Pakistan v. India - 4th. ODI

[Donny]

India under pressure

Anand Vasu in Lahore - Cricinfo


Shabbir Ahmed's hard work, Yasir Hameed's determination and Abdul Razzaq's big heart combined at a crucial time to give Pakistan the edge in this five-match one-day series. The trio turned in sterling performances to put Pakistan 2-1 up, leaving India under extra pressure in the fourth one-dayer at Lahore (which starts at 0900 GMT on Sunday).

This series, like most modern limited-overs tournaments or series, has been underscored by the amount players have had to travel in a short span of time.Between March 11 and 24 - just 13 days - India will have played six matches in four cities. Now, though, it's crunch time, and both teams settle down in Lahore for two day-night clashes.

In the warm-up match here against Pakistan A, the Indians got a taste of what was in store. On a flat pitch, they piled on a massive 335, only to see it easily overhauled by some brash youngsters. This time around, though, they go to Lahore in a much better frame of mind. At Peshawar the bowlers got some much-needed respite from the monotonous thrashing of earlier matches.

Zaheer Khan, who started the series as India's spearhead but quickly became a liability, is rediscovering the rhythm that brought him so much success at home and away. Irfan Pathan showed he was not overawed by the big occasion. And Lakshmipathy Balaji, after beginning well and then fading a touch, rediscovered his line and length.

What's more, Balaji has contributed with the bat on the two occasions he has been called to do so. His 21 from 12 balls at Peshawar included a flicked six that landed in the press box, and prompted John Wright, the coach, to say he was "more than pleasantly surprised" by Balaji's batting.

Murali Kartik has not had the best time of it of late, and was replaced by Ramesh Powar, who is yet to take a backward step. Amit Bhandari's arrival in Lahore gives the team an extra option they're unlikely to exercise immediately.

Most batsmen in the top order have runs under their belts. Sourav Ganguly has twice looked good for big scores and thrown it away. VVS Laxman is back in business, and was unlucky to be given out lbw at Rawalpindi. Mohammad Kaif is yet to show the form that makes him India's preferred No. 7 batsman, but the team has adequate cover in Hemang Badani.

Pakistan have it a touch easier than the Indians at this stage. Their bowlers are firing on all cylinders. Shoaib Akhtar has bowled far better than his figures indicate. Shabbir Ahmed's return to the team, and wicket-taking form, has given Pakistan the luxury of bowling Mohammad Sami at first change. Sami is far more comfortable bowling with an older ball, and is lethal when he gets it right.

Before the tour started, Pakistan's major worry was their batting. So far, though, things have gone well in that department. Inzamam-ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana, the captain and vice-captain, have shown the way, but the others have picked up the gauntlet magnificently. Hameed has provided the solidity up the order that allows Pakistan to unleash Shahid Afridi on hapless bowlers.

In Peshawar, Razzaq showed that he still believed in himself enough to change the course of a match. Every time India threatened to crawl their way back into the match, Razzaq stamped on them.

This series has provided three close finishes so far, and for it to remain alive to the end, India must win this fourth one-dayer. History does not favour the Indians - they have never won at Lahore - but, Ganguly insists he has no interest in reading about history. He is more concerned with rewriting it.

Pakistan (probable): 1 Shahid Afridi, 2 Yasir Hameed, 3 Yousuf Youhana, 4 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Younis Khan, 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Moin Khan (wk), 8 Shoaib Malik, 9 Shoaib Akhtar, 10 Mohammad Sami, 11 Shabbir Ahmed.

India (probable): 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 VVS Laxman, 4 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 5 Rahul Dravid (wk), 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Mohammad Kaif, 8 Ramesh Powar, 9 Irfan Pathan, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Lakshmipathy Balaji.

[Donny]

Pakistan won the toss and batted.

They are 2/54 in the 13th. over with Hameed on 33 n.o. Pathan has 2/19 in his 7th. over.
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Hameed made 45 and Inzi is 64 n.o. and Pakistan is 3/150 in the 33rd. over

[Donny]

With 10 overs to go, it's 4/194 with two very good hitters at the crease.

Inzi is 89 n.o. and Razzaq has just come out. These two could take it to 300, if they stay there.

[Donny]

With 4 overs to come, the score is 4/256. They'll just about get the 300.

Inzi is 115 n.o. from 117 balls and Razzaq has just struck a mighty six to be 23 n.o. from 19.
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Inzi goes for 123 from 121 balls and Razzaq for 32 from 27.

Zaheer minimises the total with 2 wickets in the last over. Pakistan finish with 293. Still a good effort. The chase should be fun.

[Donny]

Dravid and Kaif fashion emphatic win

The Wisden Bulletin by Rahul Bhatia


Nerveless batting by Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Kaif took India to a memorable come-from-behind victory that levelled the five-match series at 2-2. India looked gone at 90 for 4, with Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly having fallen prey to wicket-taking balls, but Dravid, first with Yuvraj Singh and then with Kaif, forged two stirring partnerships that took his team to victory with five overs to spare.

Though nearly 600 runs were scored in the match, it was significant that the bowlers held sway for at least half the time. India were well served by an incisive opening spell by Irfan Pathan, then Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami bowled electrifying opening bursts to have the batsmen on the ropes. But in the end it was Dravid's temperament and technique, and Kaif's spirit, that saved the day fro India. The Pakistani bowlers aggravated their cause by conceding 37 extras, including 19 wides and nine no-balls.

Dravid walked out with India well ahead of the run rate, but way down on the wicket count. Ganguly fell soon after, and the innings, which could have easily gone south, was steadily balanced by Dravid's controlled knock. Summoning all his powers of timing and placement, he scored runs with easy swings and careful nudges. When Shoaib Akhtar strayed, Dravid helped the ball along to fine leg. And when Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi bowled a wayward ball, it raced off Dravid's bat with a sweet sound.

Though India had lost four quick wickets, their cause was helped by the soaring run-rate set up by a steady stream of early boundaries. Sehwag (26 off 29 balls), Laxman (20 off 1 and Ganguly (21 off 15) all played flashing cameos, and 13 fours and a six came in the first 13 overs. Yuvraj played a vital role too, stroking 36 from 35 balls.

Gradually the match shifted India's way again, and Kaif hung around and picked up runs through deflections and some quick running. What was noticeable was that neither Kaif nor Dravid ever looked in any trouble. Lax fielding helped their cause, as did some loose deliveries. Though both batsmen had almost identical scores at the end of the innings, Kaif played a fine supporting role, and caught up once Dravid took his foot off the pedal.

Much like Dravid's match-turning innings, Inzamam-ul-Haq had rescued his side earlier in the day with a virtuoso innings after a clever spell by Pathan had given India the upper hand on a pitch that offered little assistance to the bowlers. Pakistan were in a spot of bother at 39 for 2 when Inzamam took guard, and he proceeded to play an innings that shifted the momentum in his team's favour without any obvious pyrotechnics. For the best part of the innings, Inzamam coaxed and cajoled the ball into empty spaces, but never failed to pull out the big hits he needed to keep the run-rate racing.

While tight bowling and committed fielding brought runs to a standstill at the beginning of his innings, he shifted up a gear a while later, even as Yasir Hameed was rendered strokeless. After Hameed stepped out of his crease in sheer frustration – and was stumped – Inzamam added 105 with Younis Khan, then galloped along in a 70-run sixth-wicket stand with Abdul Razzaq, as the last ten overs produced 95.



Inzamam acknowledges the acclaim for another great innings © AFP



The response was electrifying. Within 15 overs, India posted 103 runs, though Pakistan had prised out Tendulkar, Laxman, Sehwag and Ganguly by then. The wickets were interrupted by a flurry of boundaries, as the Indians traded punch for punch, even as Akhtar, Sami and Razzaq troubled the batsmen with pace, bounce, and swing.

Under lights, Akhtar bowled at around 95mph, troubling Tendulkar and Sehwag with seaming deliveries. The Indians decided to tackle the bowling with an all-out attack, which was partly successful, but involved a large amount of luck. While Sehwag survived his nicks for a while, Tendulkar didn't. Akhtar got everything right on that one delivery – more pace, bounce, and just that hint of swing – and it kissed the inside edge on the way to Moin Khan.

Laxman had endured a torrid time this series, but here, he struck some wonderful boundaries. A cut, a punch, and a flick sent three consecutive balls from Shabbir Ahmed to the fence, but a searing delivery from Akhtar had Laxman in a dreadful mix, and he played all over it (69 for 2). Meanwhile, Sehwag's all-or-nothing approach had brought him runs quickly, but in Sami's very first over, he hung out his bat and edged a pacy delivery into the slips. Ganguly's aggressive little knock, which featured a slashed six off Sami, ended when he edged Razzaq through to Moin.

Yuvraj came out and took on the Shoaibs, Akhtar and Malik, with equal panache. Yuvraj deflected the ball, and timed it with minimum follow-through, which made his dismissal so unexpected. Pulling a short one from Sami, he saw Yousuf Youhana pluck it inches off the ground. The dumbstruck look on Yuvraj's face said it all.

But Dravid put on a rescue effort that slowly became a matchwinning one, and with Kaif for company, kept India's hopes of winning the series alive and kicking. Now it's all down to the wire, with the series level at 2-2. The fifth and final one-dayer - another floodlit encounter at Lahore - is on Wednesday (March 24 - start 0900 GMT).

[Donny]

Fantastic matches. Big totals. Close finishes.

Series tied 2-2 with one to go.

Is this going to script or what ??