djsayz (Moderator)
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Pakistan Once again Beated India 1 Month, 3 Weeks ago
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Karma: 51
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 July 2, 2008
26 overs Pakistan 168 for 2 (Younis 52*, Misbah 2*) v India 308 for 7 (Dhoni 76, Rohit 58, Sehwag 49, Anjum 3-51)
Pakistan, with their backs to the wall, pursued the tall, yet achievable, target of 309 with intent thanks to a blazing opening stand of 65 between Salman Butt and Nasir Jamshed which all but matched their Indian counterparts. Backed by a boisterous crowd, the top order punished a battle-weary Indian seam attack to reach at 168 for 2 at the 26th over and for a change, put the Indians on the receiving end of a hefty chase.
A benign pitch and lightning-quick outfield gave bowlers little respite, and save for one misjudged attempt at a catch, they never looked like getting a breakthrough. The intimidation began with Butt's treatment of Praveen Kumar - he cut, drove and whipped anything either too short or wide and Jamshed found the bowler's gentle swing and pace to his liking as well, stepping down the track to crash one back down the ground.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni then replaced Praveen with Ishant Sharma, only to be greeted with three consecutive boundaries by Butt, including one off a free hit. The early hitting started to tell on the fielders as well - Ishant fumbled to concede a boundary at deep square leg and Praveen later failed to sight a skier towards third man. Irfan Pathan, playing his first game of the tournament, then came under the hammer as Jamshed slammed one over his head. Pathan responded with two head-high bouncers but was duly dispatched with controlled hooks.
The only blip in the opening stand was the running. Shortly after a shy at the striker's end nearly claimed Jamshed, poor calling sent Butt packing. Butt took for a second run but found himself yards short of his ground.
Jamshed marched on to his fifty - in his first match against a world-class opposition - before cramps cut short his innings at 58. Younis Khan began in his typically-breezy fashion, flashing an upper cut, extra-cover drive and a reverse-sweep off Piyush Chawla to bring up his fifty and 5000 ODI runs. And though Chawla bowled Mohammad Yousuf round his legs to leave Pakistan at 168 for 2, they were still on course for a win.
50 overs India 308 for 7 (Dhoni 76, Rohit 58, Sehwag 49, Anjum 3-51) v Pakistan
Pakistan's task of staying afloat in the tournament just got tougher, as the Indians motored along to 308 for 7 on yet another belter in Karachi. India's imposing total was set up by an early onslaught by the openers - Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir - before Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rohit Sharma knuckled down to compose workmanlike half-centuries to arrest a sudden top-order jolt.
The run-glut was a result of a benign pitch and imperious hitting, particularly by Sehwag. The margin for error was so minimal that even deft back-foot punches bisected the gaps and rendered the fielders helpless. Dhoni's decision at the toss was clearly a no-brainer.
Sehwag, who tore into a depleted Pakistan attack last week to record his ninth hundred, looked set to repeat that performance with a breathtaking assault in the Powerplays. The lack of movement allowed the batsmen to drive through the line with little footwork, and Sehwag took full advantage of that with a stand-and-deliver loft off Tanvir to clear long-on. India raced away, bringing up the first fifty in just 36 balls, prompting Pakistan's stand-in captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, to station a deep backward square leg. That didn't deter Sehwag's onslaught as he audaciously shuffled across his stumps to deliveries coming in to him, whipping them past short fine leg and square leg.
Misbah bravely persisted with the Powerplays after India had blazed to 86 after ten, and Pakistan tasted success immediately as Gambhir, making room to carve one over the offside, spooned an easy catch to Shahid Afridi at cover. A double-strike by Rauf in the following over suddenly turned the tide as India were pegged back at 91 for 3. Sehwag played at one very close to his body and edged low to Sarfraz Ahmed and five balls later, the in-form Suresh Raina perished off a misdirected pull to Salman Butt at deep square leg.
Yuvraj Singh's brief stint at the crease was punctuated by elegant drives, as he caressed the ball past the infield off mere defensive pushes. He reached his 30s in a flash but perished as a thick edge was pouched brilliantly by Sarfraz, who flung himself to his left. At 129 for 4, the home side felt a surge of optimism and the crowd played along as well.
However, Dhoni and Rohit ensured the run-rate never dipped below five an over throughout the course of their stand. Both batsmen took their time to settle in, but neither played second fiddle. Dhoni pushed the singles and twos for 46 balls before bringing up his first boundary. Rohit, who has been struggling for form since the IPL, grafted it out at the start, but displayed the same application and urgency to keep the scoring rate ticking and scored at a faster rate than his captain. Both were quick to pounce on anything full or wide outside the off stump, picking up the occasional boundary at extra cover and backward point. As the partnership mounted, so did the anxiety for Pakistan as the prospect of a challenging chase loomed.
Both brought up their half-centuries off successive balls, in the process notching up the century stand. The partnership included 68 singles, indicative of how they never allowed the pressure to get to them. Rohit's dismissal for 58, mistiming a pull off the toe edge of the bat, was a tame end to a hardworking innings but it was a welcome return to form. As Dhoni proceeded towards a century, the familiar enemy of cramps set in and he eventually fell to a tired slog off Tanvir, who leaked 87 runs after the highs of a five-wicket haul against the Sri Lankans. Late-hitting by Irfan Pathan, back in the side after recovering a side strain, pushed the score past 300.
A Pakistan victory would not only keep their hopes alive but also make India's campaign a little harder. A defeat, however, would shut them out of the tournament and render the remaining league games as dead rubbers.
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