Often at the end of the series, the overall scoreline does not do justice to the quality and intensity of the games that were played. Therefore, we have requested two respected and well-informed guppies, saby and karina, to provide us with a summary of the day’s play from their team’s point of view. This thread will serve as a series of snapshots as this intriguing contest unfolds. It will be a sticky thread and not open to posting for all guppies much in the same way as the fantasy league thread.
PAKISTANI PERSPECTIVE
Toss
It all started under this unprecedented hype and Ian Chappel made a valid point when he said that its a pressure situation by all means and in such situations you gotta let your batsmen take charge of the situation no matter how good your bowling is. Imran khan added that Indian bowling was pulverized from that Pakistan 'A' match, they were short of confidence and they should have been bowling but All i can make of it that Inzimam was being hospitable. Probably the moisture in the pitch prompted Inzimam's decision to bowl first but it was always gonna dry within 15 overs.
Team Selection
Going on belter of a pitch with two specialist and three all rounders was always going to be a bad decisions. More so when Razzaq is no where his best. Rest of the team was fine and most of them pick themselves. Team mangement opted for experience of Younis Khan instead of Afridi.
Bowling
Pakistani bowlers, rather than backing thier captain's decisions, sprayed the ball over all while over stepping. Results were flurry of boundaries off no balls. Shoaib and Sami got appreciative movement in the beginning but good balls were rare and Sehwag-Sachin combo was in full punishing mode and that they did. Luck favoured them as Sehwag was dropped and sachin was caught off a no ball. Shoaib got sachin with the help of a good catch from Naveed but with the arrival of Ganguly,Sehwag went berzerk and younger bowlers couldnt cope with the pressue. In the end thier wides and no balls were the telling factor in the match.
-Shoaib Akhtar bowled with fire but he too was culprit of too many extras in the beginning. But he was unlukcy in the sense that Sehwag was dropped by Shoaib Malik in the third over and in fifth over , Sachin was caught off a no ball. In the end he was impressive and didnt let indians score off him that much.
-Sami was really disappoinging from the start, he beat the bat on rare occassions but didnt stick to one line and length and was culprit of too many extras. He bowled horribly except for the last two overs when he got those yourkers working for him.
-Rana naveed, the rookie all rounder was greeted with 32 runs off his 2 overs which included a lot of no balls. He got it back in the end with three top wickets but the damage was done in the beginning. Nonetheless good effort by him.
-For me pick of the bowlers was Shoaib Malik. He controlled the middle of the innings and was the least expensive of the bowlers.
-Razzaq was horrible with the ball, and his body language was lethargic to say the least.
Fielding
Generally, the fielding was sharp and pakistani fielders saved quite a few runs in the outfield but they could have done better specially Sehwag's catch was a crucial drop by Shoaib Malik, generally a better fielder.
Batting
Pakistan have shrugged off the labal of notoriuos chasers in past few series and today they proved why thier chasing has become this brilliant. Today pakistan batting had method, approach and common sense. Running between the wickets was awesome. Partnership between Youhana and Inzi and later on between Inzi and Younis were methodical and aggressive.
-Imran Farhat played few nice shots and looked in quite a good touch but he should have gone on on this batting paradise.
-Yasir Hameed playd and missed quite a few and his timing was out. Soon he was on his way.
-Youhana was awesome, initially he concentrated on singles and doubles with occassional boundaries but later on he started playing big shots and duly deleivered. Too bad he got out at a critical juncture. But he gave innings the required impetus when it needed most.
-If youhana was awesome, then inzimam was doubly impressive. The way he took the burden on his shoulders and nearly won the match for us was unbeilvable. Just before he got out, he was toying with Indian bowling and was hitting them wherever he wanted with utter disdain. He ran hard and made ones into twos. One of the best ODI innings while chasing.
-Younis Khan had a big question mark on his question career and today he played an intelligent innings, he hit boundaries when needed but mostly gave strike to Inzimam. By doing so, he made sure that dropping him would take a lot of courage from now on.
-Razzaq, Moin and Shoaib Malik tried thier best., Razzaq specially was at his hitting best. Thats why its hard to drop this guy, he is a match winner down the order. Moin couldnt win it for us but him and malik made sure pakistan takes the fight to the last over. Rana Naveeds struggled through inexperience though.
Captaincy
Inzimam was looking as unintersted in the field as one can get and he misses the tricks too many times in the field. His field placings are conventional though he deserve credit for his innovation tht got rid of Sachin Tendulkar. In the end, he should have opted for more experienced hitters like Shoaib Akhtar instead of Rana Naveed. But when he was batting, he seemed like a born captain, takign the team with him and staying till the end. He should be more invovled in the field too, after all he is the captain.
Conclusion
We have witnessed one of the greatest ODIs of all time and this historical series could not have started on a better note. Had pakistan controlled thier extras, it could have been all different and we would have created a world record but that did not happen and in the end it was the deciding factor. Lots of thought is needed to accomodate a sixth bowler because any bowler can have a bad day. And they have options of dropping one of the openers and bringing back Afridi but that would require deep thought. Shabbir will be back too and hopefully he will give the required depth in bowling. Pakistan will feel that with a bit of control in bowling department should be enough for them to chase a decent score or defend a good target -- even on pitches like these.
INDIAN PERSPECTIVE
By Karina
After today the mantra will be: you know you’re in Karachi because of its sporting crowd. Within a short period its sister city across the border will endeavor to extend the same warmth to Pakistan’s team and tourists. It will soon be common to see Indian and Pakistani fans sitting close to each other, fluttering their respective flags, painted faces flashing smiles instead of snarls. Neutral venues will be a distant memory.
The ghosts of Sharjah, Toronto, perhaps even Kargil, are slowly giving way to the spirit of tomorrow. And all because of a cricket match.
For the past week or so the series had taken on a surreal feel. There were pictures to digest and words to decipher. Lahore was waiting with open arms. Karachi was ready to show its true colors of friendship. The Indian team boarded the plane and touched down before a second round of drinks could be served. Welcome to Pakistan, beamed the countless security men. A dazed Ganguly walked behind solid backs that told him to Not Fear. And the Indian public drank it all in with a new respect for its neighbor. Awesome, muttered a friend, simply awesome.
Yes, it’s been nothing less than awesome so far. After the hospitality came the reminder that even the most flat footed Pakistani moves like a butterfly when pitted against India. The Pakistan A team launched a calculated and brutal assault on Indian bowlers, and in the process, I like to think, provided a marvelous conditioning camp for the Indians.
The worlds most celebrated batting lineup realized the folly of being too orthodox. The worlds least celebrated bowling attack realized the importance of discipline. I wonder if today’s match would have been different without that decisive first lesson?
The first match of the series was always going to be fought hard. But who expected a blow for blow, punch for punch till the last delivery? Do any other two teams have the stomach and skill to produce a duel so magnificent? We need each other to better ourselves.
Oh, and before I forget, for the time being at least, one more ghost was laid to rest. In a horrible deja-vu we were destined to get whacked for a six off the last ball. Nehra was bowling, the yorker was coming and a corner of each Indian’s benumbed mind told him/her that it would shape out to be a full toss. It didn’t. History receded into its sepia pages, and we lived to fight another day.
Karina's take:
The 2nd ODI turned out to be very similar to the first. It was another high scoring game and this time Tendulkar dazzled with the bat like Inziman did in Karachi, only to see the fireworks go in vain as the tail collapsed within sniffing distance of the target.
Ganguly is guilty of more than losing the toss; he chose to play despite reports suggesting his fever had not gone down. His short innings hampered more than helped. Chasing 330 meant every dot ball was going to be lamented, and at a juncture when singles and boundaries were badly needed he managed a scrappy 15 in 38. Shoaib did us no favor by dropping him; on the contrary Ganguly ended up helping Pakistan by slowing the run rate considerably.
Pakistan needed a win badly and they were the hungrier side today. Their bowling was superb despite the 37 extras. Too often deliveries beat the bat which caused the Indian batsmen to have doubts about playing an aggressive game. Chasing a huge target under lights was never going to be easy but it was definitely possible. Keeping that in mind Inzimam made successful bowling changes every time a partnership got going and did not allow the middle order to settle down. Right till the end when Balaji turned trigger happy, the fielding side kept a cool head and exposed India’s age old problem: how to convert a good start into a win. In short Indians are notoriously poor chasers and Inzimam must be ruing his decision more than ever to bowl first in Karachi.
The work is cut out for the Indian think tank for the remaining matches. Cut back on the extras, bowl a nagging line and length and prevent the Pakistani openers from running away with the game. Powar should be persisted with in place of Karthik and Irfan Pathan will most likely replace the injured Nehra. Apart from that the team does not need any changes. All it needs is a strong will to succeed. Pakistan may have got the better of it today, but the two sides are so evenly matched in temperament and assorted talent that tomorrow is always another day. The 3rd ODI is all set to be a cracker of a game!
Saby's story:
Pakistan withstand Sachin Master class to level series
What a match!! Another nail biter after the first one dayer. Perfect script is implemented so far in the series. One close match went india's way, one went pakistan's. I hope there arent such close matches in the series anymore. It surely is proving to be a series not for weak-hearted.
The day started on the right tones for Pakistan with inzi winning the toss and electing to bat first. Afridi made an excellent come back in pakistan colors. It almost seemed that he wanted to prove something. Initially he was shaky but soon he was belting boundaries all over the park. And he did not forget to rotate the strike either. It is apparent that he has matured to some extent as a cricketer. He is a mediocre player but on these pitches, his aggressiveness was always gonna benefit pakistan. Yasir hameed played second fiddle to perfection and played a very mature innings. He himself being under pressure because of Imran Nazir's awesome form, unleashed some lovely drives. After Afridi's departure, youhana threatened a little but departed early and Yasir got run out soon after. When Moin departed first ball, a mini collapse was in sight but Younis khan, Shoaib Malik and Abdul Razzak with his aggressive hitting at the end made sure pakistan past 320. They should have got 350 plus but middle order faltered a little and Inzimam inexplicably sent Razzaq in way late but he still made his presence felt.
Bowling wise pakistan did much better today. Fast men struck crucial blows at important times. Shoaib and Sami were at thier destructive best in later stages. Specially Sami, after his forgettable day at karachi, performed exceptionally well. His death overs were awesome to say the least. Shabbir, coming back from injury struggled. Spinners in the shape of Malik and Afridi bowled well. Malik got the most important wicket of the match when he had Sachin who was batting like a man possessed, caught at the bounday. It was the most important dismissal for pakistan as sachin, it seemed, was gonna go away with the match (alongwith Saeed Anwar's record). Afridi has added a very effective off-spinning wrong-un to his armory and the ball that he bowled to dismiss Ganguly was awesome. Razzaq was bowling ok, but at this pitch and pace, sachin was almost toying with him. After indians were 8 down, pakistanis relaxed and indians hit out and that created a sense of panic in the pakistani fielders.. Its good that Sami duly finished it with a great yorker to cap a memorable day for pakistan.
More importantly, pakistanis didnt bowl that many wides and no balls today.. 38 extras make a decieving reading because most of them were byes and leg byes today and there was much more discipline to the bowling today. Though 329 shouldnt have been this difficult for bowlers to defend but atleast they mange to come victorius at the end.
Inzimam's defensive approach was mind-boggling in setting up field places. He got 329 to defend and he set up negative field places that allowed Tendulkar to initially settle and milk the bowling just to unleash later on. Hopefully, inzimam will keep on improving his captaincy, his team selection atleast did.
Pakistan's pacemen were important and they withstood Tendulkar assault to clinch a series levelling victory. In the end, pakistani bowlers were not at thier best today but they did enough to square the series 1-1. Another high scoring game on cards in peshawar.
Karina's view on the 3rd ODI
Strolling around the Arbab stadium a day before the 3rd ODI, Ganguly had been pleased as punch to see green color on the wicket. The grass could only help his beleaguered and battered pace bowlers. Unfortunately it worked even better for the opposing side, and Inzimam had no hesitation in fielding first after he won the toss.
Dew, grass and bouncing pace undid the Indian openers in an almost comical opening spell that had an equal amount of dropped catches as wickets. Shabbir Ahmed gave the mandatory wides and noballs, and in between the doses of largesse would get one to nip into the batsman. He scalped 3 prize wickets in a clump and effectively sealed the match for Pakistan. India managed to reach a respectable 244 thanks to a fine knock by Yuvraj and some lusty shots by the tail, which is proving to be quite a godsend for the team.
The fun continued when Pakistan batted. The Indian bowlers may have lacked the pace and passion of Pakistani bowlers, but they kept to a good line and length and forced some errors from the batsmen. At one stage Pakistan was 4/65. The batting suddenly became defensive and Indian players threw themselves about like happy soldiers who have sniffed victory. The euphoria dissipated once Inzimam and Hameed built up a solid
partnership and India reached that awkward stage in the match where a fifth bowler is required. It had none. The part time trundlers did a good job of containment. Sachin removed Inzimam, leading to momentary cheer, but it was not enough. India needed Zaheer to fire but he is still low on confidence and match practice. Hopefully Lahore will prove luckier for him.
A key moment in India’s innings was Ganguly’s shocking dismissal just when he looked good for a 100. Flashing his bat at a wide delivery without moving his feet – trademark Ganguly! His last decent knock was at Brisbane many moons ago, and it won’t be long before irate fans call for his head.
So we move onto Lahore now and the 4th match is less than two days away. What is John Wright thinking right now? He won’t be a happy man at seeing some shoddy batting from those he expects it the least. Indians will have to fall back on their traditional strength: bat the opposition out of contention. Every man will have to stand up and be counted. And please Ganguly, win the damn toss this time!
Saby kehtay hain:
Awesome Yasir, dependable Razzaq takes pakistan home
Pakistan managed to win the third match after heroics from Yasir Hameed and an allround performance by Abdul Razzak when needed. After the two high scoring encounters, we finally saw a more even contest between bat and ball with ball moving around earlier in the first innings and taking turn and staying down in th second innings alongwith some sideways movement and carry.
Inzimam once again won the toss and decided to send india in. Once again eye brows were raised but there was moisture in the pitch alongwith sufficient bounce to justify his decisions and that Shoaib and specially shabbir did. Shabbir was wayward in his first over and failed to controlt he movement of the ball but he stillpicked up Sachin with a beautiful ball. He went on to pick Sehwag and Laxman and effectively broke indian's top order. After the unimpressive come back in rawalpindi it was a great performance. After a 13-ball first over, his analysis were making an awesome. We all rave about Sami and Shoaib but shabbir definitely outperformed them. Shoaib was accurate in his first spell and had two catches dropped off his bowling. Sami was okay in his first spell but got tonked by balaji and yuvraj in his second spell. Razzaq made a comeback of sorts and picked a wicket after a gap of five internationals. His spell was crucial as he picked up Ganguly and dangerous. Nice to see him being economical and effective after a while. Shoaib Malik bowled really well too. He picked up dangerous dravid and powar with some tight bowing in middle overs. In the end overs, Shoaib and sami who usually are very effective in death overs were expensive and pakistan faced a daunting task on a responsive pitch for bowlers.
Our fielding was not all that well in the beginning when atleast three catches were dropped, though they didnt matter much but still at this level inzimam and yasir hameed should be taking those chances.
Afridi played a reckless shot to a gorgeous in swinger from irfan pathan and departed early. Yousuf youhana followed too with another loose shot. But yasir hameed was just awesome with his frontfoot drives square of the wicket. Elegance, timing, excellence all combined into his innings. He stayed positive despite the loss of early wickets and played remarkably well. He has been the best find for pakistan since the world cup and today he showed why. Too bad for him, he missed another hundred when he throughly derserved one. Younis Khan looked in tremendous touch with three consecutive boundaries off pathan but got out in the most unfortunate way possible. Inzimam played second fiddle to yasir and let him take charge to the indians but when yasir and inzi fell in quick successions, indians were back in the game. But Razzaq, who surely is becoming Pakistan's trump card in such situations responded in the best way possible. Moin, who was out of form thus far in the series, stuck around the way only he can and fought it out for a very useful contribution in the partnership. Razzaq made sure that this match doesnt go down to the wire like previuos two games though it still as a pretty close game and at 173-6 indians might have fancied themselves for a good comeback win but that was not to be and pakistan won with 16 balls to spare.
Indians have a tough task on thier hands to win two back to back matches against pakistan on its home soil and in all probability pakistan should win the series in current form. Only some stupid decisions and irresponsible cricket or some splendid performances from Indian batting stars could prevent them from doing so.
karina:
Running true to script the 4th ODI was a humdinger that kept the crowd biting its nails till the very last. The two men who stood tall and took India home made it look easy but they knew as well as anyone else how important it was for both of them to stay right till the end.
Once again Ganguly called wrong and Inzimam had no hesitation in choosing to bat first. Indian fans must have groaned in dismay, but the bowlers had a surprise in store when they removed the dangerous Afridi and Youhanna very early on. Irfan Pathan is truly a find for India as he bowled with a big heart and a swing to match. The fall of early wickets put Pakistan on the defensive and the scoring slowed to a snails pace. Yasir Hameed, a beautiful player who seems to grow with every game, made the fatal error of deciding that the scoring had to be upped and was stumped for his pains. At that point of time it seemed India had the upper hand and Pakistan’s score might be restricted to 250 or below. It would have been a miracle except miracles don’t happen when the big fella is on song, and lo and behold, Inziman amazed us yet again with a brilliant 123 that took Pakistan to nearly 300.
The Indian chase began with the openers attacking the bowling like starved men. It would have made a pretty picture had it continued for a few more overs, but all too soon India was reeling at 94/4. The saving grace was that the run rate continued at a healthy 6-7 per over, which allowed the middle order to play a conservative game rarely seen in one day cricket anymore. There was no slogging, no heaving, just text book placement and running. Rahul Dravid and Mohammed Kaif cantered to a win with an icy cool resolve that can only gladden Indian fans who have just about reached the end of their tether with Shewag, Ganguly and VVS Laxman’s shot selection.
The stage is set for a corker of a final. It would be madness to predict a winner, but on paper Pakistan looks the favorite to win the series. Its batting has clicked in every match, and its bowlers hold an edge when compared to ours. The Indian bowling has improved considerably, but the fielding must be tightened up further. The real worry for India is the batting, particularly the inability of the openers to last out the first 10-15 overs. Hopefully if will click when it matters the most.
But in the end what matters is the quality of the cricket, and if it is like anything what we have seen so far it will be nothing short of magnificent!
saby:
Indisciplined and wayward bowling alongwith 'The Wall' deny pakistan a series-clinching victory
All set for a historic series winning victory. A beleaguered indian bowling attack, winning momentum, awesoem batting form, all couldnt combined when mattered and pakistan lost a golden chance to clinch the series in last oneday international.
Once again Inzi called the right side of the coin and elected to bat first on a slightly bouncy but perfect batting pitch. More often than not, Afridi disappoints his supporters and today he did exactly the same, cutting a bouncing delievery, he provided backward point some catching practice. Yousuf Youhana again perished early. After the first one dayer he has failed to provide a substantial inning. Yasir Hameed was in his usual elegant self yet again, strokign the balls through covers with utmost ease and comfort. Only the introduction of Murali Kartik and subsequent leg-side bowling tied him down and he went out of the crease to send the ball across the border as a goodwill gesture and got stumped. Inzimam played another perfect oneday knock. He took his time settlign down and then exploded in later overs. He seems to be in the form of his life and literally toying with bowlers when he is set. Imran khan said that inzimam has not realized his true talent as a batsmen yet still he is one of the best batsmen of the modern arena. He has started taking his running seriuosly and these days he keeps surprising commentators and his fans alike with his intellgently stolen singles, sprinted doubles. His second hundred of the series was a collection of cute nudges and savage hitting at the end. Younis Khan played another supporting role with inzimam and did his bit in an important stand of over a hundred runs. Its about time for him to stand up and make his contributions more substantial ones. Razzaq once again ended the innings with his usual flourish. In the end pakistan posted 293 which seemed improbable half way through the innings.
Pakistani bowlers, specially Shoaib started with fire and venom. He was constantly bowling mid 90s and removed Sachin and a dangerous looking Laxman with jaffers of delieveries. Shabbir after his awesome performance in Peshawar was surprisingly off colors and sehwag and Laxman took him to cleaners. He constantly provided Mr Extras the oppurtunity to raise his tally. Introduction of Sami brought Sehwag's wicket but indians remained aggressive through Ganguly and Dravid and later on through Yuvraj and Dravid. Shoaib and co struggled later in the innings and heads started dropping, and extras kept increasing exponentially. Fielding got more and more errenous and in the end indians got home easily with five overs to spare. It was a defendable score considering the stars we have in our bowling lineup but they only managed to threaten indians with quick wickets, only to be outdone by 'The Wall' and 'The Energetic'.
Pakistanis cant seem to stop the superb and consistent performances of 'Mr. Extra Kulkarni' who always step up in crunch situations and provide indian team with useful contributions. It was said earlier that only some irresponsible exhibition could stop pakistan from winning the series and thats what exactly happened. Time for Miandad to spend extra time with his bowlers in nets. Yousuf youhana, afridi, malik and all other non-performers need to step up and make thier presence felt. It wont be a bad idea to give hints of changes in the immediate team meeting and cause a few worries, just to bring the players out of their comfort zones. That being said, last oneday international promises to be as captivating and intersting as the whole series has been so far.
Karina's view:
Before writing anything about the final of the ODI series, I would like to congratulate the Indian and Pakistani teams for living up to the slogan – you have won a billion hearts with some of the most outstanding cricket ever witnessed. May the test series be well fought too, because frankly, Yeh dil mange more!
For the fifth straight time Inzimam won the toss. Mindful of the dew factor going against his bowlers in the 4th ODI, he chose to field today. It would have been a good decision had new recruit Taufeeq Umer managed to hold onto his catches, but his spills provided an initially jittery Laxman to steady himself and make a doughty ton.
The Indian openers started off cautiously in the face of some disciplined bowling by Shoaib and Shabbir Ahmed. Faced with restrictions, Shewag made a bit of room and tried to shovel a Shabbir express on the stumps into the stands, only to find an edge and the umpires raised finger. Sachin dug in and played some hallmark cover drives but it ended almost as soon as it began. The middle order, with the exception of Laxman, made heavy weather of keeping the score board ticking, and this was due to two reasons: extremely tight bowling by Shoaib Malik and Abdul Razzaq, and the ball not coming on to the bat as nicely as the batsmen would have liked.
In the end, thanks to an Indian tail that is getting adept at yahoo hoiks, the score reached 293. Devious minds would have noted the coincidence of the number and imagined a fairy tale ending. However, as it has happened through out the series, the second innings had more twists and turns than a John Grisham potboiler.
The last time India had shown that all that was needed to chase 293 under lights was a cool head and a few good partnerships. It needed, thus, something special to stop Pakistan from running away with the match and series. And it came from a young chap who must have felt a little hurt when derided by Javed Miandad as being ‘not good enough’. Take a bow, Irfan Pathan. This match belongs to you.
His figures for the first spell speak for themselves: 8 overs, 20 runs, 3 wickets. Youhanna will consider himself unlucky being done in by an aging umpire who could not discern the ball hitting the pads on the knee roll, or the faint nick, but it is to Pathan’s credit that he pegged away at Youhanna’s weakness in exactly the same fashion as he did in the last match.
Pakistan could not recover from the early blows and the Indian players erupted in joy when Inzimam was caught on the boundary. This was the biggest fish of all. The match looked all but over with Pakistan reeling at 90/6, but thankfully Moin Khan and Shoaib Malik did not roll over and die. With superb grit and determination they took Pakistan to an edge-of-the-seat revival that shook the fielders and audience out of their complacency.
They came close, oh so close, to snatching it away, but a fine piece of bowling by Zaheer and Balaji put paid to that.
India now go in to the test series with a mental edge over Pakistan. But it’s a thin one, and it can change in a jiffy when a wounded Pakistan seek vengeance!
saby's report:
*Top order disappoints as pakistan outgutted by India *
All was set for a thrilling finale but pakistani batters were out smarted by indian bowlers as indians clinch a historic victory in the last match.
Pakistan brought Taufeeq Umar in place of Shahid Afridi only to increase pressure on this talented opener to perform in such a crunch match batting second. Rest of the team remained same. Inzimam once again was unbeatable at toss and keepig in mind the dew from the last match, he decided to field first. Shoaib and shabbir started off with a lot more discipline than any other match of the series. Shoaib was as accurate as it gets. Shabbir's first over had a lot of extras and it felt like deja vu from the earlier matches till he got it right and got rid of sehwag. Sami after conceding 20 runs off his first two overs, hit back and got tendulkar with a beauty. Razzaq and Malik just tried to fill in with thier 20 overs and increased pressure on Malik specially cost 121 runs off these 20 overs. Sami got three wickets in the end but was slightly on the expensive side. Shoaib even after conceding 25 runs in his last two overs was the pick of bowlers. Taufeeq felt the pressure and dropped two important sitters in the beginning to take the shine off an otherwise ok fielding performance. Pakistani bowling line restricted indians to 293. Exactly the same total they failed to defend in the last match and inzi must have felt that its a perfectly get-able score. For a change, extras conceded made a respectable reading and Shoaib Akhtar did not concede a single extra in his entire spell, such was the accuracy of pakistani seamers today.
It was not to be. Yasir got out to a horrible shot after all his heroics in the series. Taufeeq was looking in an awesome touch but forgot to take care of his stumps and got bowled round his legs. Yousuf youhana was the biggest disappointment of the series for pakistan after the first match. Today he got out to a bad decision but even without it, he was always gonna get out. Younis must be feeling that its an oppurtunity lost to take charge after being on teh supporting end for most of the series. Pakistan had a chance as long as inzimam was there but he was out to a magnificant catch by Sachin and it was almost all over. But Moin and Malik had other ideas. They rebuilt the innings and almost pulled off a miracle. They both had worst possible series with the bat but today they were at thier best. Aftr initial singles and doubles, they started to find ropes on consistent intervals only to increase the worry on indian faces. Even After Malik's departure moin kept the score board ticking and made sure pakistan went down fighting after a spirited fight back by lower order.
Pakistani think tank yet again were confused from the start on what combination to put on field. With three specialist bowlers, it was always going to be a daunting task against this powerful batting line up. For the coming test series, they need to get thier priorities right and start depending on specialist bowlers and batters.
This thrilling oneday series produced one or two memorable matches and marked great improvment in crowd behavior and relations between the people of these two countries. Too bad for Pakistan, that a defeat left a bad taste in mouth but with some luck they could have created history in karachi and with some discipline they would have wrapped the series up in fourth match. They will need both in test series which promises to be as captivating as this one day series was.
There will be a seperate thread for Saby and Karina's comments for each of the test matches.