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| December 6, 2003 | Saturday | Shawwal 11, 1424 |
Pakistan hammer New Zealand
RAWALPINDI, Dec 5: New Zealand were expected to be hammered going into the fourth one-day International against Pakistan and hammering was what they got in a seven-wicket defeat at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday.
With 4-0 up in the series and a game on Sunday still remaining, Pakistan are now poised to complete a whitewash of the touring team that is without ten of its regular players.
As it was in the third one-day International in Faisalabad on Wednesday, openers Yasir Hameed and Imran Farhat gave Pakistan a cracking start, this time of 134 runs, as they chased a meagre 184 runs for victory which came with 8.4 overs to spare.
Yasir, who hit up his fourth half century of the series, scored 61 runs blasting seven fours in an 80-ball innings. However he was given a life when on 48 after a mix-up between Craig Cumming and Cairns. He finally went while going for a big hit, caught by Daryl Tuffey at long on off Tama Canning.
Imran was quite ruthless in a blazing innings of 82 runs and hit 14 boundaries before being run out by Canning. He followed up on his scores of 68 and 91 at Lahore and Faisalabad to achieve a hat trick of half centuries in the series.
Azhar Mahmood, coming in to play his first match of the series along with Umar Gul, could get just a boundary before being sent back by Canning. It was then left Shoaib Malik and Saleem Elahi to guide their side home.
After stand-in captain Chris Cairns had won the toss and chosen to bat first, the Black Caps crumbled for 183 runs in 47.5 overs. And Cairns attempted to justify his decision of batting first by striking 48 runs, the highest of the innings. He fired four hits to the boundary and a six to Abdul Razzak.
Others around Cairns were a disappointment, especially the exciting Hamish Marshall, scorer of a century in the third International in Faisalabad. Pace ace Shoaib Akhtar, as he has done so often in the past, played a major part in the rout of the touring side, taking three for 23 in a disciplined spell.
Paceman Umar Gul and Azhar Mahmood took a wicket each while Shoaib Malik finished with two and among his victims was the rival captain.
Cairns said that his side would keep their focus on the last match despite the defeat while the home captain Inzamamul Haq made it clear his side were going to take that game seriously.
Pakistan had taken an early advantage in the match, Shoaib drawing first blood by trapping Craig Cumming lbw for nought with New Zealand yet to score. Riding on that success, the home side picked up three more wickets to leave the Black Caps in seeming trouble at 49 for four by the 20th over.
Mathew Sinclair departed in the 9th over after scoring only seven runs, falling to Razzak who earned an lbw decision and Richard Jones soon followed, run out by a Shoaib throw from the deep, at his personal score of 17 runs.
Much was expected from New Zealand’s find of the tour, Marshall but he couldn’t do much and was dismissed for 11 by Azhar. However Cairns and Chris Harris then tried to do some damage control and just when they appeared to be settling down in a fifth wicket partnership, Shoaib Malik struck. He forced Harris to go for a big one and Salim Elahi did the rest, taking a fine catch after the batsman had put on 25 runs.
Cairns was at the wicket for a good 80 minutes and faced 61 deliveries but once he left there was little the New Zealanders could do with Tama Canning and Daryl Tuffey and Paul Hitchcock all falling cheaply.
New Zealand made three changes dropping Daniel Vettori, Kerry Walmsley and Matthew Walker, naming Tama Canning, Daryl Tuffey and Paul Hitchcock in their place.
Scoreboard
New Zealand
C.Cumming lbw Akhtar 0
R.Jones run out 17
M.Sinclair lbw Razzaq 7
H.Marshall b Azhar 11
C.Harris c Ellahi b Malik 25
C.Cairns b Malik 48
B.McCullum run out 10
T.Canning c Youhana b Akhtar 13
P.Hitchcock b Gul 9
D.Tuffey lbw Akhtar 10
M.Mason not out 13
Extras (lb-8,w-7,nb-5) 20
Total (all out, 47.5 overs) 183
Fall of wickets: 1-0 2-23 3-31 4-49 5-82 6-100 7-143 8-149 9-152
Bowling: Shoaib Akhtar 10-1-23-3 (1w), Umar Gul 8.5-0-36-1 (1w, 3nb), Abdul Razzaq 10-0-38-1 (1w, 1nb), Azhar Mahmood 9-1-32-1 (1w, 1nb), Shoaib Malik 10-0-46-2 (3w)
Pakistan
Y.Hameed c Tuffey b Canning 61
I.Farhat run out 82
A.Mahmood c Tuffey b Canning 4
S.Ellahi not out 7
S.Malik not out 16
Extras (w-6, nb-8) 14
Total (for three wkts, 41.2 overs) 184
Fall of wickets: 1-134 2-153 3-162
Bowling: Tuffey 7-0-45-0 (2-nb, 2-w), Mason 10-1-44-0 (1-nb, 2-w), Hitchcock 10-0-51-0 (5-nb, 2-w), Cairns 4-1-12-0, Canning 10-0-30-2, Harris 0.2-0-2-0.
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