Malik, Younis lead Pakistan to 299
Friday, 27 June 2008
Pakistan approached the task of setting India a formidable target methodically: their openers - Shoaib Malik and Salman Butt - played cautiously at the start, guarded against the loss of early wickets, and accelerated once the new-ball had been seen off to set up a launch pad. Malik's maiden century as captain was the cornerstone of the innings and the platform he provided allowed the batsmen that followed - Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf - the freedom to innovate and bat aggressively in order to propel Pakistan towards their total of 299 for 4, according to website cricinfo.
Pakistan's openers, Shoaib Malik and Salman Butt, came out to bat with a plan: to play cautiously at the start, thereby guarding against the loss of early wickets, and accelerate once the new-ball had been seen off. They managed to execute that blueprint efficiently and, by the half-way stage, Pakistan had progressed to - 110 for 1 - a sound platform from where the rest of the batsmen could attack the Indian bowlers with the luxury of plenty of wickets in hand.
Pakistan's blight in recent matches has been the fragility of the top order - they had lost too many wickets too quickly against India in the league match of the Kitply Cup, and suffered an alarming collapse even against Hong Kong. Today they reverted to the approach that won them the Kitply Cup final against India. In that game, Butt and Younis Khan did the groundwork, steering Pakistan cautiously to 104 for 1 after 25 overs before they went on to score hundreds in a final total of 315 for 3. Butt and Malik built a similar launch pad in a match which will give the winner two points to take into the next round.
Pakistan's openers, Shoaib Malik and Salman Butt, came out to bat with a plan: to play cautiously at the start, thereby guarding against the loss of early wickets, and accelerate once the new-ball had been seen off. They managed to execute that blueprint efficiently and, by the half-way stage, Pakistan had progressed to - 110 for 1 - a sound platform from where the rest of the batsmen could attack the Indian bowlers with the luxury of plenty of wickets in hand.
Pakistan's blight in recent matches has been the fragility of the top order - they had lost too many wickets too quickly against India in the league match of the Kitply Cup, and suffered an alarming collapse even against Hong Kong. Today they reverted to the approach that won them the Kitply Cup final against India. In that game, Butt and Younis Khan did the groundwork, steering Pakistan cautiously to 104 for 1 after 25 overs before they went on to score hundreds in a final total of 315 for 3. Butt and Malik built a similar launch pad in a match which will give the winner two points to take into the next round.