Schedule
Date Start Time Match Venue
March 10 Arrival in Lahore
March 13 04.30 GMT 1st ODI Karachi
March 16 09.00 GMT 2nd ODI Rawalpindi
(D/N)
March 19 04.30 GMT 3rd ODI Peshawar
March 21 09.00 GMT 4th ODI Lahore (D/N)
March 24 09.00 GMT 5th ODI Lahore (D/N)
March 28 - April 1 04.00 GMT 1st Test
Multan
April 5-9 04.00 GMT 2nd Test Lahore
April 13-17 04.00 GMT 3rd Test Rawalpindi
April 18 Departure from
Lahore
5th ODI 24/03/2004
SCOREBOARD
INDIA:
V. Sehwag c Moin b Shabbir Ahmed 20
S. Tendulkar c Moin b Mohammad Sami 37
V. Laxman c Sami b Shoaib Malik 107
S. Ganguly c Moin b Shoaib Akhtar 45
R. Dravid b Mohammad Sami 4
Y. Singh c Inzamam b Shabbir Ahmed 18
Mohammad Kaif c Umer b Sami 16
Irfan Pathan not out 20
Laxmipathy Balaji not out 10
EXTRAS: (b2, lb4, nb5, w5) 16
TOTAL: (for seven wkts) 293
Did not bat: Murali Kartik, Zaheer Khan
Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-79, 3-171, 4-183,
5-227, 6-253, 7-276
BOWLING:
Shoaib Akhtar 10-1-47-1
Shabbir Ahmed 10-1-56-2
Mohammad Sami 10-1-63-3
Abdul Razzaq 10-0-54-0
Shoaib Malik 10-0-67-1
Overs: 50
PAKISTAN:
Yasir Hameed b Balaji 2
Taufiq Umer b Pathan 18
Yousuf Youhana lbw b Pathan 1
Inzamam-ul Haq c Tendulkar b Kartik 38
Younis Khan c Yuvraj b Pathan 12
Shoaib Malik c Kaif b Sehwag 65
Abdul Razzaq c Sehwag b Balaji 5
Moin Khan b Balaji 72
Mohammad Sami b Zaheer 23
Shoaib Akhtar run out 2
Shabbir Ahmed not out 1
EXTRAS: (b2, lb5, nb3, w4) 14
TOTAL: 253
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-9, 3-25, 4-58,
5-87, 6-96, 7-195, 8-248, 9-250
BOWLING:
Pathan 10-2-32-3
Balaji 9.5-0-62-3
Zaheer 9-0-54-1
Kartik 10-0-42-1
Tendulkar 5-0-27-0
Sehwag 4-0-29-1
Overs: 47.5
India won by 40 runs to take the series
3-2
Toss: Pakistan
Umpires: David Shepherd (ENG), Nadeem
Ghauri (PAK)
TV umpire: Zamir Haider (PAK)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI).
LAHORE-Cricket rivals India
and Pakistan were gripped by big-match jitters as they prepared for today’s
decisive fifth one-dayer that one expert said would be "too close to call."
With the series locked 2-2, it’s all to play for at the day-night encounter
at the Gaddafi stadium with the winner gaining a psychological edge ahead
of the three Tests to follow. Sourav Ganguly’s Indians go into the showdown
buoyant after securing a series-levelling win on Sunday, but are wary of
their poor record in one-day finals over the past year. It was India that
walked into the finale with the rubber tied at 2-2 and the tag of chokers
hanging around its neck like an albatross. But it was Pakistan that ended
up surrendering the match, by 40 runs to be precise. To the utter dismay
of the packed-to-capacity crowd expecting a thriller, it was all over bar
the shouting with nearly half of the regulation 50 overs to go as Pakistan
was reduced to 96 for six. Shoaib Malik and Moin Khan tried to make a fist
of it, but the Indian win was more or less inevitable. Sourav Ganguly
injured his back to be carried off the ground on a stretcher while trying
to stop an Inzamam-ul-Haq off-drive but he rewrote history in becoming
the first Indian skipper to have won a one-day series in this country in
half a dozen attempts since 1978. The victory also gives India a psychological
boost prior to the Test series that commences at Multan on March 28. Though
quite remarkably led by VVS Laxman (a superb hundred anchoring the Indian
innings) in batting and Irfan Pathan (devastating opening spell of three
for 20 off eight overs) in bowling, it was anything but India’s clinical
precision that spelt doom for Pakistan. It was rather the lack of any method
in Pakistan’s chase that nipped the hopes of a triumph in the bud.
Pakistan was to make 294
to win, an identical target that India had surpassed with such consummate
ease on Sunday. There is no denying that it was a competitive target. But
Pakistan had made 344 at Karachi before losing by just five runs. There
was no shame in that, but this was in poor taste. And the conditions were
not difficult either. Again it was a placid track; Indian bowling too was
the same against which Pakistan had made a similar total batting first
the other day. If anything it should have been slightly more difficult
for the Indian attack to contain Pakistan under the lights. Three wickets
in the first six overs put the skids under the Pakistan innings. With Yasir
Hameed and Yousuf Youhana going cheaply, Taufeeq Umar struck Laxmipathy
Balaji for three fours to raise hopes of closing the gap. He too perished,
bowled behind his legs by Irfan Pathan. Younis Khan is not a great striker
of the ball, and he nudged it around for 20 balls before driving a really
wide one from Pathan into Yuvraj Singh’s hands at point. It all depended
on Inzamam and Abdul Razzaq, the two big strikers who were in rich vein
of form. Inzamam tried to loft Murali Kartik straight out of the ground,
but Sachin Tendulkar took a great catch right on the rope. Razzaq holed
out to Virender Sehwag at long-off and the end seemed nigh. From here on
Malik (65 off 89 balls, 3 fours, 1 six) and Moin played some sparkling
strokes and brisk running between the wickets to add 99 from 102 balls
for the seventh wicket to revive a morose crowd by taking the fight to
India. As Malik gave it away, Moin kept game on, adding another rapidfire
53 with Mohammad Sami, but the task was way beyond the tail. Earlier, Inzamam-ul-Haq
won the toss for the fifth time on the trot, and for the third time in
the rubber he elected to field first. Given the wanton ways of the Pakistan
attack, this was a brave decision, one that Inzamam may have rued had Pakistani
bowlers continued gifting wides and no-balls. Rising to the call of their
skipper, Pakistan’s bowlers put up a much more disciplined performance
than has been their wont in the four previous games. And had Laxman in
the middle of the innings and Irfan Pathan at the fag end not benefitted
from dropped chances the target may have been slightly less daunting.
But Shoaib Akhtar led by
example, his first spell of five overs going for just 15 runs, with no
extras. Despite Shabbir and Sami going for runs in their first spells,
the run rate was mostly kept in check, and was never allowed to go beyond
six an over. This was helped a great deal by Shabbir and Sami providing
breakthroughs that accounted for the two Indian openers, Virender Sehwag
and Sachin Tendulkar. These were vital blows for Sehwag seemed to be in
that irresistible mood and Tendulkar was keen to leave an extended poor
run in the four finals in the last one year. Tendulkar looked solid, and
had driven Shabbir and Sami through the covers a couple of times with characteristic
aplomb. He had also guided the two speedsters to third man for boundaries
a couple of times. He tried the shot again, this time the outside edge
ending up in Moin’s gloves. Laxman and Ganguly retrieved the situation
in a partnership of 92, the best stand of the innings. Laxman (107, off
104 balls with 11 fours) by now had enjoyed a life, when Taufeeq dropped
him at deep mid-wicket when he was only at 52. Both were aiming for
acceleration when Inzamam, now searching for wickets, brought Akhtar back
into the attack. And he had Ganguly caught by Moin, his third catch of
the innings. As Akhtar was rested again, Sami castled Rahul Dravid. With
the slog on, Yuvraj, Laxman and Kaif lost their wickets losing the long
handle. But Irfan Pathan and Laxmipathy Balaji made some brisk runs at
the death to ensure that the target was in the vicinity of 300.
 |
4th. ODI 21/03/2004
SCOREBOARD
PAKISTAN:
Yasir Hameed st Dravid b Kartik 45
Shahid Afridi c Yuvraj b Pathan 3
Yousuf Youhana lbw b Pathan 9
Inzamam-ul Haq b Balaji 123
Younis Khan c Pathan b Kartik 36
Abdul Razzaq c Kaif b Tendulkar 32
Moin Khan b Balaji 0
Shoaib Malik c Kaif b Zaheer 13
Shoaib Akhtar b Zaheer 2
Mohammad Sami not out 0
Shabbir Ahmed not out 0
EXTRAS: (b10, lb9, nb5, w6) 30
TOTAL: (for nine wkts) 293
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-39, 3-89, 4-194,
5-264, 6-264, 7-283, 8-290, 9-292
BOWLING:
Pathan 10-1-53-2
Balaji 10-0-64-2
Zaheer 10-0-43-2
Kartik 10-1-48-2
Tendulkar 8-0-48-1
Yuvraj 2-0-18-0
Overs: 50
INDIA:
V. Sehwag c Younis b Sami 26
S.Tendulkar c Moin b Shoaib Akhtar 7
V. Laxman b Shoaib Akhtar 20
S. Ganguly c Moin b Abdul Razzaq 21
R. Dravid not out 76
Y. Singh c Youhana b Sami 36
Mohammad Kaif not out 71
EXTRAS: (lb9, nb9, w19) 37
TOTAL: (for five wkts) 294
Did not bat: Irfan Pathan, M. Kartik,
L. Balaji, Zaheer Khan
Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-69, 3-75, 4-94,
5-162
BOWLING:
Shoaib Akhtar 9-1-63-2
Shabbir Ahmed 7-0-62-0
Mohammad Sami 10-0-50-2
Abdul Razzaq 7-0-42-1
Shoaib Malik 7-0-38-0
Shahid Afridi 5-0-30-0
Overs: 45
India won by five wickets
Man of the match: Inzamam-ul Haq (PAK)
Toss: Pakistan
Umpires: Simon Taufel (AUS), Asad Rauf
(PAK)
TV umpire: Nadeem Ghauri (PAK)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)
Last match: Lahore on Wednesday
India romp to series leveller
as extras cost Pakistan dear
LAHORE -- India's batting
might came good under the lights in the crunch game and brought the series
to even keel with consummate ease, knocking off a sizable Pakistan target
of 294 with five wickets and five overs to spare.
The thoroughly deserving
victory that came under great pressure keeps the rubber alive, with the
promise of the fifth decisive game on Wednesday being a thriller.
While Sourav Ganguly must
have felt relieved, the result laid to waste Inzamam-ul-Haq's magnificent
hundred, the second of this series and 10th overall - his only consolation
being the Man of the Match Award. But, his own contribution notwithstanding,
he must blame his batsmen for a less determined effort that saw Pakistan
ending up well short of 300 on a wicket that was as good for batting as
the earlier ones at Karachi and Rawalpindi.
As if that was not enough,
the Pakistani bowlers could not measure up to the discipline and resolve
of their less reputed counterparts. They squandered too many no-balls and
wides, a whopping 28 in all, and their waywardness allowed the batsmen
to dictate terms.
Shoaib Akhtar started off
with four wides and Shabbir Ahmed, such a revelation at Peshawar, was massacred
for 15 in his first over by Virender Sehwag. Akhtar induced an inside edge
from Sachin Tendulkar with Moin Khan pouching a good catch, but that did
not put any skids under the Indian onslaught.
The wickets kept falling
at regular intervals, with Akhtar uprooting VVS Laxman's middle stump with
a brute of an in-shooter and Sami finding Sehwag's edge with Younis Khan
doing the rest at first slip. But to keep the pressure on Pakistan bowling,
the Indian batsmen seemed intent on taking the fight to them by scoring
at a brisk pace that was well over the asking rate.
Ganguly and Yuvraj didn't
stay on the wicket for long, both together facing 50 deliveries contributing
57 runs with seven fours and a six by the former over third man off Sami.
When Razzaq had Ganguly
caught at the wicket, it was 94 for four and Inzamam must have thought
that he had a window of opportunity there. Dravid and Yuvraj added another
quick 68, in around 11 overs to bring the asking rate under five runs an
over.
From here on they only had
to keep their nerve, and Dravid (76, 92 balls, 9 fours) and Mohammad Kaif
(71, 77 balls, 8 fours) are not known to lose theirs easily. Together the
two put on 132 off only 130 balls to put the issue beyond doubt.
Inzamam's power and majesty
had earlier taken Pakistan close to 300, and they may well have gone past
this oft-crossed figure in this series had wickets not fallen in a bunch
in the last four overs.
Inzamam's knock (123 off
121 deliveries, 9 fours 4 sixes) was most important in the sense that it
provided thrust and substance to the Pakistan innings. With Razzaq playing
a blistering cameo, Pakistan added 95 runs in the last 10 overs. In ordinary
circumstances this should have been a pretty good endeavour, but during
this series both the sides batting first once apiece and setting a target
of well over 300-plus had survived the scare but only by the skin of their
teeth.
With Inzamam and Razzaq
(32, off 24 balls, 2 fours, 1 six) going great guns, hitting bowlers to
all parts of the park after they were kept in check in the middle overs,
Pakistan seemed destined to make their third total of 300-plus in four
games. But with the slog on, five wickets fell in the space of 25 deliveries
and that thwarted the brisk scoring.
Pakistan started poorly,
with Shahid Afridi's lofted cut off Irfan Pathan snapped up by Yuvraj Singh
at point. Yousuf Youhana hung around for a while but didn't seem to be
his usual confident self. Pathan, bowling well after having started off
with a first-ball wide, was swinging the ball around. He hit Youhana on
the pads four times in an over, and finally got him plumb in front.
Inzamam, winning his fourth
toss on the trot and this time electing to bat, came in to steady the innings
with Yasir Hameed, solid as ever though not given the freedom to cut loose
by the determined Indian bowlers. He tried to break the shackles by going
after Murali Kartik, missed the line of the ball and Dravid stumped him.
By now Inzamam was well
settled and dominating a stand of 105 off 109 deliveries with Younis Khan,
he stepped up the scoring rate quite considerably, setting up the final
assault.
At this point he tried to
improvise only to see Balaji take revenge by knocking back his off-stump
was rattled by Balaji. And though Razzaq and Shoaib Malik got a few, but
the late charge kept losing the momentum as wickets kept falling regularly.
Still quite a handy total,
only if Pakistani bowlers had risen to the task. The would need to make
serious amends if Pakistan intends to do better on Wednesday. |
3rd. ODI 19/03/2004
Hameed fashions Pakistan
victory
SCOREBOARD
INDIA:
V. Sehwag c Afridi b
Shabbir Ahmed 13
S. Tendulkar c Moin b
Shabbir Ahmed 0
V. Laxman b Shabbir Ahmed
3
R. Dravid c Moin b Shoaib
Malik 33
S. Ganguly c Moin b Abdul
Razzaq 39
Y. Singh c Youhana b
Sami 65
Mohammad Kaif lbw b Abdul
Razzaq 1
R. Powar lbw b Shoaib
Malik 14
Irfan Pathan b Shoaib
Akhtar 16
L. Balaji not out 21
Zaheer Khan not out 6
EXTRAS: (b1, lb5, nb4,
w23) 33
TOTAL: (for nine wkts)
244
Fall of wickets: 1-8,
2-30, 3-37, 4-105, 5-139, 6-140, 7-167, 8-198, 9-237
BOWLING:
Shoaib Akhtar 10-0-50-1
Shabbir Ahmed 10-0-33-3
Mohammad Sami 10-0-71-1
Abdul Razzaq 10-1-44-2
Shoaib Malik 10-0-40-2
Overs: 50
PAKISTAN:
Yasir Hameed c Yuvraj
b Pathan 98
Shahid Afridi b Pathan
6
Yousuf Youhana c Laxman
b Pathan 2
Younis Khan run out 18
Shoaib Malik c Sehwag
b Zaheer 2
Inzamam-ul Haq lbw b
Tendulkar 28
Abdul Razzaq not out
53
Moin Khan not out 22
EXTRAS: (lb11, nb7) 18
TOTAL: (For six wkts)
247
Did not bat: Shoaib Akhtar,
Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed
Fall of wickets: 1-14,
2-29, 3-55, 4-65, 5-156, 6-173
BOWLING:
Pathan 10-0-58-3
Balaji 9.2-0-41-0
Zaheer 9-0-56-1
Ganguly 6-0-24-0
Powar 4-0-17-0
Tendulkar 8-1-31-1
Yuvraj 1-0-9-0
Overs: 47.2
Pakistan won by four
wickets
Man-of-the-match: Yasir
Hameed (PAK)
Toss: PAK
Umpires: David Shepherd
(ENG), Nadeem Ghauri (PAK)
Tv umpire: Asad Rauf
(PAK)
Match referee: Ranjan
Madugalle (SRI)
Remaining matches: March
21 (Lahore), March 24 (Lahore) Remaining matches: March 21 and March 24
(both at Lahore)
Opener Yasir Hameed missed
out on a century, but his fluent 98 guided Pakistan to a four-wicket victory
over India in the third One-Day International in the five-match series
in Peshawar on Friday.
Fast bowler Irfan Pathan
sliced through the Pakistan top order, grabbing three wickets on his return
to the Indian team before Abdul Razzaq dashed the tourists' hopes with
an unbeaten 53 off 52 balls.
Earlier, India recovered
from a bad start to post a respectable 244 for 9 wickets, with Yuvraj Singh
top-scoring with a well-made 65. The Indian total was boosted by a quick-fire
21 off just 12 balls from Lakshmipathy Balaji.
India innings:
Pakistan won the toss and
put India in to bat on a pitch that, for the first time in the current
series, boasted of some grass cover. Skipper Inzamam-ul Haq took heart
from the conditions and took the gamble of bowling first.
The side batting first won
the earlier two matches in the series.
Pakistan made no changes
to their squad while India drafted in Irfan Pathan following Ashish Nehra's
injury. All-rounder Ramesh Powar's gutsy showing in the second ODI at Rawalpindi
enabled him retain his place in the squad.
The signs were not very
encouraging for the Indian batsman. The first ball from Shoaib Akhar swung
a long way and it seemed as if Haq had made the right decision.
Indian opener Virender Sehwag
was dropped in the first over itself. A swinging delivery flew off the
edge straight to Haq, who failed to get his hands up in time at first slip.
Sehwag survived, but not for long. His end was to come soon enough.
But before that, the Indian
innings was jolted by the fall of Sachin Tendulkar's wicket. Shabbir Ahmed
dismissed the master batsman for a duck. Ahmed sprayed the ball around
for the first four balls of the over, which extended to 14 balls, and then
produced a jaffer to send the batsman back to the pavilion.
Sehwag played a few trademark
shots as he raced away to 13 off 18 balls. But a ball from Ahmed squared
him up and the leading edge flew to Shahid Afridi, who took a good catch
at gully.
V V S Laxman was sent back
to the pavilion for 3, Ahmed causing the damage again. The lanky 6' 7"
inch bowler started in a very wayward manner but once he got his line he
was deadly. He extracted good pace and swing from the wicket.
The Indians were tottering
at 37 for the loss of three top-order wickets, and but for a 68-run partnership
for the fourth wicket between Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, the innings
might have ended even quicker.
Ganguly looked tentative
at the start but then played some well-timed drives through the off-side
to score 39 off 41 balls. He was eventually dismissed by Razzaq, who claimed
his first wicket of the series.
Dravid and Yuvraj Singh then
tried to consolidate the innings with a 34-run partnership. The going was
slow as the batsman tried to counter the swing and seam movement. The partnership
was broken by off-spinner Shoaib Malik. He got a delivery to bounce and
turn even as Dravid set up for the sweep shot. The Indian vice-captain
was unlucky to be dismissed for 33 after having concentrated for 86 balls.
At this point, India lost
Mohammad Kaif too. There was a real danger of the Indian innings folding
up in quick time, but Yuvraj Singh showed once again why he is so highly
regarded.
He rotated the strike well
and scored in the company of lower-order batsman Powar (14 off 18 balls),
Pathan (16 off 21 balls) and L Balaji (21 off 12 balls). The new-found
maturity of this left-hand batsman eventually saw India post a respectable
total.
Yuvraj received a lot of
help from Balaji, who carried on from where he left off in the Rawalpindi
ODI. The Tamil Nadu medium-pacer attacked Sami and Akhtar with a relish
that frustrated both the Pakistani fast bowlers. A four off his legs and
a six over long-on off Sami were shots that would have done a top-order
batsman proud.
At the end of the 40th over,
India were just 190 for the loss of seven wickets. But for the flurry of
runs in the last five overs, which realised 54 for the visitors, Pakistan
might have faced a much easier target.
At the start of the day,
Inzamam had said, "I would like to have a target of around 250." His wish
was granted.
Pakistan innings:
The Indian bowlers came up
with a fighting effort in a bid to defend a meager total, but were thwarted
by Hameed and Razzaq.
Pathan, left out of the first
two games, began the first over superbly. He got the ball to move both
ways at decent pace and troubled the batsmen in general.
Hameed was lucky to survive
a close lbw shout in Pathan's first over, when the ball pitched in line
with the off stump and straightened to strike Hameed's pads in front of
the stumps.
But success did not elude
Irfan for long. Before the start of the Pakistan innings, the Indian team
management would have recognized the threat posed by Shahid Afridi. The
Pakistan opener scores so quickly that a total like India's could be demolished
very quickly. Afridi tried to hit across the line the first ball of Irfan's
second over and was clean bowled. The ball pitched on the off-stump and
moved off the seam to crash into his middle stump.
Irfan struck again just four
overs later. Yousuf Youhana (2) followed a widish delivery and the resultant
edge flew straight to VVS Laxman, who made no mistake.
Hameed, at the other end,
continued to strike the ball with style and power. It was enough to convince
his home crowd of his talent and give them their money's worth.
Younis Khan took a different
approach from his partner. He attacked the bowlers with gusto. Three consecutive
fours in Pathan's sixth over saw the bowler being taken out of the attack.
But just when it looked like
Pakistan was beginning to run away with the game, Younis Khan's luck turned
on him. The right-hander backed up too far and Balaji deflected a straight
drive onto the stumps.
Zaheer Khan came on as the
first-change bowler, a clear indication of his bad form and the confidence
Ganguly has in him. But he struck almost immediately to claim the wicket
of Shoaib Malik (2).
Pakistan were 67 for 4 at
the end of 15 overs.
Skipper Inzamam-ul Haq batted
two positions lower than usual after complaining of acidity while fielding.
Hameed and Inzamam proceeded
to play perfectly, to the requirement of the team. By this time the moisture
in the air had evaporated and the ball ceased to do much.
Hameed continued to dominate
the bowlers. He pulled and drove Zaheer, cut Ganguly and kept taking singles
to keep the scoreboard ticking. The pressure almost never built up on Pakistan.
The home team was cruising to an easy victory.
At the end of 30 overs, Pakistan
were 146 for 4.
Ganguly desperately needed
a wicket and Tendulkar answered his prayers. A well-disguised googly fooled
Inzamam completely. The umpire gave him out almost immediately, but a close
look at the television replay suggested that the ball hit Inzamam well
outside the off-stump.
Razzaq, who was in next,
gave Hameed good support. But just when the latter looked set for a century,
he was dismissed by Pathan. A slower delivery deceived the batsman as he
tried to drive the ball on the up, but looped it straight to Yuvraj at
point.
Pakistan were 173 for the
loss of six wickets, 72 runs from victory. Another wicket could well have
consigned the home team to an unlikely defeat. But Razzaq and Moin Khan
played impressively. Both batsmen took their time to get going but once
they did, there was little doubt about the result of the match.
Razzaq, dropped by Tendulkar
off his own bowling in the 42nd over when on 17, scored a brilliant match-clinching
53 off just 52 balls while Moin Khan rotated the strike well to score 22
off 34 balls. The duo put on an unbeaten 74-run partnership to guide Pakistan
to victory.
Pakistan won the match by
four wickets and now lead the five-match series 2-1.
For the first time in the
series, it was an even contest between bat and ball after the 300-plus
totals recorded in the first two games.
|
2nd. ODI
Pakistan back in reckoning with win
16/03/2004
The fierce Pakistan bowling attack led
by Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhter who was playing his 100th one-day international
at home ground thrashed India to win the second game by 12 runs to level
the series by 1-1 here at the Rawalpindi Stadium on Tuesday.
India strived to chase the mammoth target
of 330 with the help of Star batsman Sachin Tendulkar who scored a scintillating
37th century (141 off 135balls) but failed to finish well once again as
he is famous for this bad habit. The Pakistani bowlers packed the entire
Indian batting line up in 48.4 overs when Muhammad Sami bowled injured
Ashish Nehra at a total score of 317 runs.
Except Tendulkar no other batsman could
empress much and only Rahul Dravid (36) and Sehwag (26) crossed the figure
of 20 runs. Shoaib Akhtar claimed three wickets conceding 49 runs in nine
overs while Sami got the same number of wickets in 9.4 overs for 41 runs.
Shahid Afridi was the man who succeeded both with the bat and ball. Besides
scoring 80 runs that provided the base to Pakistan's mammoth total, he
also took two wickets for 57 runs in eight overs.
Earlier, Pakistan elected to bat first
after winning the toss and managed a defendable target of 330 runs to win
for India after a collapse in middle order batting. Pakistani openers provided
a solid start by setting up opening partnership of 138 runs in 18.2 overs.
Hard hitting batsman Shahid Khan Afridi blasted 80 runs to stage his come
back and entertained the Pindi crowd that came crossing all the hurdles
to watch an interesting encounters among archrivals. Yasir Hamid gave him
good help on the other hands and scored 86 runs.
Afridi made his way in the playing XI
as both the teams made two changes each for this crucial game. Afridi replaced
the failed opener of first game Imran Farhat While Shabir was the other
change for Pakistan who was selected in place of Rana Navid-ul-Hasan. Inida
given a chance to Romesh Powar (18not out) for debut who replaced Murali
Kartick while VVS Laxman was selected against the place of Hemang Badani.
Shahid Afridi was one of superstars those
were thrown out of national squad in March 2003 after debacle in South
Africa world cup. However he was recalled before the Indian series in 22
probables after performing well with bat and ball in South African league
where he played club cricket after getting out of Pakistan team.
Afridi did not leave any chance to hit
a boundary or six and gave a totally changed look in his inning by proving
himself a cool and responsible batsman. At the same tiome he hit some brilliant
shots and used his feet and arms whenever wanted to throw the ball over
or through the rope. He hit four sixes and ten boundaries in his 58 balls
inning and stayed at wicket for 95 minutes. He was bowled by Yuvraj Singh
while playing an across shot on the first ball of 19th over when Singh
replaced Sehwag who conceded 17 runs in two overs of his first spell.
Yasir Hameed smashed 86 runs in 108 balls
inning and hit nine boundaries and a six to achieve this landmark. He started
his inning slowly and provided full chance to Afridi for playing big shots
however later he used his abilities to maintain the run rate when Yousaf
Youhana came to help him on other end after the departure of Stylish Afridi.
Hameed was well on his way to complete
his century however a confuse moment sent him out of ground when he changed
his decision to take a run after calling skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq for a sharp
single. Inzamam replying his call ran to batting end but Hameed in the
next moment was reluctant to take the single however he had to ran towards
bowling end after Inzamam reached the batting end. However Nehra was too
quick to upset the stumps and Hameed had to be satisfied on just 86 runs.
Pakistan lost some quick wickets in the
middle of innings and Yousaf Youhana, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Moin Khan departed
in short intervals. Pakistan was 138 for 1 after departure of Afridi in
19th over and 191 for 2 in 29th over when Youhana was bowled by Youvraj.
Later Nehra came in and struck on two delivries by packing up the innings
of skipper Inzamam and Moin Khan on consecutive deliveries. He hit the
leg stump of Inzamam-ul-Haq who made 29 runs and then Moin Khan on the
consecutive delivries. He had a chance of hattric but Shoaib Malik played
confidently his Yorker.
Abdul Razaq and Shoaib Malik arranged
some fire in the last overs and made 31 and 30 runs off 18 and 28 balls.
Nehra was the most successful bowler of
Indian inning by claiming3 wickets conceding 44 runs in allotted 10 overs.
Yuvraj Singh got two for 41 in 10 overs while Balaji, Zaheer Khan and Sehwag
remain wicket less conceding 47, 72 and 41 runs in 6, 7 and 10 overs respectively.
SCOREBOARD
PAKISTAN:
Yasir Hameed run out 86
Shahid Afridi b Yuvraj 80
Yousuf Youhana b Yuvraj 24
Inzamam-ul Haq b Nehra 29
Younis Khan c Dravid b Nehra 28
Moin Khan lbw b Nehra 0
Shoaib Malik not out 30
Abdul Razzaq not out 31
EXTRAS: (lb6, nb1, w14) 21
TOTAL: (for six wkts) 329
Fall of wickets: 1-138, 2-191, 3-225,
4-249, 5-249, 6-284
Did not bat: Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami,
Shabbir Ahmed
BOWLING:
Balaji 6-0-47-0
Zaheer 7-0-72-0
Nehra 10-0-44-3
Sehwag 5-0-39-0
Yuvraj 10-1-41-2
Powar 6-0-35-0
Tendulkar 6-0-45-0
Overs: 50
INDIA:
V. Sehwag b Shoaib Akhtar 26
S. Tendulkar c Razzaq b Shoaib Malik 141
V. Laxman lbw b Mohammad Sami 4
S. Ganguly st Moin b Shahid Afridi 15
R. Dravid b Mohammad Sami 36
Y. Singh c Shabbir b Shahid Afridi 19
M. Kaif c Malik b Shoaib Akhtar 7
R. Powar not out 18
Z. Khan lbw b Shoaib Akhtar 0
L. Balaji run out 14
A. Nehra b Mohammad Sami 0
EXTRAS: (b3, lb21, nb7, w6) 37
TOTAL: 317
Fall of wickets: 1-56, 2-71, 3-140, 4-245,
5-260, 6-282, 7-284, 8-284, 9-314
BOWLING:
Shoaib Akhtar 9-1-49-3
Shabbir Ahmed 9-0-65-0
Mohammad Sami 9.4-1-41-3
Shoaib Malik 10-0-59-1
Shahid Afridi 8-0-57-2
Abdul Razzaq 3-0-22-0
Overs: 48.4
Pakistan won by 12 runs
Man-of-the-match: Sachin Tendulkar (IND)
Toss: Pakistan
Umpires: Simon Taufel (AUS), Asad Rauf
(PAK)
Tv umpire: Zamir Haider (PAK)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)
Remaining matches: Peshawar (March 19)
and Lahore (March 21 and 24) |
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1st. ODI
India win thriller in
Karachi 13/03/2004
India scored a thrilling
five-run victory over Pakistan in the first one-day international at the
National Stadium here on Saturday. The last ball decided the match in which
a world record 693 runs were scored. India’s left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra
kept his cool as he sent down the last delivery, and Moin Khan, who needed
to hit a six to win the match for Pakistan, had a wild swipe only for Zaheer
Khan to hold on to the ball and silence the home crowd. Pakistan finished
on 344-8. The loss of two early wickets did not dent Pakistan’s confidence
and a stand of 135 between Inzamam and Yousuf Youhana gave a glimmer of
hope to the fans. Inzamam scored his ninth one-day hundred with some superb
placements. He collected two sixes and 12 fours before feathering a catch
to wicket-keeper Rahul Dravid off Murali Kartik with the score on 278.
Youhana hit fours sixes in
his 67-ball innings before attempting one lofted drive too many and substitute
fielder Irfan Pathan took the catch on the boundary edge. Younis Khan (46)
and Abdul Razzaq (27) maintained the momentum and Pakistan looked slight
favourites at the start of the 49th over. But Shoaib Malik succumbed to
a rush of blood as Mohammad Kaif took a brilliant catch, hanging onto the
ball despite a near collision with team-mate Hemang Badani.
Earlier, Pakistan added to
their woes by sending down 20 no-balls and 10 wides, giving India five
extra overs to bat. India smashed 349 runs for the loss of seven wickets
after being put in to bat. In the process they eclipsed their highest total
of 316 for 6 against Pakistan, recorded in Dhaka in 1998. Virender Sehwag
played a brilliant innings with a six and 14 fours in his 79 off 57 balls
and Rahul Dravid made 99. All of Pakistan’s frontline bowlers came in for
severe punishment with Razzaq the most expensive, going for 83 runs from
nine overs. Muhammad Sami picked up two late wickets as India managed just
25 runs in the last five overs, but Pakistan needed to score their second
highest total in one-day internationals to overhaul India.
We’re not finishing well,
says Inzamam
KARACHI: Pakistan captain
Inzamamul Haq, whose 122 brought Pakistan close to what would have been
an extraordinary victory against India on Saturday, said his team had to
learn how to finish matches.
Pakistan lost their second
successive match with fewer than 10 runs needed in the final over, following
their four-run defeat by New Zealand at Wellington earlier this year. “I
think we have to work on this aspect. We’re not finishing well,” Inzamam
told reporters.
The 34-year-old struck 12
fours and two sixes in his 102-ball knock. Pakistan finished on 344 for
eight in reply to India’s 350 for seven, which included 38 extras. “I’m
disappointed with the way we bowled. We conceded just too many extras,”
he said. “We came back well in the second half. We were almost there and
we should’ve won. But I’m happy the match went off well in front off a
well behaved crowd.”
Inzamam said Saturday’s knock
was one of his best. “I would’ve considered this hundred my most memorable
one if we’d won the match. But in the end it didn’t count for anything.”
India skipper Saurav Ganguly
praised his bowlers and fielders for keeping their nerve in the end but
said the match had been too close for comfort. “Only one team should have
won after we scored 350 runs on this pitch. We gave way too many runs in
the field,” he said.
Ganguly said Mohammad Kaif’s
catch to dismiss Shoaib Malik with seven balls to spare was the turning
point of the match. “The bowlers brought us back into the match. But Kaif’s
catch to dismiss Shoaib Malik turned the game in our favour.”
The 23-year-old Kaif pulled
off a spectacular tumbling catch, running in from the deep and managing
to grab the ball after avoiding a collision with the charging Hemang Badani
India erupts with joy
NEW DELHI: Cricket fans spilled
over into India’s streets and danced to drumbeats Saturday to celebrate
their team’s win over arch-rival Pakistan in the opening one-day match
of the historic series.
Roads which had been deserted
throughout the day as people were glued to their television sets came alive
in spontaneous rejoicing as soon as the last ball was bowled in the Pakistani
port city of Karachi.
Firecracker bursts mingled
with shouts of “Long live India” and “Hip Hip Hurray” as traffic had to
stop on many Indian city roads to give way to the joyful crowds. “It was
a tight game and luckily we scraped through to a victory. We cannot forget
the memory of (Pakistani batsman) Javed Miandad’s last ball six win in
1986 in Sharjah over India,” said Dilip Goyal, a cricket fan in New Delhi.
India beat Pakistan by five
runs in a high-scoring thriller on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match
limited-overs series. Pakistani batsman Moin Khan could not hit the last
ball for six.
Large television screens
were set up in restaurants and there was a carnival atmosphere because
of the match, the Indian team’s first full Test tour of Pakistan since
1989. People rushed out of the pubs and restaurants, yelling in joy. “As
usual the India-Pakistan match was full of hard skips until the last bowl,”
said Santosh Mangaonkar, a Bombay advertising professional, who called
the match a “virtual replica” of the 1986 Sharjah confrontation. “We as
spectators wondered whether Sharjah would be repeated today, but it didn’t
happen, and it’s a pleasure to beat Pakistan on Pakistani soil after a
long, long time,” he said
KARACHI: Rival captains
Sourav Ganguly and Inzamamul Haq were unanimous in declaring cricket the
winner after India pulled off a sensational five-run win over Pakistan
here Saturday.
In a dramatic run feast befitting
the resumption of cricketing ties between the two rival nations, Pakistan
made 344-8 in reply to India’s 349-7.
“It is difficult to remember
a better one-dayer,” Ganguly told a news conference after the match at
the National stadium in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi. “It
is good to start the series with a win but it was too close for comfort.
Highest aggregate match run
totals in one-day history
KARACHI: Highest aggregate
match run totals in one-day international history following India’s five-run
victory over Pakistan in their opening one-dayer on Saturday (tabulated
under aggregate total, overs, match, venue and year):
693-15 (100) India (349-7)
v Pak (344-8) Karachi - 2004
664-19 (99.4) S.Lanka (349-9)
v Pak (315) Singapore - 1995/96
662-17 (99.3) W.Indies(333-7)
v S.Lanka (329) Sharjah - 1995/96
660-19 (99.5) Pak (371-9)
v S.Lanka (289) Nairobi - 1996/97
656-10 (99.1) S.Africa (326-3)
v Aust (330-7) Port Elizabeth - 2001/02
655-19 (97) N Zealand (349-9)
v India (306) Rajkot - 1999/00
652-12 (100) S Lanka (398-5)
v Kenya (254-7) Kandy - 1995/96
651-13 (99.3) England (325-5)
v India (326-8) Lord’s - 2002
650-15 (100) Aust (349-6)
v N Zealand (301-9) Christchurch - 1999/00
649-9 (97.4) W Indies (324-4)
v India (325-5) Ahmedabad - 2002/03
The colours of the day were
most definitely green and white. The stadium has never been so festive,
nor has the atmosphere been so friendly and there were scores of young
men and women singing and cheering and generally having a wonderful time
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Historical Facts - World Cup Records
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Indian Team
Sourav Ganguly (captain) ,Rahul Dravid
(vice-captain) ,Virender Sehwag
Sachin Tendulkar ,Yuvraj Singh ,V V
S Laxman ,Hemang Badani
Mohammad Kaif ,Parthiv Patel ,Zaheer
Khan ,Irfan Pathan
Ashish Nehra ,Laxmipathy Balaji ,Murali
Kartik ,Romesh Powar
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on
Wednesday presented Indian captain Sourav Ganguly with a bat while
also conveying his best wishes for the Pakistan series beginning on
Saturday.
Vajpayee's good wishes read:
"Khel hi nahi, dil bhi jitye. Meri shubkamana apke saath"
(Besides the game, also win hearts. My best wishes are with you).
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