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| February 12, 2006 | Sunday | Muharram 13, 1427 |
India level series with emphatic victory
RAWALPINDI, Feb 11: Yuvraj Singh was a standout with an unbeaten 82-run assault as India cruised to a seven-wicket victory in the second one-day International against Pakistan that squared the series 1-1.
Opener Virender Sehwag and captain Rahul Dravid also played their part through half centuries helping the tourists overhaul Pakistan’s 265 with almost seven overs to spare.
India were off to a flier through a fine effort by Sehwag (67) and Sachin Tendulkar (42) who shared 105 runs off 94 balls for the first wicket. Later Dravid and Yuvraj made an easy chase look all the more easier putting on 118 in a third wicket stand.
The Pakistan attack, without the injured Shoaib Akhtar, struggled for wickets against a side aiming to come back after losing the first game at Peshawar last Monday on Duckworth/Lewis method.
Dravid ensured the aim was effectively achieved by scoring his 66th fifty from 61 balls and Yuvraj shone with eight fours and two sixes in a sizzling 89-ball knock.
Pakistan, who chose to bat first were able to put a challenging total by a century partnership between Malik and Younis for the fifth wicket. The two staged a recovery after the home side was reduced to 68-4 inside 15 overs.
In a brave innings-building effort, Malik cracked 95 and Younis smashed 81 as both made up well for the crash up top that saw seamer Irfan Pathan snare two early wickets.
On an easy paced pitch, India never appeared in trouble in their chase with Tendulkar hammering eight fours in his knock and the more aggressive Sehwag blasting 10 boundaries and a six.
Tendulkar’s wicket in the 16th over brought some cheer for the attack when he edged Abdul Razzaq to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal while Sehwag was run out going for a third run.
Dravid’s fall came about in the 39th over, the captain giving a return catch to Malik. By then India were within smelling distance of victory, only 25 runs short and it was left to Yuvraj to do the needful.
Earlier, Pathan sent back openers Salman Butt caught behind for a second-ball duck with a delivery that swung away and then dismissed Kamran Akmal for 14, the batsman playing a slower one on to his stumps.
Muhammad Yousuf, run out for one going for a second run following a mis-field at square leg compounded the problems and Inzamamul Haq’s dismissal left Pakistan in a disaster zone.
Inzamam was caught at mid-on off Zaheer Khan for eight before Malik and vice captain Younis took centre-stage.
Malik who put on 102 runs off 125 balls with Younis recovered from a crash with Zaheer to post his 18th half century from 66 deliveries.
With Pakistan on 87, he responded to Younis’s call for a single and ran straight into the fast bowler bringing him down before quickly returning to his crease.
For a while it appeared that another “obstructing the field” dismissal was on cards but the Indians chose not to appeal.
Inzamam was adjudged out in such manner in the first one-dayer at Peshawar, a decision that sparked off quite a debate.
For the second match in succession, Malik fell in his 90s, run out by a Sreesanth throw in the 34th over with the total on 170. He was five short of what would have been his fifth century and he faced 110 balls striking 13 boundaries.
Younis did well to get his 22nd fifty and in all belted nine fours in a 98-ball innings. Along the way however he could not get good support from Shahid Afridi (18) and Abdul Razzaq (14).
Afridi became Pathan’s third victim mistiming the bowler to Muhammad Kaif in the covers while Suresh Raina ran out Razzaq with a throw from mid-off.
Younis followed in the 47th over, hitting straight to Kaif off Agrakar who finished with 2-52 in his 10 overs. Later Umar Gul added a useful 17 from 16 balls to give the total one last push and stayed unbeaten.
Scoreboard
PAKISTAN:
Salman Butt c Dhoni b Pathan 0
Kamran Akmal b Pathan 14
Shoaib Malik run out 95
Mohammad Yousuf run out 1
Inzamamul Haq c Secant b Zaheer 8
Younis Khan c Kaif b Agarkar 81
Shahid Afridi c Kaif b Pathan 18
Abdul Razzaq run out 14
Rana Navedul Hasan c Raina b Agarkar 6
Umar Gul not out 17
Mohammad Asif run out 2
EXTRAS (W-4, NB-5) 9
TOTAL (all out, 49.2 overs) 265
FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-43, 3-46, 4-68, 5-170, 6-204, 7-234, 8-242, 9-257.
BOWLING: Irfan Pathan 10-1-43-3 (1w); Secant 10-0-52-0 (2nb); Zaheer Khan 9.2-0-53-1 (2nb); Agarkar 10-0-52-2 (1nb, 2w); Tendulkar 7-0-45-0; Sehwag 3-0-20-0 (1w).
INDIA:
V. Sehwag run out 67
S.R. Tendulkar c Kamran b Razzaq 42
R. Dravid c and b Shoaib Malik 56
Yuvraj Singh not out 82
Mohammad Kaif not out 5
EXTRAS (LB-6, W-5, NB-3) 14
TOTAL (for three wkts, 43.1 overs) 266
FALL OF WKTS: 1-105, 2-123, 3-241.
DID NOT BAT: S. Raina, M.S. Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, A.B. Agarkar, R.R. Powar, Zaheer Khan.
BOWLING: Rana Navedul Hasan 7-0-60-0 (2nb, 1w); Mohammad Asif 6-1-28-0; Umar Gul 9-0-49-0 (1nb, 2w); Abdul Razzaq 7-0-43-1 (1w); Shahid Afridi 2-0-17-0; Arshad Khan 9-0-37-0; Shoaib Malik 3-0-24–1 (1w); Younis Khan 0.1-0-2–0.
UMPIRES: Asad Rauf (Pakistan) and S.J.A. Taufel (Australia).
TV UMPIRE: Zameer Haider (Pakistan).
MATCH REFEREE: B.C. Broad (England).
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Irfan Pathan.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Pakistan – Arshad Khan for Mohammad Yousuf; India – R.R. Powar for S. Sreesanth.
NEXT MATCH: Lahore (D/N) on Monday.
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