Asia Cup – Pakistan tame Tigers to lift the cup in a thrilling finale

After restricting Pakistan to a below par score, Bangladesh had high hopes of lifting the cup, but Pakistan held their nerves to clinch a thriller. Shakib’s efforts went in vein as Bangladesh fell short by just 2 runs.

Match Report: Final, Bangladesh vs Pakistan, Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, 22 March 2012 D/N

Pakistan brought back their regular keeper Sarfraz Ahmed at the expense of Wahab Riaz. Bangladesh, on the other hand, had an unchanged team. With loud cheers of the crowd behind him, Mushfiqur Rahim won the toss and gleefully asked Pakistan to bat first. First job, winning the toss and fielding first, was done and second, restricting Pakistan to a convenient total, was on their hands now.

Pakistan lost in-form Nasir Jamshed cheaply. He looked in good touch after hitting two crispy fours. The other opener Mohammad Hafeez was surprisingly quite subdued despite having cracked an attractive hundred against India the other day. Younis Khan was unlucky to be given out LBW, but the wicket meant Bangladesh were on top early in the match.

Misbah came next and in company with Hafeez opted for the safety first approach. Misbah ran himself out at the score of 55 in the 14th over, putting extra pressure on the young middle order. The pressure grew enormous when Hafeez too departed after a laborious innings of 40 off 87 balls. He got out while trying to release the pressure, put by his own approach as well as tight Bangladeshi bowling, but hit straight to Nazmul Hossain. At 70 for 4, Pakistan had two young guns in Umar Akmal and Hammad Azam at the crease.

Both played well and put on 59 runs in just under 12 overs to bring Pakistan back into contention. They rotated the strike efficiently and hit boundaries here and there as well. Hammad played well on the back foot, hitting a pulled-six off Shahadat Hossain to get off the mark. Umar decided to play the anchor role and took his time while Hammad played his shots. But Umar did not let a loose ball from Shakib go by easily, as he promptly thumped a long hop from Shakib over the ropes.

It was Shakib, quite predictably, who broke the crucial partnership. Hammad tried to slog sweep a fuller delivery but the ball went high in the air for the bowler to take it comfortably. He made 30 in 37 balls. Pakistan had lost half the team at 127 with 17 overs to play. Afridi came in and looked in good touch straight away but lost Akmal (30 off 45) who given out down the leg side off the bowling of Mahmudullah, an atrocious decision which left the batsman fuming.

Afridi hit a six and fours but Sarfraz, who played a maiden over in the BPP, was stuck in his crease initially which partly led to Afridi’s dismissal. After leading Pakistan’s surge in the powerplay, in which 36 runs were collected, he holed out to Nasir at long off who took a stunner running forward. Afridi’s innings of 33 in 22 balls with 4 fours and a six infused much-needed impetus into Pakistan innings which was carried forward by Sarfraz.

In company with tail-ender, Sarfraz batted sensibly, hitting an odd boundary, to carry Pakistan beyond 230. Last over from Shahadat, surprisingly chosen ahead of Nazmul, cost the hosts 19 runs which meant they faced a reasonably competitive target of 237. Last wicket pair of Sarfraz and Aizaz Cheema added crucial 30 runs in 4 overs to lift an otherwise disappointing batting show by Pakistan. Sarfraz remained the top scorer with 46 runs (off 52 balls with 4 fours). For the hosts, Abdur Razzak was the best bowler with 2 for 26, while Shakib took 2 for 39.

Bangladesh started well in pursuit of the target. After a cautious start, Tamim Iqbal came hard on Umar Gul, hitting him for 2 fours in his two successive overs. Pakistan spinners, Saeed Ajmal and M Hafeez, put the breaks on scoring as Bangladesh crawled to 100 in 30 overs. In the process they lost well-set Tamim, for 60 off 68 balls with 8 crunchy fours, and Nazimuddin, who was the man responsible for the sluggishness with his 52-ball 16. Nazimuddin survived twice, first reprieved by umpire when a plum LBW against Ajmal was turned down, and then was dropped by Hammad off Aizaz, a tough chance though.

Afridi and Ajmal struck in succession to peg back Bangladesh, both catches taken superbly by Younis. Nazimuddin and Jahurul Islam were the men to depart. Younis Khan took another brilliant catch, this time to dismiss Tamim which brought Shakib Al Hasan on to bat. Umar Gul was the taker of that crucial scalp. The pair that had carried Bangladesh to victories in the tournament so far, Shakib and Nasir Hossain, was on the crease, with Bangladesh 83 for 3.

Both played themselves in before unleashing their strokes, but not before the asking rate had crept up quietly over 7 an over, thanks to good bowling and fielding by Pakistan. Afridi bowled miserly, giving away just 28 runs in his 10 overs. Shakib took some leverage against Hammad but largely he waited for the opportune moment before he could launch the assault. The moment should have come in the batting powerplay (BPP) but Pakistan just conceded 21 runs in that period.

Bangladesh needed 84 runs in the last 10 overs with the pair well set, and 7 wickets remaining. Shakib then opened his arms, hitting Gul for crunchy 4 and a stunning 6 to Cheema. Gul ended the stubborn stand of 89 between the two, when his miscued pull was taken by Misbah. He made 28 but took 63 balls hitting only a solitary four. His failure to rotate the strike put extra burden on Shakib who held the key for Bangladesh. Asking rate was still near 9 when Pakistan got rid of the danger man, Shakib.

Shakib missed the attempted paddle scoop and got cleaned up, giving Cheema a moment to celebrate. His magnificent innings of 68 off just 72 balls with 7 fours and a six had brought his team close, but Pakistan were still favourites. Captain Mushfiqur Rahim, who played a blinder to win for his team against India, and Mashrafe Mortaza, had a tough but not impossible task to take their team home. They needed 56 runs from the last 6 overs.

Mushfiq failed to repeat his heroics this time, as he was caught in the deep by Nasir. Cheema was the bowler again. With 39 needed from 4 overs, Bangladesh looked second favourites. But Mortaza had other ideas. He hit Gul for two successive fours, after bowler had conceded a boundary to Mahmudullah in the same over. Gul’s over cost 14 runs and the asking rate was brought down to 8.33.

Ajmal removed Mortaza in the next over to ease things for Pakistan a little bit. Gul bowled a no ball in the penultimate over, with 19 needed off the last two, but it did not prove costly although he went for 10 runs. Bangladesh were 9 runs away from glory when Cheema ran in to bowl the last over. With every ball, pressure mounted on the hosts as it came down to last ball when Cheema bowled Abdur Razzak with a cunning slower ball on the penultimate ball. Shahadat could not write his name in history books when he failed to connect cleanly, giving Pakistan their second Asia Cup title.

It was a fitting end to an amazing tournament in which several upsets occurred at the hands of Bangladesh, the hosts. After giving Pakistan a close run in the first match, they beat India and Sri Lanka to storm into the final where they came close to lifting their first ever major trophy.

It was painful to see Bangladesh players and spectators in tears, but the win proved that Bangladesh have finally arrived at the world stage. Pakistan, after losing to arch rivals India, got the consolation of becoming the Asian champions.

Summarised Scores:

Pakistan 236/9 (Sarfraz 46*, Hafeez 40; Abdur Razzak 2/26) beat Bangladesh (Shakib Al Hasan 68, Tamim Iqbal 60; Saeed Ajmal 2/40, Aizaz Cheema 3/46) by 2 runs to lift the Asia Cup

Man of the Match: Shahid Afridi

Man of the Series: Shakib Al Hasan




Credit: AFP (Image)

100th hundred - From wonder kid to little master

A personal note: I was lucky to have watched cricket in Tendulkar’s era >

My love affair with cricket started in late 80s when Imran Khan used to be a household name. I bought my first cricket magazine ‘Akhbar-e-Watan’ in 1986 because it had Imran Khan on the cover page. In that scenario, a youngster named Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, took the cricket field and was tipped as the next big thing by none other than Sunil Gavaskar. I did not believe him.

India toured Pakistan in 1989 for a full tour. The Test series was a dull and boring affair but a little unknown kid forced every one to take notice of him. He did not sparkle with the bat at all, either in Tests or in ODIs. It was his four sixes in one over of Abdul Qadir at Peshawar in a 20-over exhibition match that announced his arrival. I watched that in amazement. At tender age of 16 years his hitting was unbelievable. His confidence was incredible.

Since Miandad’s famous Sharjah six, Pakistan had had a psychological edge over India who were merely pushovers against us. With the arrival of Tendulkar, that equation gradually changed. I still remember while playing against India, Pakistan used to have only one concern – Sachin Tendulkar. Only he was the man, we the cricket fanatics used to be wary of. His departure from the crease virtually meant Pakistan would win.

I became envious of Tendulkar’s rise because he posed constant threat against us. Inside I admired his batting, but in the open I used to find hundred reasons to believe he was not the best batsman in the world at that time. Essentially I was right as I believed, and still believe that there is no match to Viv Richards. Arrival of Brian Lara gave me immense relief. Lara was the best batsman in the world for me. It was final. 
 
In the college, we used to conclude our discussions on best batsmen with the announcement that Brian Charles Lara was the best because of his flamboyance and unselfishness. We happily ignored Tendulkar’s contribution towards his team and the burden of expectations on his shoulders. In reality, Tendulkar continued to rise, continued to break records after records. He was ambitious for personal milestones, not for his team, we used to slam him.

Lara faded away, Ponting never reached that summit, Kallis lacked charisma, Inzamam under-achieved and Dravid had a lesser impact in ODIs, but Tendulkar carried on in a mind-boggling fashion. Just when every one thought he had finished, he took a new guard and scripted new milestones. He made us believe he was untiring like a superman. Nothing could quench his thirst for runs.

Whether he is better than Don Bradman or second best after him, I do not know, but he is a genius and a superstar who gave new meanings to the art of batting. Many years from now his achievements would look like a fairy tale and every thing regarding batting would be judged in the light of the standard Tendulkar has set.

He reached 99 international hundreds and took infinity to reach the ultimate milestone. Voices were raised again that he should retire on 99 not out. Now after scoring his hundredth international hundred, no one knows what is going on in his mind. Many would ask him to retire on a high, but his fans especially Indians who follow him frantically cannot think about cricket without him. In this dilemma, every thing rests on the shoulders of the man himself.  Let us leave him alone.

Just imagine how poor the cricketing world would be whenever he calls it quits. Have you felt shivers down your spine? If yes then you are a Sachin Tendulkar fan like me.

CB Series – Australia vs Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka’s valiant effort in vain as hosts win first final

Australia drew first blood as David Warner helped them post a tough target for Sri Lanka to chase. Despite a gallant fight back by their lower order, Sri Lanka had to taste defeat as their top order did not bat long enough on a true ODI track.

Match Report: 1^st Final, Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, 4 March 2012 – D/N

Sri Lanka, already having an edge over Australia in the series with 3 wins in 4 matches, went into the first final with a psychological advantage. Dhammika Prasad, Farveez Maharoof and Upul Tharanga were all back for them. Angelo Mathews was out injured. For Australia, regular skipper Michael Clarke was back from injury, replacing Forrest. Clint McKay made way for Brett Lee.

Clarke won the toss and had no hesitation in opting to bat first on a true batting pitch. Openers Matthew Wade and David Warner made full use of the surface as they played their natural aggressive game. Wade, in particular, came hard on Malinga by depositing one of his slower ones up and over deep midwicket followed by a crunching cut for four.

Warner showed his class by hitting boundaries and sixes, at times at will, on both sides of the ground. Play was disturbed for 10 minutes due to rain but Sri Lanka could not break the momentum of Australian openers who put on 136 in 24 overs. Wade reached his 50 before Warner, but the latter raced passed him by thumping Prasad for two fours and a pulled six over long on.


A gallant effort by Herath at long on boundary resulted in first breakthrough as Wade went after scoring 64 off 72 balls with 4 fours and a six. Watson scored 21 but Christian and David Hussey, both promoted to make use of the batting powerplay, failed to kick on. In the meantime, Warner had scored his maiden ODI hundred, a magnificent effort off just 111 balls. He got able support in the form of Michael Clarke who scored freely before departing for a 25-ball 37 which included 5 crisp boundaries.

Michael Hussey hit two sixes in the closing overs to help post a daunting total of 321 for 6. Wonder boy Warner was out on the last ball of the innings, bowled by Prasad, for 163 which took just 157 balls and included 13 fours and 2 sixes. Prasad took 2 scalps but the best bowler proved to be Dilshan who just gave away 35 runs in 9 overs.

Sri Lanka knew they had a daunting task ahead against in-form Australian pace attack. Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan started briskly but they did not last long. Brett Lee removed Jayawardene in the 5^th over at the score of 39. Lee then accounted for Dilshan by bowling him through the gate to give Australia early advantage.

Sangakkara started with three consecutive boundaries off Pattinson but lost his partner Dinesh Chandimal who was struggling to put the ball away. Shortly after posting Sri Lanka’s hundred, Sangakkara too perished as he tried to loft Lee over mid off. He scored 42 off 49 balls but Sri Lanka needed some one to score a big knock.

At the end of 30.1 overs, Sri Lanka were 144 for 6, still needing to score at 8.9 runs an over with just 4 wickets left. They looked down and out at this stage but Tharanga and Nuwan Kulasekara had other ideas. Both played fearlessly and put on a magnificent 104 runs in just 11.3 overs to threaten Australians once again. It was a remarkable partnership epitomized by quick running between the wickets and sensible hitting. They collected 68 runs during the batting powerplay. Australians looked for a breakthrough desperately as they feared another 5 overs of these two would seal the turn around.

Kulasekara had two chances, one was a difficult one and the other a sitter spilt by wade, but his hitting was a treat to watch. He raced to his 50 in just 33 balls. To the utter disappointment of large Sri Lankan contingent, Kula had to leave the scene at a crucial juncture. After hitting two slog-swept sixes off David Hussey, he scooped one straight to extra cover who made no mistake. Kula’s innings of 73 off 43 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes at number 8 had given Sri Lanka an outside chance to pull off from a hopeless position.

His departure meant Sri Lanka were gasping again, with 74 needed off 8.2 overs. Prasad too showed resistance but Tharanga was dismissed by Watson for a 67-ball 60 to put Australia firmly on top.  Prasad (31 0ff 21 balls) threw his bat at every thing but they were all out in the last over, 15 short of the target. David Hussey took 4 for 43 in 8 overs, while Lee and Watson grabbed 3 apiece.

It was a stunning effort from Sri Lankan lower order but the real damage had been done at the top. David Warner was named Man of the Match for his sparkling hundred. The second final, on March 6, will be played in Adelaide and Australia would go with a 1-0 advantage, but Sri Lankans would feel they have the armoury to challenge Australia. 


Summarised Scores: 

Australia 321/6 (Warner 163, Wade 64; Prasad 2/51) beat Sri Lanka 306 (Kulasekara 73, Tharanga 60; D Hussey 4/43) by run 15 runs

Man of the Match: David Warner


Credit: AFP (Image)

New Zealand vs South Africa – Hosts white-washed as Proteas stroll home once again

South Africa, as expected, white-washed the hosts with another convincing win in the third and the last ODI. Both teams were weakened, for contrasting reasons, due to absence of front line players as the match proved to be a one-sided affair.

Match report – New Zealand vs South Africa, 3rd ODI, Eden Park, Auckland, 3 March 2012 – D/N

AB de Villiers opted to field and his bowlers dismissed New Zealand for just 206 runs. Colin de Grandhomme debuted for the Black Caps, while Marchant de Lange played his first ODI for the Proteas as they opted to rest several players. Also missing for New Zealand were Jesse Ryder and Doug Bracewell who were axed following the second ODI for breaking the team discipline.

After a sedate start, the hosts lost Guptill through a stunning catch by du Plessis at backward point. The bowler was Tsotsobe. Rob Nicol and skipper Brendan McCullum laboured along to take the score to 45 when Johan Botha induced an edge to remove Nicol. Then McCullum who had upped the pace with a few boundaries became de Lange’s first ODI victim. Du Plessis took an easy catch as McCullum departed for 47 – off 59 balls with 6 fours.

de Lange continued to pluck wickets as middle order crumbled despite getting starts. They were all out for 206 in 47 overs – not a good total to challenge South Africa and prevent a clean sweep. James Franklin and Grandhomme contributed with 36 each but no one went on to make big enough contribution. de Lange starred on debut with figures of 4 for 46 off 9 overs, while Petersen was economical with 2 for 36.
 
South Africa, quite surprisingly, promoted Wayne Parnell to open with Hashim Amla. The move proved to be a success as both shared 80-run stand to keep New Zealand at bay. Parnell was cleaned up by Andrew Ellis for 27 but new man, another promotion, Albie Morkel, continued to frustrate the men in black.   

Amla cruised to his 50 in just 51 balls which included 5 crisp fours. Morkel took advantage of the opportunity and played his natural game. He was severe on Nicol whom he carted for two big sixes in one over. Amla got out trying to manufacture a shot against Kyle Mills for 76. It was Mills’ 200^th ODI wicket. Morkel was the next man to go but not before heaving Mills over the midwicket boundary. Morkel tried to do the same against Michael Bates but holed out to Grandhomme for a 51-ball 41.

Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy made starts but got out cheaply to revive New Zealand’s hopes of a miracle win but it was not to be as de Villiers saw his team home with a six off Nicol in the 44th over with 5 wickets remaining. It was yet another thumping win for the visitors and New Zealand have many things to sort out before the Test series.


Summarised Scores:

South Africa (Hashim Amla 76, Albie Morkel 41; Nicol 2/14) beat New Zealand 206 (McCullum 47; de Lange 4/46) by 5 wickets

Debuts: M de Lange (South Africa), C de Grandhomme (New Zealand)

Man of the Match: Marchat de Lange


Credit: Getty Images (Image)

BPL – Dhaka Gladiators vs Barisal Burners: Afridi and Imran Nazir lead Dhaka to title

The late arrivals for Dhaka, Afridi and Ajmal, proved their worth as they helped them lift the first ever BPL cup at jam-packed Mirpur stadium. After they restricted Barisal Burners to a low score, Imran Nazir carried them to an easy win.

Bangladesh Premier League, Final, Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, 29 February 2012 – D/N

Mashrafe Mortaza opted to field first after winning the toss, keeping in mind the dew factor and learning from the semi final last evening when Khulna almost chased down their huge total. Captain Brad Hodge and little dynamite Ahmed Shehzad started the proceedings for Barisal in aggressive fashion as usual.

They had plundered 43 runs in 4.2 overs when Shahid Afridi lured Shehzad into a miscued loft to affect the killer blow. Shehzad, who had scored a dazzling ton in the semi final, was looking threatening once again but his wicket made Hodge change his batting mode. He resorted to shepherd the innings hoping that some one would play aggressively at the other end.

Then it was the turn of Saeed Ajmal, who had joined his franchise just before the semi final like Afridi, to inflict another big blow. Phil Mustard was clueless as he was trapped plumb in front. Afridi came back to make it 49 for 3 as Mithun Ali holed out to Imran Nazir. Hopes of a huge total on a belter had faded as Barisal resorted to stabilize the innings. The spin trio of Afridi, Ajmal and Elias Sunny made their job even harder.

Except for Azhar Mahmood who went for many, Dhaka bowlers did not leak runs as Hodge kept his team’s hopes alive with selective hitting. He remained not out on a brilliant 70 off 51 balls with 4 fours and as many sixes. Barisal could only muster 140 for 7 as the lost too many wickets too early. Afridi was the chief destroyer with 3 for 23, while economical Rana Naved too 2 wickets.

Imran Nazir and Nazimuddin started for Dhaka as Burners looked for early wickets. Nazimuddin could have been out twice in two balls off Kabir Ali’s bowling but Mithun Ali spilt the chances at square leg. Despite a charmed life he could not last long as Suhrawadi Shuvo accounted for him. Imran, meanwhile, continued to hurt Burners with eye-catching hitting with fours and sixes galore.

Imran Nazir, Lifting his bat to the crowd.

 

He and Anamul Haque shared a swashbuckling stand of 110 runs in just under 12 overs to shut the hopes of Burners. Imran hit all around the park lighting up the Dhaka sky with his brilliant power hitting. He got out just before the winning runs for a magnificent 75 off 43 balls with 6 fours and as many sixes. Anamul too played brilliantly as he hit the winning four in the 16^th over, remaining unbeaten on 49. In the end Dhaka were the worthy winners.

The tournament although marred by fixing rumours and rule disputes, was a huge success for Bangladesh as numerous stars from around the world participated and the locals got valuable exposure too.


Summarised Scores:


Dhaka Gladiators 144/2 (Imran Nazir 75, Anamul Haque 49*; Alauddin Babu 1/9) beat Barisal Burners 140/7 (Hodge 70, Shehzad 28; Afridi 3/23) by 8 wickets


Man of the Match: Imran Nazir

Credit: thenewstribe.com (Image)

CB series - Australia vs India: India on brink of elimination as Australia get another bonus-point win

Australia assured themselves of a place in the finals after thumping India with just one match to go for both the teams, surpassing Sri Lanka at the top of the table. India’s batting crumbled again as Australia continued to blossom, this time under new captain Shane Watson – 3rd in the series after Clarke missed out due to sore neck.

Match Report: Commonwealth Bank Series, 10th Match, Sydney Cricket Ground, 26 February 2012 – D/N

Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. MS Dhoni was back after serving his ban, while Vinay Kumar made way for Praveen. Australia lost three early wickets but the middle order batted well after Praveen Kumar struck early blows. Watson and centurion of the last game, Peter Forrest were his victims. Michael Hussey was run out to put India on top early.

David Warner and David Hussey stabilised the innings with astute batting. Warner, who at last had come to terms with ODI cricket, cruised to his 50 (off 48 balls with 5 fours). After posting 100 in the 20th over, Warner perished trying to hit Jadeja out of the park. His skier was taken by Raina but not after having a collision with Irfan Pathan as both did not call for the catch.

India had an opportunity to claw back, but Matthew Wade continued from where Warner left. Hussey made 54 while Wade scored 56. Australia posted 252 for 9 at the end of 50 overs which was a decent score but India would fancy their chances as they desperately needed to win. Kumar and Yadav grabbed a couple each, while Sehwag bagged three wickets with his off spin.

India’s start, too, was disastrous. Sehwag gave a return catch to Hilfenhaus in the second over to jolt the chase early. Tendulkar was playing freely at the other end as Gambhir struggled against pace. Then occurred the run out that left Tendulkar frustrated as Brett Lee unintentionally blocked his way. India never recovered after that and were all out for 165 in the 40th over, handing the hosts a bonus point.

Indian batting again failed against disciplined pace bowling and brilliant fielding from Australia. Now they have an outside chance only to qualify for the finals but in all likelihood a highly disappointing tour seems to have ended for them.


Summarised Scores:

Australia 252/9 (Warner 68, Sehwag 3/43) beat India 165/10 (Ashwin 26, Watson 2/9) by 87 runs

Man of the Match: David Warner


Credit: AFP (Image)

Pakistan vs England – England clean-sweep Pakistan with another comfortable win

 
As expected, England completed the white-wash by beating Pakistan. It was another lackluster batting and bowling performance by the ‘home’ team on a wicket that suited them more than England. The team looked a distant shadow of the one that had inflicted historic white-wash to England in the Test series.

 

 Match Report: England tour of United Arab Emirates, 4th ODI, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 21 February 2012 (D/N)

Pakistan captain wasted no time in deciding to bat first after winning the toss. The team selected had three changes, with unfit Imran Farhat and out-of-form Umar Gul and Aizaz Cheema out, being replaced by Shoaib Malik, Abdur Rehman and Junaid Khan. Pakistan, strangely, picked only one seamer in Junaid; again leaving out all-rounder Hammad Azam. England, on the other hand, left out Broad, Anderson, Bopara and Swann which meant chances for Bresnan, Dernbach, Danny Briggs and Jos Buttler.

Dernbatch shared the new ball with Steven Finn ahead of Tim Bresnan and had immediate success by getting off-colour Mohammad Hafeez out caught at the wicket in the second over of the innings. Asad Shafiq started with a crushing on-drive off his third ball and did not look back from there. He played uninhibitedly along with Azhar Ali who seemed to enjoy his new role as opener.

Both young guns oozed confidence as England, for the first time in the 4-match ODI series, looked short of options. They wanted early wickets but, instead, had to contend with some bright batting from Azhar and Shafiq. They did not run away with the strike rate but their positive approach did not allow English bowlers to settle. Azhar twice moved out of his crease to play on-the-up drives through cover off Bresnan. Asad too hit a few lovely boundaries, particularly against the spin of Briggs and Samit Patel.

Asad brought his 6th ODI 50, off just 59 balls, with a flick off the pads as Dernbach strayed. Hundred was up in the 21st over and the pair looked difficult to separate. But Bresnan got the lucky break when he had Asad Shafiq played-on. He had to depart after making a promising 65 (with 6 fours) but not before he had laid solid foundation with Azhar Ali by putting up 111 for the second wicket.

Umar Akmal came at number four and looked positive from the outset as usual. Azhar, who had slowed down a bit, brought up his first 50 in ODIs off 74 balls which included 5 fours. After getting a hard-hit four off Patel, Umar chose to lift Briggs over long off but the ball landed in the palms of Dernbach. It was Umar’s yet another start that went unfulfilled.

Shoaib Malik walked in, ahead of Misbah, with a golden opportunity to shut his critics by playing a solid innings on a helpful track and with no significant pressure as well. But the pressure mounted immediately as well-set Azhar Ali nicked straight to point as he closed his bat too early against Dernbach who burst in jubilation. England were back in the game - familiar tale for them in the series.

Misbah joined Shoaib Malik and shared a partnership of 58 runs at run a ball as one played to anchor the innings while the other, Malik, for his place. They wasted the batting powerplay as they hit only a single four, a hoist over mid wicket by Misbah, and collected just 26 runs. Pakistan had lost the ground as England clawed back with tight bowling and brilliant fielding, helped by Pakistan’s unimaginative batting.

Misbah lofted Patel in the 43rd over for a huge six but momentum was lost again with twin strikes by England. Danny Briggs got Malik out LBW for a boundary-less 23, while Afridi holed out to midwicket in the 47th over to give Finn his first wicket. Abdur Rehman got two boundaries off Finn but apart from that there was no spark in the closing overs from Pakistan. They were all out for 237, last 10 overs yielding just 58 runs.

In another disappointing batting display, Pakistan lost six wickets for just 35 runs in the end, after they were given a bright start by Asad and Azhar. Misbah made 46 off 52 balls with one four and a six, another innings that has left a lot to be desired. For England, Dernbach took 4 for 45, while Briggs took a couple for just 39 – a good debut performance. Finn’s 2 wickets took him to 13 in the series.

Pakistan had the best possible start when Junaid Khan nipped out Alastair Cook on the second ball which nipped back sharply and hit him plumb in front. He went for a fruitless review.  Cook had been real headache for Pakistan in the series with two hundreds and an 80 odd. Jonathan Trott and Pietersen took England to 50 in 12 overs when Abdur Rehman got rid of Trott for a laboured 15.

Saeed Ajmal then created a real stir in English dressing room with a double strike in his third over. First Eoin Morgan departed through an LBW and then Jos Buttler could last only two balls in his debut innings as he gave a loopy catch to short leg. Pakistan were in the driver’s seat with England on 68 for 4 after 16 overs.

Kevin Pietersen and Craig Kieswetter first stabilized the innings and then took England closer to victory with a measured and flowing partnership of 109 runs for the 5th wicket. Their running between the wickets was a treat to watch as despite being denied for too many boundaries the asking rate did not mount at all. Pakistan needed a wicket dearly to try to avoid the white wash.

Azhar Ali’s brilliant work resulted in the run out of Kieswetter with England still needing 60 runs from 62 balls. Pietersen, who was nearing his second hundred in as many matches, was the man between Pakistan and England. He moved to 99 with an audacious six off Junaid who erred by bowling short to him. From his 136th ball Pietersen reached his hundred which included 8 fours and a six.

Junaid was brought back but he bowled too short which allowed Pietersen to hit two back-to-back fours resulting in defusing Pakistani spirits as the shoulders dropped. England needed just 26 runs from the last five overs. Pietersen reached his highest ODI score, 122, with a thumping six over Ajmal’s head.

England romped home with four balls to spare but Pietersen was not there to watch it as he had got out trying to finish off the match with a big hit when two runs were required. His magnificent 130 came off in 152 balls with 12 fours and two sixes.

England won by 4 wickets and took the series 4-nil. It was a sweet revenge – may be not of the same magnitude – to their white-wash defeat at the hands of the same opposition in the Test series.


Summarised Scores:

England 241/6 (Pietersen 130, Kieswetter 43; Saeed Ajmal 3/62) beat Pakistan 237/10 (Asad Shafiq 65, Azhar 58; Dernbach 4/45) by 4 wickets

Debutants: DR Briggs, JC Buttler (England)

Series Result: England 4-0 Pakistan

Man of the Match: Kevin Pietersen

Man of the Series: Alastair Cook


Credit: AP (Image)

BPL - Barisal Burners vs Sylhet Royals: Sylhet brush aside Royals

Barisal proved too good for the Royals despite missing Chris Gayle who was not first for the match. A modest target was chased without much fuss as Royals had no answer to onslaught of Sylhet’s top order.

Bangladesh Premier League, 18th Match: At Chittagong, Feb 19, 2012

Sylhet Royals’ captain Alok Kapali won the toss and opted to bat first. The decision was right but Sylhet batsmen failed to respond on a flat surface. They collapsed to 58 for 6 against some tight Barisal bowling. Al-Amin Hossain clean-bowled Kamran Akmal, the danger man, to give his team a dream start.

Some late order resistance by Sohail Tanvir and Naeem Islam lifted the score to some respectability as Sylhet Royals ended at 120 for 7 in their allotted 20 overs. Tanvir was the top=scorer with 33, while Suhrawadi Shuvo was the main wicket-taker for Barisal Burners with 3 for 20.

Chasing a modest target, Barisal openers adopted positive approach. Even the absence of Chris Gayle did not matter much as in-form little dynamite Ahmed Shehzad and veteran Brad Hodge played delightful strokes all around the ground. They shared 116 runs for the first wicket in just 12.1 overs to take the game away from Sylhet.
 
Shehzad got out after making an enterprising 60 off 40 balls with 3 fours and 5 sixes – his 3^rd fifty in the tournament. While skipper Hodge remained unbeaten on 54 (34 balls, 2 fours, 5 sixes). The target was chased in just 13.2 overs with 9 wickets remaining.

It was a thumping win for Barisal burners which helped them remain in the top tier in the tournament. Hodge was named man of the match due to his brilliant batting and economical bowling.

Summarised scores:


Barisal Burners 121/1 (Ahmed Shehzad 60, Brad Hodge 54*) beat Sylhet Royals 120/7 (Sohail Tanvir 33; Shuvo 3/20) by 9 wickets


Man of the Match: Brad hodge