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KARACHI: India's sublime fielding in the earlier stages of Pakistan's innings saw them win a thriller by 10 runs in Delhi on Sunday.
Pakistan failed to chase a 168-run target and that was mainly due to India's bowling and fielding display.
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq commended India's bowling attack, saying it made it difficult to score runs.
"Indians bowled very well, their fielding was outstanding. We tried to see off the new ball, but the ball was doing things even after that. It was difficult to score runs," he said.
Misbah also added that the series had been great and had put forward a lot of positives, especially the fast bowlers.
"Plenty of positives this series, especially the fast bowlers and Nasir Jamshed. It was a great series, tightly contested and today we had another tight game."
India's captain MS Dhoni asserted that the performance of the fielders was the reason for their win, adding that his side's bowling was a big positive throughout the series.
"160 wasn't enough. But I told the team that they should compete well. The spinners did a great job but the men of the match were the fielders in this game," Dhoni said.
The man-of-the-match praised his bowlers and added that his side were young and learning more with each game.
"Bhuvi started well, then Ishant bowled well with a not-so-new ball. Jadeja and Ashwin supported each other well too. It is important to learn from each and every game and this is a young side and there is learning for everyone. Bowling line-up was a big positive this series. Yes, there was help for bowlers, but we bowled well as a unit," he said.
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Comments (44) Closed
Jan 07, 2013 11:00am
A score of 168 was a very achievable target. What ever the reason Team Pakistan took this match very casually. Dear Misbah you were batting in a way suitable for 5 days test series. Tuk Tuk play has cost Pakistan a chance to write history. Sorry, most of our players played like that.
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Jan 07, 2013 09:53am
Misbah is trying to cover Pakistan's batting defeciencies. He and Younus Khan should not play ODIs. They are too defensive, waste a lot of balls. Misbah's innings was similar to the useless innings he played in the 2011 WC semi final. These two will contribute more to Pakistan's losses than wins. Kamran Akmal is another big flop.
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Jan 07, 2013 06:53am
It was not there fielding dear Misbah....it's any score around 150 which Pakistani batmen cannot handle.
Its always the bowlers who made Pakistan win matches....not the Pakistani batsmen...I don't see any reason to loos the 3rd one day.....Indian team statred 3rd ODI as a loosers it was written on there faces after losing the 2nd one day....baath karta hay....India ki fielding achi thee....its you the batsmen who didn't perform as usual....and please don't praie Indian team(for nothing) when they don't even recognize Pakistan performance....get some respect man
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Jan 07, 2013 02:41pm
Dear Shuaib... What the umpires judge is anyone's guess and yes they can be wrong. But why are you picking only on the 2 Pakistani wickets? There are plenty of, if not more, decisions that have gone against players of Pak's opposition teams over the years... right from Shakur Rana days onwards if I may add!!...and surely those decisions would've contributed to Pak wins. To say Pak wins were all fair and square and the other team's wins were luck is going a bit too far. And R. Shastri and W.Akram are greater experts than you and I as far as umpire decisions go. Shuaib, you aren't going to become any less important if you really give credit to any other team other than Pak where its due. I love the way your team plays its cricket as much as I love the way our team does. But always trying to demean another team is unbecoming of the "large hearted" Pakistani fan.
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Jan 07, 2013 12:43pm
Misbah and Umer Akmal were the architects of ?ndian victory. Scoring 39 off 89 and 25 off 55!! This was the performance of the top order. Dhonis's boys fully exploited the situation. ?ndian fielding was definitely superb. They deserved this victory.
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Jan 07, 2013 03:48am
Folks, the one day and T20 series between India and Pakistan cricket teams have attended. It has been a splendid show from the Pakistan side and from the results it is pretty evident of the resurgence of this team. There is a fine balance of bowling, batting and thought leadership from all the seniors. While fielding is an area that needs improvement but it is not a concern. Also from time immemorial barring Imran Khan's leadership, the captain's slot has undergone several changes and with Misbah in place.. that slot has achieved some depth while he may not have scored tons of runs but he brings a certain calm to the team. The Pakistan board and public alike should appreciate this aspect and give him credit where it is due. He has turned things around with his demeanour and commitment. Now with each player putting their hands up.. his batting form too will see improvement in the coming matches,. The mindset in the sub-continent is fickleminded and changes quickly from victory to defeat. Like the Westindies team, these bunch of players has the ability to not only excel on the field but also entertain the crowd with their talent. Please please back them and curb criticising them. Some of them come from humble backgrounds and may not have the strength to endure the glare of the media or the verbal barrage from the discernng cricket viewer. Sit back and enjoy this victory and encourage them to do well. Trust me.. they will not fail you...
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Jan 07, 2013 10:52am
well said Green oval. Pakistan played exceptional cricket through out the series. Except MSD's batting for india there is no plus for the indian team.But pakistan people also should accept defeat gracefully. For a change india's fielding was great which won the match for us.
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Jan 07, 2013 11:31am
Dear VSA....if you stress on and on for your "sheer skill", you forgot to mention "sheer skills" of the Umpires. If ball hitting on the thigh can be given lbw (Kamran Akmal) and if ball impact made outside off stump (Shoaib Malik) can be given lbw then it certainly is "sheer skill of the umpires". Your comments are not much different from those of r shastri who said that Kamran Akmal was PlUm LbW!!!!
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Jan 07, 2013 10:01am
Agree with you. They don't know how to respect their team for just putting all the match fixing charges for loosing just one match. Ridiculous..!!!
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Jan 07, 2013 03:00pm
I will never forget Misbah's innings at Mohali to orchestrate defeat for Pakistan and now it is Dehli too. But unfortunately, the three museteers/Akmal brothers, Malik and Misbah (C) will be part of team touring South Africa and very well could be next World Cup. Hafeez should be captain for alll formats. What a shame, Pakistan has world class bowlers, and world class batsmen only with the exception of rats like Misbah, Malik and the three famed musketeers.
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Jan 07, 2013 10:15am
Remember Pakistan collapsing for a mere 83 against India at Sharjah under the captaincy of Imran? So, failing to achieve 168 by Pakistan is very possible and even justifiable. Its funny that when Pakistan wins, its an invincible side and when it loses, there's something fishy!!!
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Jan 07, 2013 08:34pm
Ahsan, yaar learn to digest the defeat plz.
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Jan 07, 2013 01:13pm
How did India win? They just scored 160 odd runs.. and our bowlers defended this meagre score. How did our pacer suddenly started bowling like Wasim Akram overnight to do such wonders that they restricted opposition from scoring even 160!!! This was definitely rigged. India played really well and they were not aware that the match was fixed. It was Pakistani players who had taken $$. Let
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Jan 07, 2013 04:38am
We won the series! Yeppers! The third match was merely academic. We would have surely won it, had Hafeez not gotten injured and opened.
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Jan 07, 2013 02:53am
Misbah,
I am really sorry for your lame excuse, you have failed to convince me with your thuk thuk policy, you should not represent Pakistan as an ODI captain, I am positive that you do not deserve to be the ODI captain along with Younis Khan, Azhar Ali & Umar Gul. Pakistan should replace them with frest and young blood I am so disappointed we could not score 167 runs for a Historic Whitewash just because of Misbah younus & umar Gul giving away 18 runs in his 1st over you should play test matches only. Junaid Khan, Shoib Malik,Umar Akmal, Mohd Hafeez Ajmal Irfan were fine
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Jan 07, 2013 12:27pm
Pakistan once again proved that they are worst in chasing and in particular against India. They succumb to pressure irrespective of the total while chasing. They could not even chase such a small total whatever the pitch conditions be. Pakistan batting is very fragile for a long time. The PCB should focus on the Pakistani batting weakness and improve it. Its known fact that bowling is the Pakistan strength and batsmen should excel as a team to win matches. They cannot always rely on individual batsman performance as this was the case whenever they win against India. The batsmen should click as a team like the bowlers.
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Jan 08, 2013 05:20am
I have to tell you some of the comments in this section are senseless. Be happy Pakistan won the series. Misbah is definately a solid captain. He had Younis and irfan stay for the odi which was a great move. If u guys think the match was fixed than why are you watching it? Please have a look at Misbah's record as a captain. He knows he has a couple of years left and is probably the best leader for now for Pakistan cricket. He is preparing Hafeez for the role. He batted slow but it was a tough pitch and yeah he should have stayed but he got out for 39 runs - highest scorer for the Pakistan team. We should be worried about finding an alternative keeper/ batsman - kamran is not working out. Our coach needs to find a keeper. And yes we need to get rid of Umar Aklam..... We have given him too many chances and now it is time to give others a chance. I agree with the comment that Pakistan has always had a tough time chasing targets and we need to work on that. I think another talented batsman is Asad Shafiq..unfortunately he was injured. BTW what happened to Abdul Razzak? We need to have these players in the team so they can coach the younger players. Overall, we won the series in India. Big achievement..... Way to go Pakistan!!!!
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Jan 07, 2013 10:05am
Dear Yawar,
You should watch the press conferences of Dhoni instead of waiting here. He praised Pakistani bowling before and after each match.
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Jan 07, 2013 09:53am
so bottom line pakistan players fixed match.....again..!!! :)
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Jan 07, 2013 01:12pm
should have been Ajmal.. No idea.. who was giving away the MOM... :(
the match looked to be politically set for India.. !!
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Jan 07, 2013 07:19am
Dear Yawar
Why u need Dhoni certificate? Pakistan has performed better than India. The fact was visible during all the five matches except the second T20.
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Jan 07, 2013 02:06am
good ambassador of the country
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Jan 07, 2013 07:27am
Ah, I am waiting for Dhoni to say one positive thing about the Indian players ;)
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Jan 07, 2013 07:26am
I dont agreed with Misbah ! 168 its not a big total !, pakistan can chase it very easily ,but im sure about it their is some political influence ...Thats why they losing last game !!!
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Jan 07, 2013 07:24am
Sure...when Pak wins it is sheer skill and talent and what not but when the opposition, esp India wins, well then its bad luck or cheating right? How petty you people are! Congrats to the Pak team for winning the series.
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Jan 07, 2013 01:39am
Still waiting for Dhoni to say one positive note for any one of the Pakistani players
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Jan 07, 2013 06:11pm
Means your player are fixer in all the series. What kind of education you get. If you cant support your team, atleast dont let them down.They have won a series for you.
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Jan 07, 2013 12:59pm
With this kind of dismal performance ? don't think any Pakistani player stands a chance to be called for ?PL.
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Jan 07, 2013 07:00am
Shocked with MotM......Ajmal or Jadeja deserves it.
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Jan 07, 2013 07:01am
I cannot put links, Google it, you will get Dhoni's praises for Pak team.
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Jan 07, 2013 01:06am
Misbah and team management need to explain why none of new comers were not given opportunity when the series was already won.Or they think new comers are threat to their position in the side.Kamran Akmal batting has been worse than Number 11 batsman and I am not sure we can keep him in side based on his keeping which seems to be roller coaster.Anyway Adnan Akmal seems to be steady player in Test matches and could be useful for even ODI in place of Kamran Akmal.Its time to kick out Umar Akmal from side along with Kamran Akmal.Time to give opportunity to new players.
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Jan 07, 2013 01:01am
Pakistan batsmen failed drastically. Misbah should have stated this. That just proves why Pakistan need some defensive batsmen in the middle. There is no reason to have Younis Khan in the team. He is not performing at all. He should have delivered. Umar Akmal played good but wasn't enough. Umpire made wrong decisions which favored India. No DRS. All made it India's match.
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Jan 07, 2013 03:26pm
Another average Pakistani who thanks Allah and thump their chests when they win and blame match-fixing when they lose
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Jan 06, 2013 09:37pm
Misbah is a very suspicious character. When he doesn;t stay at the wicket, Pakistan generally do well, as in first two ODIs. When he does stay at the wicket, he , with his negative batting ( deliberately ? ), brings the team to a position of no hope. He actively contributed Pakistan's loss today, exactly the same way as he did in WC semifinal against India in 2011. ICC should look into this matter. At 40, ( officially 38, all Pak players are generally 2-3 years older than their official age ), What exactly he is doing in ODI team ? To make some money by throwing matches ?
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Jan 06, 2013 09:32pm
Sorry Misbah I donot agree.....YOU AND OTHERS NEVER TRIED TO HIT SHOTS OVER THE IN-FIELDERS LIKE DHONI....sad...you, coach and Hafeez all had the wrong approach. Then the Akmal brothers are another kettle of fish, only you and ZAKA knows why they have to be there...I guess...PARCHEE... PAKISTAN ALWAYS WIN WITHOUT SHAHID AFRIDI AND UMAR AKMAL...
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Jan 06, 2013 09:17pm
Congratulations to the Pakistani team for the wonderful games that we got to see in India. It is heartening to see the team raise out of the mire of "fixing". This team does not have the ferocity of a Miandad or an Imran Khan, but there is something that sets this team apart from the ones we have seen till now.
I wish "Professor" and his boys all the very best for the subsequent series they are to play. As an Indian, I can only add that losing to this team did not rankle (though losing to Pakistan always does ;-) ) - The bowlers were fantastic, and the players were excellent ambassadors for the game and the country they represented.
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Jan 06, 2013 08:31pm
Dear Misbah,
Follow the example of Ricky Ponting and retire gracefully as our team is losing with you tuk tuk tuk tuk tuk. Again today you consumed 30 odd runs in 92 balls I.e 15 overs which is pathetic.
Misbah, akmal brothers and Malik must not feature in ODI against South Africa
Many thanks,
Hyder
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Jan 06, 2013 08:16pm
second innings of this match was FIXED!! simple as that
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Jan 06, 2013 08:16pm
what did indian fielders do so differently today?? how many blind catches? direct hit run outs?? misbah is coming up with crap now!! played 82 balls ( nearly 15 overs) and wasted all of that!!
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Jan 06, 2013 07:06pm
Misbah pls give up cricket..u always waste balls n time when the team s close to win...
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Jan 06, 2013 06:51pm
What a lame excuse. All the credit goes to Misbah for todays loss. He can
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Jan 06, 2013 06:40pm
No doubt Indian fielding was outstanding but your defensive and purposeless batting collectively made it look better. Your batting seemed if you we're doing the fielding drill with the a Indian team. A little aggression and stroke making would have made the differance and we wont be discussing Indian fielding here. Pak hit 18 boundries for 72 runs and the next 281 balls priduced 85 runs. Misbah's contribution 39 of 82 balls. What game of cricket Misbah and the boys in green were playing. So, Simon says, stop making excuses and be brave to admit you played very poorly in the 2nd half , you played without any planning and without any purpose.
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Jan 07, 2013 07:47am
They lost this match just to make Shukla happy , because he promised pakis a chance in IPL , This is truth and we have to accept it , there is no way in this world Pakistan lost this match without any big reason....Trust me , its all about money & millions of dollars in IPL !! Dhoni is captain of his favorite Chinai supper Stars team & this lose would make Dhoni look like a supper asshole !!
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Jan 08, 2013 07:01am
jhooooooooooooooooooooot Bolta Haai takk tukk....they deliberately lost the matchh...during the match Jab PCB chairman IPL k Chairman k saath beta tha tho mai samj gaaya k lafraa hai koi na koii..now they gonna announce in few days that Pakistani Players can play the IPL ..Hurrah n thts wt they wanted
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