James Taylor posted a match-winning half-century - and Alex Hales added a battling 30 - as England cantered into the lead in their One-Day International series against Pakistan.
Taylor’s man of the match performance of 67 not out helped the tourists recover from 93-4 in Sharjah.
The pursuit of 209 to win was completed with nine overs to spare, a margin of victory that looked implausible following the quick wickets of Hales and captain Eoin Morgan, at a time when Shoaib Malik and debutant Zafar Gohar were reaping havoc with the sharply turning ball.
Pakistan, having won the toss and elected to bat, had earlier looked on course for a competitive total as they reached 132-2, but the loss of eight wickets for 76 runs limited the score to a below par 208 all out.
Hales then played responsibly for his important 30 off 49 balls, a knock that saw him; see off an aggressive spell from giant fast bowler Mohammad Irfan and share a third wicket partnership of 60 with his captain.
Then, despite the mid-innings wobble, Taylor combined with Jos Buttler - who recovered from a shaky start to finish with a morale boosting unbeaten 49 - ensured no further tremors.
At the start of the day, Pakistan openers Azhar Ali and Babar Azam posted 45 in the first 11 overs before Chris Woakes (22) had the latter caught at fine leg.
Captain Ali and the in-form Mohammad Hafeez added 47 for the second wicket before an inspired piece of fielding from Taylor brought the first run out of the Pakistan innings.
Fielding at backward point, the Notts Outlaws captain produced a diving stop before throwing back to Jos Buttler, the England wicketkeeper completing the run out with Ali (36) stranded short of his ground.
Sarfraz Ahmed, promoted to number four, added impetus for the hosts with a run-a-ball 26 before Hafeez’s departure sparked the collapse.
Having made 45, the Pakistan number three was undone by a David Willey slower ball, caught in the deep by Joe Root.
Ahmed followed in the next over, smashing Moeen Ali straight in to the hands of Chris Jordan on the boundary before another lapse in concentration, this time from Mohammad Rizwan, saw the right-hander run out for just one.
The collapse was further compounded when Iftikhar Ahmed (3), Anwar Ali (7) and Malik (16), the third run out of the innings, all fell to leave the hosts on 161-8.
A total of over 200 was looking increasingly unlikely until the Pakistan tail-enders, led by Wahab Riaz, propelled the hosts to a semblance of respectability.
Alongside Zafar Gohar and Mohammad Irfan, Riaz posted partnerships of 26 and 21 respectively for the final couple of wickets.
The opening bowler ended unbeaten on 33 as Woakes cleaned up Irfan with a yorker to bowl Pakistan out for 208, the England paceman taking a four-wicket haul for the second game in succession.
England’s target was, on the face if it, below par. But they were quickly in trouble as Jason Roy (7) was squared up by an Irfan delivery and caught at cover and Joe Root, whose 15 saw him pass 2,000 runs in all international cricket for 2015, gave debutant Gohar his first wicket by hitting a full toss into the hands of deep square leg.
Hales, fresh from his maiden ODI century in the second match of the series, was unmoved but had to endure a tough period against the bowling of Irfan before releasing the pressure with the first maximum off Gohar.
The pair had lifted the England score to 87 before Gohar returned to remove Hales (30) with a trademark left-arm spinner’s delivery that spun away from the Outlaws opener and was edged to first slip.
Pakistan’s spinners sensed an opening and when Malik bowled Morgan (35) with a delivery that further showcased the prodigious turn on offer, Taylor and Buttler had plenty of graft ahead of them to secure a positive result.
Aside from top-edging a sweep into the grill of his own helmet, Taylor was assured from the start and - by the time he slapped Malik down the ground for six to secure a 51 ball half-century - the match was all but in the bag.
The diminutive number five has averaged 63.67 since returning to the England one-day side midway through the English summer, passing fifty on three occasions and posting his maiden century in a match at Emirates Old Trafford against Australia.
Buttler, on the other hand, has struggled for runs of late but - having reverse-swept his way back into form - the Lancashire gloveman finished the job with a towering six.
England are returning to the scene of their Ashes triumph in 2016 for Royal London One-Day Internationals against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Don't miss the opportunity to watch some of the best players in the world go toe-to-toe in the unique surroundings of Trent Bridge and secure your seats now.