Pakistan chalk up clinical victory over UAE

Published March 5, 2015
NAPIER: (L to R) Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad, all-rounder Haris Sohail and captain Misbah-ul-Haq play shots during the match against the United Arab Emirates at McLean Park on Wednesday.—AFP/AP
NAPIER: (L to R) Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad, all-rounder Haris Sohail and captain Misbah-ul-Haq play shots during the match against the United Arab Emirates at McLean Park on Wednesday.—AFP/AP

NAPIER: Pakistan continued their revival in the World Cup with a professional batting and bowling performance in a 129-run win against the United Arab Emirates in Napier on Wednesday.

Opener Ahmed Shehzad fell seven short of his maiden World Cup hundred while Haris Sohail (70) and skipper Misbah-ul-Haq chipped in with 65 which helped Pakistan to post a big 339-6 on a flat McLean Park pitch.

They then restricted the UAE to 210-8 in their 50 overs with Shaiman Anwar continuing his brilliant form with the bat by scoring 62.

The win gives Pakistan four points in as many games as they continued their fight for a place in the quarter-finals.

The top four teams from each of the two pools of seven will reach the quarter-finals.

“That was a much needed win for us. We won by a margin so we can relax now. We have a good net run rate now also,” said Misbah.

A required rate of six-plus an over was always beyond UAE’s reach but after losing their first three wickets with just 25 on the board — two to paceman Sohail Khan — Shaiman and Khurram Khan took the fight to the Pakistan bowlers adding 83 for the fourth wicket.

Shaiman hit four boundaries and two sixes during his 88-ball knock and with 270 runs in four matches became the top run-getter in the tournament.

Khurram hit three fours and a six off 54 deliveries.

Pakistan’s bowling was hampered by the absence of spearhead Mohammad Irfan who hurt his hip during a fall in the field and could bowl only three overs.

NAPIER: (L to R) Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad, all-rounder Haris Sohail and captain Misbah-ul-Haq play shots during the match against the United Arab Emirates at McLean Park on Wednesday.—AFP/AP
NAPIER: (L to R) Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad, all-rounder Haris Sohail and captain Misbah-ul-Haq play shots during the match against the United Arab Emirates at McLean Park on Wednesday.—AFP/AP

The team said Irfan’s injury was not serious and he was held back as precaution.

Wahab Riaz, Sohail Khan and Shahid Afridi took two wickets apiece.

Shehzad and Haris Sohail restored Pakistan during their second wicket stand of 160 after they lost the horribly out-of-form opener Nasir Jamshed for four in the fourth over.

Guruge could have had Shehzad in his fourth over but Khurram dropped a sharp chance when the batsman was on eight and three runs later Shehzad got another life off Mohammad Naveed.

Man-of-the-match Shehzad hit eight boundaries and a six off 105 balls but ran himself out while taking a sharp single. Sohail clubbed five boundaries and a six.

Sohaib Maqsood helped Misbah add another rapid 75 for the fourth wicket, hitting four boundaries and two towering sixes during his 31-ball 45.

Misbah reached his 41st ODI half-century — and third of the ongoing World Cup — off just 39 balls. He hit four boundaries and two sixes before holing out off Guruge.

Shahid Afridi hit two sixes and a four in his seven-ball 21 not out and when on two became the fourth Pakistani, and 27th batsman, in the world to cross 8,000 One-day International runs.

This was Afridi’s 395th match. Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and Saeed Anwar are the other Pakistan players to make 8,000 ODI runs.

Guruge was the pick of UAE bowlers with a career best 4-56.

Pakistan next play South Africa in Auckland on Saturday and Ireland in Adelaide (March 15) while UAE face South Africa in Wellington (March 12) and the West Indies in Napier (March 15).

Scoreboard

PAKISTAN:

Nasir Jamshed c Khurram b Guruge 4

Ahmed Shehzad run out 93

Haris Sohail c Shaiman b Naveed 70

Sohaib Maqsood c Mustafa b Guruge 45

Misbah-ul-Haq c Mustafa b Guruge 65

Umar Akmal c Amjad Ali b Guruge 19

Shahid Afridi not out 21

Wahab Riaz not out 6

EXTRAS (LB-3, W-12, NB-1) 16

TOTAL (for six wkts, 50 overs) 339

FALL OF WKTS: 1-10, 2-170, 3-176, 4-251, 5-312, 6-312.

DID NOT BAT: Sohail Khan, Rahat Ali, Mohammad Irfan.

BOWLING: Mohammad Naveed 10-0-50-1 (1nb, 1w); Guruge 8-0-56-4 (2w); Amjad Javed 9-0-76-0 (2w); Mohammad Tauqir 10-0-52-0 (1w); Khurram Khan 3-0-21-0; Chandran 8-0-58-0; Rohan Mustafa 2-0-23-0 (6w).

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES:

Amjad Ali b Rahat 14

A. Berenger c Umar b Sohail Khan 2

K. Chandran c Umar b Sohail Khan 0

Khurram Khan c Wahab b Sohaib 43

Shaiman Anwar c Nasir b Afridi 62

S.P. Patil b Riaz 36

Rohan Mustafa c Shehzad b Afridi 0

Amjad Javed c Sohail Khan b Wahab 40

Mohammad Naveed not out 0

Mohammed Tauqir not out 0

EXTRAS (LB-1, W-12) 13

TOTAL (for eight wkts, 50 overs) 210

FALL OF WKTS: 1-19, 2-19, 3-25, 4-108, 5-140, 6-140, 7-208, 8-210.

DID NOT BAT: A.M. Guruge.

BOWLING: Mohammad Irfan 3-1-2-0; Sohail Khan 9-2-54-2 (3w); Rahat Ali 10-0-30-1 (2w); Wahab Riaz 10-1-54-2 (3w); Shahid Afridi 10-1-35-2 (3w); Sohaib Maqsood 5-0-16-1 (1w); Haris Sohail 3-0-18-0.

RESULT: Pakistan won by 129 runs.

UMPIRES: J.D. Cloete (South Africa) and S. Ravi (India).

TV UMPIRE: R.K. Illingworth (England).

MATCH REFEREE: B.C. Broad (England).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Ahmed Shehzad.

Published in Dawn March 5th , 2015

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