Thursday, June 26, 2008

Sehwag sizzles, India wins

Karachi: Virender Sehwag scattered the fielders, crumpled the required run-rate charts with instinctive ease and powered India to a six-wicket victory over Pakistan in a STAR Cricket Asia Cup Group B match at the National Stadium here on Thursday.
Sehwag’s 119 (95b, 12x4, 5x6) and his 198-run second-wicket partnership with Suresh Raina helped India canter past Pakistan’s 299 for four in 50 overs. India scored 301 for four in 42.1 overs.
The initial minutes of the chase was a mix of Umar Gul leaving the field in discomfort and Gambhir’s slash prompting Misbah-ul-Haq to defy gravity at backward point. Twelve for one and Suresh Raina emerged with quick winnowing steps that soon left a larger imprint on the pitch as his 84 (69b, 10x4, 3x6) nearly put Sehwag’s ninth ODI century in the shade.Volley of words
The Man-of-the-Match Raina picked Iftikhar’s line early and with a neat bat swing sent the red cherry deep into the stands overlooking long-off. The control and the disdain in that shot angered Iftikhar who let loose two bouncers and a volley of words. Sehwag at the other end, flicked two fours on either side of a frozen square-leg.
Sehwag then carted Afridi all over the park . Part-timers Fawad Alam and Salman Butt were also left bleeding with reverse sweeps and the dismissive slaps over the in-field. And in the interim, Raina looking good for a hundred, ended up with a soft dismissal, tapping one straight to short covers.
Sehwag’s merry ways too ended soon and Younis Khan after holding on in the deep, appreciatively patted the departing batsman. In the end, Yuvraj and skipper M.S. Dhoni ensured that the winning runs were gained with minimum fuss.
Earlier on a warm evening, Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik shed his diffidence and ended a two-year wait for an ODI hundred. Malik, who retired hurt on 125 (119b, 15x4, 1x6), last scored a hundred in the game’s abridged version in February’ 2006 against India at Lahore.
SCOREBOARD
 Pakistan: S. Butt c Raina b Chawla 35, S. Malik (retd. hurt) 125, Younis c Raina b Yusuf 59, Mohd. Yousuf (run out) 30, Misbah (not out) 31, S. Afridi c Dhoni b R.P. Singh 9, S. Tanvir (not out) 3; Extras (b-1, lb-1, w-5): 7; Total (for four wkts. in 50 overs): 299.
Fall of wickets: 1-90, 2-223, 3-261, 4-290.
India bowling: Praveen 10-0-56-0, R.P. Singh 10-2-44-1, Ishant 10-0-69-0, Chawla 7-0-52-1, Yusuf 9-0-52-1, Yuvraj 4-0-24-0.
India: G. Gambhir c Misbah b Iftikhar 9, V. Sehwag c Younis b Afridi 119, S. Raina c Fawad b Iftikhar 84, Yuvraj c Butt b Tanvir 48, M.S. Dhoni (not out) 26, Rohit (not out) 0; Extras (b-1, lb-6, w-7, nb-1): 15; Total (for four wkts. in 42.1 overs): 301.
Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-210, 3-231, 4-294.
Pakistan bowling: Gul 1.2-0-6-0, Tanvir 9-0-55-1, Iftikhar 9.4-0-61-2, Afridi 10-0-64-1, Fawad 7-0-64-0, Butt 1-0-13-0, Younis 4.1-0-31-0.
Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/06/27/stories/2008062761431900.htm

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