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| December 16, 2005 | Friday | Ziqa’ad 13, 1426 |
Kamran inspired Pakistan demolish England
KARACHI, Dec 15: Pakistan produced an exhilarating performance on Thursday to record one of their biggest One-day International victories as England surrendered without a fight to lose by 165 runs at National Stadium.
By virtue of winning the third game, Pakistan now head for Rawalpindi for next week’s remaining matches 2-1 up in the five-match series.
The end result turned out as rather an anticlimax for the vociferous crowd of over 34,000 who had thronged the place with expectations of a good close game.
Kamran Akmal spearheaded a dominating batting performance with his second successive century as Pakistan amassed 353 for six — their highest total against England in 56 one-dayers after Marcus Trescothick had surprisingly elected to field first.
England response was a sharp contrast given the state of the perfect limited-overs cricket pitch. Their capitulation in 42 overs for 188 runs was nothing short of abject surrender.
England’s dismal performance equalled their worst defeat by runs, when West Indies annihilated them at Kingstown in 1994.
Kamran, who turns 24 on Jan 13, continued from where he had left off in Lahore during Monday’s second game, with his third hundred in 32 One-day Internationals, all scored this year within the space of 18 matches.
The diminutive right-hander became only the second wicket-keeper after Alec Stewart to score century in consecutive matches. The former England captain made 101 versus Zimbabwe at Edgbaston and an unbeaten 100 against West Indies at Trent Bridge in the triangular tournament in 2000.
Kamran took charge from the word go as he comfortably outscored both Salman Butt and Mohammad Yousuf during his partnerships with them.
After the openers had put on 74 in 96 balls, Salman clipped a catch to Flintoff at mid-wicket off Liam Plunkett after making a 50-ball 29.
Younis Khan, the Pakistan vice-captain, lasted just a couple of deliveries before wild slash at a wide ball in Plunkett’s next over brought about his downfall.
Kamran carried on in his merry way despite being reprieved on 69 by Paul Collingwood off his own bowling. On the lightning outfield, Kamran repeatedly managed to pierce the 30-yard circle during the three power-play stages which England opted to apply straight away.
Cutting, driving and occasionally pulling, Kamran reached his 50 in 53 balls and took another 52 deliveries to notch up his century with a single off Vikram Solanki’s occasional off-spin.
It was Collingwood who eventually dismissed Kamran, caught by his Durham team-mate, for a superlative 109, an innings of real substance and maturity given that the young man is not a specialist opening batsman. The little man’s 111-ball effort was embellished with 11 boundaries and his third-wicket alliance with Yousuf yielded 104 in 98 balls.
The stage was now set for fireworks from Shahid Afridi, who came ahead of Inzamamul Haq. The three-match ban must have irked the master-blaster as he vent his feelings on the hapless bowlers, smashing three fours and two huge sixes in contributing 31 off mere 14 deliveries before a mix-up with Yousuf saw him run out.
Yousuf and Inzamam, the senior pros, leisurely accumulated 78 off 38 balls before Yousuf fell to the Collingwood/Jones combination, run out for 68. His 65-ball stay included seven hits to the fence.
England’s bowling was below par, more so with the likes Afridi around. It became more erratic as Abdul Razzaq went berserk while smashing 51 from 22 balls.
Razzaq was on course for the quickest 50 in terms of balls in One-day International history but for Andrew Flintoff’s well-controlled bowling at the death.
It was Flintoff who denied Inzamam yet another ODI half-century. The Pakistan skipper’s 35-ball 45 included a slogged pulled six and four fours.
Razzaq’s cameo was spiced with monstrous blows, three of them clearing the boundary effortlessly - one of them landing on the roof of one of the stands - and five crossing the fence.
Pakistan’s final score was their best against England, outstripping 323 for five made at Sharjah in 1998-99.
The less said about England batting the better. It was no-contest at all as Matt Prior ran himself out in the seventh over when Shoaib Akhtar demolished the stumps with a powerful throw on his follow through.
Rana Navedul Hasan got the ball to swing in the late afternoon from the University Road End. He was rewarded for his penetrative spell with the wickets of Trescothick (22) and Solanki (0) in his fourth over.
With a scoreline of 40 for three, there was no way England was going to get out of the mess they had found themselves in. Andrew Strauss was trapped inside his crease by Mohammad Sami’s well-pitched delivery for 23.
The Flintoff show, which took place the last time England were here five years ago, never took place. He provided super-sub Yasir Arafat with a prized scalp in the all-rounder’s first ODI in more than four years.With Flintoff back in the hut for 36, England were shambles at 101 for five.
Collingwood and Jones came and went after making small contributions. Ian Bell, who was the super sub for the tourists, only delayed the inevitable as he and Plunkett added 41 for the ninth wicket. Bell was left unbeaten on 37.
Kamran Akmal was the deserved recipient of the Man-of-the-Match award after being edged out by Shoaib Akhtar in the second game.
| S C O R E B O A R D | |
| PAKISTAN | |
| S. Butt c Flintoff b Plunkett | 29 |
| K. Akmal c Plunkett b Collingwood | 109 |
| Y. Khan c G. Jones b Plunkett | 0 |
| M. Yousuf run out | 68 |
| S. Afridi run out | 31 |
| Inzamamul Haq b Flintoff | 45 |
| A. Razzaq not out | 51 |
| S. Akhtar not out | 1 |
| EXTRAS (b-5 lb-1 w-13) | 19 |
| TOTAL (for 6 wkts, 50 overs) | 353 |
| FALL OF WKTS: 1-74 2-84 3-188 4-234 5-272 6-350 | |
| DID NOT BAT: Navedul Hasan, M. Sami, S. Malik | |
| BOWLING: A. Flintoff 10-1-57-1 (w-1); J. Anderson 10-0-72-0 (w-3); S. Harmison 8-0-62-0 (w-2); L. Plunkett 7-0-61-2 (w-2); P. Collingwood 8-0-58-1 (w-1); I. Blackwell 5-0-25-0; V. Solanki 2-0-12-0 | |
| ENGLAND | |
| M. Trescothick c Inzamam b Naved | 22 |
| M. Prior run out | 2 |
| A. Strauss lbw b Sami | 23 |
| V. Solanki c Y. Khan b Naved | 0 |
| A. Flintoff b Arafat | 36 |
| P. Collingwood c Butt b Malik | 19 |
| G. Jones c Arafat b Afridi | 14 |
| I. Blackwell c Sami b Afridi | 14 |
| I. Bell not out | 37 |
| L. Plunkett b Malik | 7 |
| S. Harmison c Afridi b Malik | 1 |
| EXTRAS (lb-7 nb-1 w-5) | 13 |
| TOTAL (all out, 42 overs) | 188 |
| FALL OF WKTS: 1-22 2-40 3-40 4-79 5-101 6-122 7-140 8-145 9-186 10-188 | |
| BOWLING: S. Akhtar 5-1-23-0 (nb-1 w-5); Navedul Hasan 7-1-31-2; M. Sami 5-1-18-1; Y. Arafat 5-0-31-1; S. Afridi 10-0-42-2; S. Malik 9-1-29-3; A. Razzaq 1-0-7-0 | |
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