On a sluggish pitch where unfettered strokeplay was rarely an option, Pakistan were indebted to the old firm of Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan for a competitive total that gave them some hope of squaring the series, according to website cricinfo.
Having elected to bat, Pakistan made sedate progress before Yousuf and Misbah-ul-Haq injected some much needed urgency in the final phase of the innings. Younis had dropped anchor initially with a doughty 68, and there was also a patchy innings from Shoaib Malik after he promoted himself to the opener's slot.
Yousuf's splendid unbeaten 99 - he needed three off the last ball, but could get only two to long-off - was anything but patchy though, with some glorious drives through the covers and a lofted six over midwicket off Harbhajan Singh. As ever, he was immensely strong off the pads, and with Misbah ticking along at a run a ball, the run-rate crept towards five.
India though rarely let things drift. The bowlers, both pace and spin, were fairly accurate, and the fielding a marked improvement on the previous games. Even Sourav Ganguly played his part, with the priceless wicket of Shahid Afridi, slightly unfortunate to be given leg before after being struck just outside the line of off stump.
Malik surely wouldn't have bargained for Salman Butt lasting only two balls. RP Singh, taking the new ball, shaped the ball from leg to middle to trap him plumb in front, 129 short of what he had scored on Sunday. Left to consolidate, he and Younis did it mainly in singles, and even those didn't come along frequently.
It took 14 overs for the 50 to be raised, and there was a moment of controversy as the Indians claimed a catch behind off Younis. Amiesh Saheba made the right decision though, with the ball having bounced just before nestling in MS Dhoni's gloves. Pakistan were just beginning to shed the shackles when Zaheer Khan picked up his 200th ODI wicket. Malik's heave against the line was an ugly one, and it got what it deserved - an inside edge on to the stumps.
With the run-rate still below four after 20 overs, acceleration was required and, though Yousuf signalled his intent with a loft down to long-on off Yuvraj Singh, India refused to loosen the grip. Younis was given a reprieve on 48, when Dhoni missed a tough stumping chance off the pads, and it was left to him and Yousuf to ensure that India would have a tricky target to chase under lights.
Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan played vital knocks
FE Team | Published: November 16, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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