Alastair Cook’s composed 137 and Steven Finn’s four-wicket haul led England to a surprisingly dominant 130-run win in the first ODI against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.

Having won the toss, Cook opted to bat first and scored England’s first century of the tour against Pakistan, the highest score seen at the ground in a one-day international.

His knock was crucial, because barring a dogged 50 from Ravi Bopara, England’s batsman struggled once more, with Saeed Ajmal ripping through the middle order and taking five wickets.

England’s total of 260 for seven from 50 overs looked like leaving Pakistan a chaseable target, but Finn ripped through the Pakistan batting to kill the contest early.

He took the first four wickets to leave Pakistan stranded at 40 for four, and they never recovered, eventually slumping for 130 all out.

England take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series, which continues at the same venue on Wednesday.

England won the toss and Cook opted to bat first, with Tim Bresnan left out having failed to reach full match-fitness.

The story of the England innings was the performance Cook, whose limited-overs batsmanship still attracts doubt from some quarters.

But after contributing more than half of England’s total at a healthy pace, those questions should be laid to rest.

He outscored opening partner Kevin Pietersen, promoted up the order in a bid to boost his flagging one-day career, and assumed the role of aggressor as KP limped along in a 57-run stand.

Both had the review system to thank for prolonging their partnership, with Pietersen reprieved when he challenged the verdict having been adjudged leg-before against Umar Gul, only for Hawkeye to show the ball would have gone over the top of the wicket. Cook was also given out during a tight spell from off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez, but hotspot detected a clear inside edge on appeal.

Despite the solid start Cook, who had eased to 38, was then forced to rebuild the innings when Shahid Afridi struck twice in two balls to bowl Pietersen with a leg-break and then Jonathan Trott with a delivery which held its line.

Bopara struggled in the early stages, lucky to escape a stumping, and then more fortunate still not to be Afridi’s third victim when struck on the back pad in front of middle stump, but settled down to become a valuable foil for Cook.

The acceleration came – moving the team total from 51 to 100 had taken 80 balls, but from 101 to 150 it required just 47 balls. Bopara flayed two impressive boundaries through the off side against Wahab Riaz to get going, while Cook continued at an even, healthy pace.

His century came from 110 balls and with the score at 188 for two, it appeared that England had a chance to bat their opponents out of the game.

But Saeed Ajmal, who had been negotiated safely if unspectacularly in his first six overs for 28 runs, beat Bopara as he charged down the track to have him stumped shortly after reaching his half-century, before removing Eoin Morgan soon after by trapping the out-of-form left-hander lbw as he tried a reverse-sweep.

Craig Kieswetter, dropped into the middle order, tried to attack but could make no inroads, eventually skying an Ajmal delivery high into the air for Riaz to pouch.

And for good measure Ajmal ended Cook’s impressive knock, bowling the skipper around his legs, before grabbing a sharp low catch from Stuart Broad three balls later to complete another five-wicket haul against England.

England’s momentum appeared to desert them at precisely the wrong moment, but Samit Patel and Graeme Swann eked out extra runs at the death to lift Pakistan’s target to 261.

Finn has been on the fringes of the Test team in recent months, and did not feature in the 3-0 series whitewash.

He pressed his claims for a recall immediately and emphatically with a superb opening spell in which he finished with figures of four for 20 from six overs.

Beginning the destruction with two wickets in two balls, he bowled straight and full, and accounted for Mohammad Hafeez and Asad Shafiq with straightforward leg-before calls.

Younis Khan followed, beaten by a pacy ball which moved back in at him and caught the inside edge, with Craig Kieswetter taking a sharp catch behind the stumps.

And Imran Farhat was the next to go, tickling a delivery to the wicketkeeper to leave Pakistan teetering at 40 for four.

There was no recovery from that point, with Misbah-ul-Haq inexplicably missing a straight ball from Patel before Shoaib Malik slapped a full toss limply to Pietersen at mid-on.

Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi tried to play some shots before the wicketkeeper was stumped off the bowling of Swann, while Afridi tried one shot too many to give Patel his third scalp.

Finn came back but could not claim a fifth victim, and in the end Swann and Broad wrapped up the contest.

It marked a surprising turnaround from the one-sided Test series, all the more so given England had lost their last five ODIs and Pakistan had won five in a row going into the match.

But it gave the tourists a much-needed boost, and the Pakistanis some questions to ponder.

Mark Patterson - on Twitter @Mark_Eurosport / Eurosport