitch after they were put in to bat by Shahid Afridi.

The start of play was postponed due to a wet outfield with the game reduced to 41-overs each, but when it did get underway the England opening pair of Strauss and Stephen Davies got the home side off to an ideal start.

They were helped by some ineffectual Pakistan bowling with Afridi frustrated by his lack of back-up for Shoaib Akhtar, who beat the bat on numerous occasions in the opening overs and ended with very decent figures of 0 for 28 in his eight overs. The 7ft'1'in debutant Mohammad Irfan was given the new ball but lasted just one over after his opener was pillaged for 15 runs.

Strauss was the early aggressor as he moved the score along at more than a run a ball but Davies soon caught up as the left-handed pair shared a stand of 78 before Strauss (41) was out in the 12 over, beaten for pace by Saeed Ajmal. The wicket did little to stop the rate as Davies raced to his first ODI fifty, reaching the mark in just 37 balls.

While the 24-year old played his strokes, Jonathan Trott(67) kept the scoreboard ticking and the pair added 65 together before Ajmal struck again, having Davies caught behind by Kamran Akmal for 87 from just 67 balls.

Trott, playing the anchor role, went on to reach a half-century of his own and while playing superbly both he and Davies were fortunate to survive chances early in their innnings.

The left-hander was on 21 when he stung Afridi's hands at mid-wicket with the Pakistan captain unable to hang on to a tough chance. Trott was caught, what appeared to be a clear edge to Kamran Akmal not noticed by the umpire when the England number three was on 26.

Trott made the most of his fortune and guided the innings through its most tricky period which saw the wickets of Davies, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan slow the rate. Just as he was looking to accelerate however he was bowled by Ajmal.

In came Ravi Bopara and though clearly nervous at first the Essex man was able to make the most of his limited opportunity with a couple of lusty blows as he reached 35 not out to pull England up to a very imposing 274 for six.

For Pakistan Umar Gul was particularly disappointing with an expensive six overs going for 67, Saeed Ajmal was the pick of the bowlers, ending with four England scalps.

The visitors made a gutsy effort of their chase with a solid opening stand worth 62 from Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal setting up the innings. Akmal was the more dominant of the two and was at his best as he moved comfortably along to a half century.

However, soon after going to the milestone Akmal perished, becoming Graeme Swann's second victim with tame stroke lobbed up to Stuart Broad.

With the required rate climbing the Pakistan middle order were always under pressure but with wickets in hand and Afridi to come there was still a glimmer of hope. Fawad Alam (39) and Umar Akmal (43) made telling contributions but in the end the chase ran out of steam with Afridi's wicket for 19 the final nail in the coffin.

It was a decent display by England's bowlers with everyone pitching in with wickets. James Anderson was the pick however with 2 for 35 in his nine overs as Pakistan limped to the end of their 41 overs to be left 24 runs short as Strauss' men took a 1-0 series lead.

Andy Flower will be pleased with his team's efforts although there is still room for improvement and four more matches to play in the series. The England coach will have expected victory at Chester-le-Street but what will be particularly pleasing to him will be the competition for places in his squad with Davies putting his hand up and Ravi Bopara having weighed in with a late cameo.

The second match of the series takes place on Sunday at Headingley.

Moment of the Match
England got off to a great start with Steve Davies sharing a threatening opening stand with his skipper. The duo raced to 50 in the eighth over before Davies hit Mohammad Hafeez to Shahid Afridi at mid wicket. It was a crisp hit which flew at head height to the Pakistan captain. Unable to adjust in time Afridi was left with stung palms as the ball hit the turf and allowed Davies a major let-off on 21. A clean catch at that stage would have saved Pakistan at least 20 runs in the chase with the 22-year old, to his credit, making the most of the opportunity.

Delivery of the Day
There was no one delivery which really stood out. James Anderson bowled well with a couple of effective slower balls. Ultimately though the ball that sticks in the memory was Saeed Ajmal's to get rid of Strauss.

The England captain was looking in good touch before going back to cut the off spinner. Ajmal pushed the ball in quicker, skidding it through to deceive Strauss with Kamran Akmal taking a fine catch behind the stumps.

Shot of the Day
It has to be Davies. His knock dominated the game and in it his most eye-catching stroke was an inside out chip over extra cover which he played on a number of occasions. None was better than when, with his score on 77, he danced down the track to Mohammad Hafeez and lifted the ball effortlessly over extra cover to find four, beating the two men converging on the fence.

Doug Saxby