Pakistan fought back to inflict an eight-run defeat on England in the first of three Twenty20 matches.
Chasing 145, Kevin Pietersen (33) and Ravi Bopara (39) put England in a good position but Umar Gul took three quick wickets to revive Pakistan's hopes.
Needing 18 off Junaid Khan's final over, England's Graeme Swann and Jonny Bairstow finished short on 136-6.
Earlier, Swann took 3-13 but Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq's stand of 71 helped Pakistan to a respectable 144-6.
Ultimately their stand proved crucial as England's batsmen fell just short in a tight run chase under the lights.
England retained Pietersen at the top of the order where he had been so successful in the one-day series whitewash and brought back Bopara after a back injury.
Pietersen looked to dominate from the start and England, despite a maiden over from Gul, reached 40-0 after five overs.
But Pietersen, having flat-batted a powerful six to the previous ball, was out for 33 in the sixth over when Asad Shafiq took a well-judged catch right on the boundary edge.
Craig Kieswetter was bowled trying to make room for a big hit and Eoin Morgan went for 14 to Mohammad Hafeez's quicker ball.
Bairstow was almost out first ball, his reverse sweep just falling short of the Saeed Ajmal, but Bopara looked determined to see England home.
The Essex batsman smashed a straight six off Khan and kept the scoreboard ticking along nicely before walking across his crease and being bowled behind his legs by a Gul yorker.
Jos Buttler, having stepped across his stumps in an attempt to flick Gul away, fell to a one-handed catch by Ajmal for three, and next ball Samit Patel was trapped leg before playing across the line of an inswinger.
The inxeperienced Bairstow and Swann struggled to get the ball away, with spinner Saeed Ajmal conceding just four runs off the penultimate over to leave England needing 18 off the final over.
But Khan kept his discipline and ensured his side broke their losing run.
Earlier, Pakistan opener Awais Zia gave his side a bright start on his debut, hitting two powerful boundaries off Steven Finn's first over and then smashing the paceman for a six into the second tier of the stand in his next over.
But Finn got his revenge with a well-disguised slower delivery which Zia lofted into Stuart Broad's hands for an easy catch at mid-off.
Swann dropped Hafeez off another slow delivery, this time from Jade Dernbach, but the spinner's second over with the ball halted Pakistan's momentum.
The spinner got lucky with the dismissal of Shafiq when it looked like he had already broken the wicket with his elbow before claiming a run-out, as four wickets fell for eight runs.
Two balls later Hafeez swept Swann straight to Bairstow and fell for 23, while next over, Swann tempted Shahid Afridi down the pitch and the batsman flicked the ball straight to Morgan at mid-wicket.
Umar Akmal faced three balls before hoicking Swann horribly and Dernbach raced in to take a superb diving catch and hand the bowler a double wicket maiden.
Malik and Misbah batted sensibly to get their side back into the match, both smashing a six each as Pakistan built their total.
They put on 71 before Malik was out to the last ball of the match when trying to smash Dernbach over the ropes but their partnership ultimately made the difference.