Salman, Younis power Pakistan to 315
Sunday, 15 June 2008
In a masterful innings-building effort that was reminiscent of Pakistan's strategy in the early '90s, Salman Butt and Younis Khan paced themselves perfectly to launch them to an imposing 315 for 3 in the Kitply Cup final in Mirpur. Pakistan, who chose to bat, crawled along to 75 for 1 in the first 20 overs but a 205-run stand put Pakistan firmly in command, according to website cricinfo.
The pitch wasn't conducive to strokeplay early on but both batsmen bided their time through the Powerplays. The midwicket area was peppered - Younis managed close to half his runs in that region - and neither let go of a chance to glide the ball behind square. India tried eight bowlers but there was little joy to be had once the shine wore off. The blistering 240 they crashed in the last 28 overs could have a big bearing on the outcome.
One needs to go back more than 25 years when a Pakistani second-wicket pair added more than 200 against India. The present duo couldn't match the rate set by Mohsin Khan and Zaheer Abbas, who managed to add 205 in just 27 overs, but allowed their side to brush off the thumping 140-run loss in the previous game.
India's bowlers began impressively - conceding just extras in the first 25 overs, that too leg byes - but fell apart in the face of the onslaught. Eight bowlers were tried but Pakistan made the most of the lack of a fifth specialist, going after the part-time spinners even though the field was spread. Piyush Chawla came into this game on the back of a morale-boosting four-wicket haul but ended up having a harrowing time, finishing with the most expensive spell by an Indian spinner in an ODI.
None of this appeared possible in the early stages, when Butt and Kamran Akmal struggled with the ball not coming on. Praveen Kumar was at his niggardly best and should nearly dismissed Butt on 19 but Rohit Sharma, who had pulled off a fine catch off Butt in the earlier game, couldn't latch on to a tough low chance at short cover.
Akmal's dismissal, edging an away-cutter from Irfan Pathan, fired India up but little did they know that it was the start of their problems. Younis raced off the blocks with a glorious first-ball cover-drive and had a good laugh about it too - raising his bat to the dressing-room and chuckling over getting off the mark after two successive ducks. He nudged to 19 off 36 balls before lofting Virender Sehwag straight over his head for the first six of the game. Little could stop him after that.
If Younis nudged and glided, Butt punched and slapped. He creamed some delectable cover-drives and showed the capacity to loft the spinners over wide long-on. The wide ones were slashed towards third man and he showed the ability to rotate the strike with ease. They made it a point to get a four in each over, mostly early on, and scurry singles once the pressure was released. A flick to midwicket allowed Butt to get his fifth century against India, and seventh overall, before he celebrated with a splendid slog sweep off Chawla, one that soared over midwicket.
Misbah-ul-Haq's 21-ball 33 pushed the total even further but Pakistan might have been a bit disappointed with Shahid Afridi's inability to put away the slower balls. Shoaib Malik's two fours at the end pushed the total to 315 and left India to achieve the highest chase against Pakistan - equalling the 316 they managed in a Dhaka thriller ten years ago.
The pitch wasn't conducive to strokeplay early on but both batsmen bided their time through the Powerplays. The midwicket area was peppered - Younis managed close to half his runs in that region - and neither let go of a chance to glide the ball behind square. India tried eight bowlers but there was little joy to be had once the shine wore off. The blistering 240 they crashed in the last 28 overs could have a big bearing on the outcome.
One needs to go back more than 25 years when a Pakistani second-wicket pair added more than 200 against India. The present duo couldn't match the rate set by Mohsin Khan and Zaheer Abbas, who managed to add 205 in just 27 overs, but allowed their side to brush off the thumping 140-run loss in the previous game.
India's bowlers began impressively - conceding just extras in the first 25 overs, that too leg byes - but fell apart in the face of the onslaught. Eight bowlers were tried but Pakistan made the most of the lack of a fifth specialist, going after the part-time spinners even though the field was spread. Piyush Chawla came into this game on the back of a morale-boosting four-wicket haul but ended up having a harrowing time, finishing with the most expensive spell by an Indian spinner in an ODI.
None of this appeared possible in the early stages, when Butt and Kamran Akmal struggled with the ball not coming on. Praveen Kumar was at his niggardly best and should nearly dismissed Butt on 19 but Rohit Sharma, who had pulled off a fine catch off Butt in the earlier game, couldn't latch on to a tough low chance at short cover.
Akmal's dismissal, edging an away-cutter from Irfan Pathan, fired India up but little did they know that it was the start of their problems. Younis raced off the blocks with a glorious first-ball cover-drive and had a good laugh about it too - raising his bat to the dressing-room and chuckling over getting off the mark after two successive ducks. He nudged to 19 off 36 balls before lofting Virender Sehwag straight over his head for the first six of the game. Little could stop him after that.
If Younis nudged and glided, Butt punched and slapped. He creamed some delectable cover-drives and showed the capacity to loft the spinners over wide long-on. The wide ones were slashed towards third man and he showed the ability to rotate the strike with ease. They made it a point to get a four in each over, mostly early on, and scurry singles once the pressure was released. A flick to midwicket allowed Butt to get his fifth century against India, and seventh overall, before he celebrated with a splendid slog sweep off Chawla, one that soared over midwicket.
Misbah-ul-Haq's 21-ball 33 pushed the total even further but Pakistan might have been a bit disappointed with Shahid Afridi's inability to put away the slower balls. Shoaib Malik's two fours at the end pushed the total to 315 and left India to achieve the highest chase against Pakistan - equalling the 316 they managed in a Dhaka thriller ten years ago.