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| February 5, 2003 | Wednesday | Zul Hijjah 3,1423 |
Razzaq shines as Pakistan triumph
JOHANNESBURG, Feb 4: All-rounder Abdul Razzaq took three wickets in five balls to help a lacklustre Pakistan side beat Gauteng Invitation XI in a World Cup warm-up match on Tuesday.
Pakistan, who made 264 for seven from their 50 overs, won by 24 runs under the Duckworth/ Lewis scoring method after rain and bad light forced the umpires to call off the match.
Gauteng had reached 123 for four when the players were forced off, to the disappointment of a crowd of around 3,000 people in the Johannesburg suburb of Lenasia.
Razzaq completed figures of three for 25 from five overs, but the Pakistanis dropped three simple catches in a generally unimpressive fielding display.
Azhar Mahmood was guilty of two misses, spilling one catch at second slip off the bowling of fast bowler Wasim Akram and one at short point off seamer Mohammad Sami.
Younis Khan dropped the other chance, but the opener had earlier continued his good batting form with a knock of 50 from 52 balls, including a six over mid-wicket.
Younis top-scored for the second game in a row after his unbeaten 65-ball 94 against the same opponents on Saturday.
Shahid Afridi, opening in place of the injured Saeed Anwar, made only six and, despite useful knocks by Saleem Elahi (43) and Yousuf Youhana (32), Pakistan were struggling on 201 for seven.
But Akram and captain Waqar Younis then shared an entertaining partnership of 63 runs from 57 balls to take their side to a respectable total.
Gauteng looked well placed to reach their target at 110 for one following a second-wicket partnership of 103 between Stephen Cook and Grant Elliott.
But Razzaq trapped Cook lbw for 61 and bowled Elliott for 33 in his next over to put Pakistan back in control before the players were forced off the field soon afterwards.
Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar operated at around half pace, conceding 12 runs in a wayward first over.
Pakistan, World Cup winners in 1992, begin their campaign in Group ‘A’ against defending champions Australia next Tuesday.
Pakistan, besides Rashid Latif, rested Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Sami and Saqlain Mushtaq while Saeed Anwar was indisposed because of elbow joint injury he sustained during a net session at the Wanderers while facing Shoaib Akhtar. Medical reports say Saeed has no fracture but a bruised elbow and damaged tissues.
Team manager Shaharyar Khan said Saeed would miss Thursday’s game against Easterns at Benoni but hoped he would be fit for the World Cup opener against Australia.
Scoreboard
PAKISTAN:
Taufiq Umar c Otto b Mafa 23
Shahid Afridi c Omar b Oosthuizen 6
Saleem Elahi st Omar b Eksteen 43
Yousuf Youhana lbw b Eksteen 32
Younis Khan run out 50
Azhar Mahmood c Omar b Mafa 18
Abdul Razzaq c Otto b Eksteen 22
Wasim Akram not out 33
Waqar Younis not out 25
EXTRAS (B-1, LB-3, W-7, NB-1) 12
TOTAL (for seven wkts, 50 overs) 264
FALL OF WKTS: 1-20, 2-38, 3-99, 4-114, 5-158, 6-199, 7-200.
DID NOT BAT: Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami.
BOWLING: Oosthuizen 10-1-60-0 (2w); Aboowath 9-2-37-0 (2w); Mafa 9-2-44-2 (1nb, 1w); Elliott 8-0-57-0 (2w); Eksteen 10-0-46-3; Bacher 4-0-16-0.
GAUTENG INVITATION XI:
S. Cook lbw b Abdul Razzaq 61
J.M. Otto c Azhar b Wasim 4
G.D. Elliott b Abdul Razzaq 33
A.M. Bacher not out 3
V.B. van Jaarsveld b Abdul Razzaq 0
Ahmed Omar not out 4
EXTRAS (LB-9, W-2, NB-7) 18
TOTAL (for four wkts, 30 overs) 123
FALL OF WKTS: 1-7, 2-110, 3-115, 4-115.
DID NOT BAT: Khalid Moothasamy, C.E. Eksteen, M. Oosthuizen, Ashfak Aboowath, J. Mafa.
BOWLING: Wasim Akram 5-1-16-1 (4nb, 2w); Waqar Younis 4-0-15-0; Mohammad Sami 5-1-14-0 (1nb); Shoaib Akhtar 6-1-21-0; Shahid Afridi 5-0-23-0; Abdul Razzaq 5-0-25-3 (2nb).
RESULT: Pakistan won by 24 runs (D/L method).
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Younis Khan.—Reuters
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