Pakistan complete whitewash
KARACHI: Pakistan improved their ICC one-day ranking from seventh to fourth after scoring a leisurely 58-run victory over Bangladesh in the fifth and final One-day International at the National Stadium on Sunday.
But Pakistan’s second 5-0 clean sweep in One-day Internationals, following a similar result in Zimbabwe late last year, was overshadowed by South Africa refusal to tour Pakistan on Saturday for security reasons.
The Pakistan players led the nation’s protest by wearing black armbands throughout the match.
Some of the spectators also expressed their disgust by displaying placards in which the South Africans were severely criticized for their timid action.
Bangladesh never really threatened to make a match of it once Pakistan had posted 302 for five in their 50 overs after Inzamam-ul-Haq had elected to bat first in the day/night fixture.
The tourists motored along, for most of their innings, at below four runs an over. The acceleration came far too late in the closing overs to salvage something out of the 38-day tour during which Bangladesh lost all three Tests preceding the 5-0 one-day whitewash.
In the end, Bangladesh had the satisfaction of piling up their highest total against Pakistan, 244 for seven usurping the 223 for nine made by Aminul Islam’s team during their famous 62-run win in the World Cup clash at Northampton in 1999.
Bangladesh’s eventual score was based around a record third-wicket partnership of 128 in 135 balls between Rajin Saleh and Alok Kapali that bettered 108 put on by Faruque Ahmed and Athar Ali Khan, both now national selectors, against India at Chandigarh in the Asia Cup in 1990.
Rajin, undoubtedly the find of the tour, once again looked composed on his way to a career-best 71 off 96 balls before wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal ran out the 19-year-old pint-sized right-hander with a direct hit. Bogged down by lack of experience, Rajin was unable to force the pace after getting his eye in, and hit just three fours.
Kapali, on the other hand, did try to break free but the slowness of the outfield under lights hampered his attempts to hit more than half dozen boundaries that he managed to strike. He negotiated 86 balls before Umar Gul bowled him for 69 immediately the ball after Rajin was out.
The only other worthwhile contribution was made by Hannan Sarkar, the Bangladesh opening batsman, who scored exactly 50 before being out to the very next delivery, providing Younis Khan a simple catch at mid-wicket off the bowling of off-spinner Shoaib Malik The right-hander’s 69-ball knock contained three hits to the fence.
Earlier, Pakistan amassed their second total of 300 or above in the series against Khaled Mahmud’s men with Yasir Hameed (82), Inzamam (59 not out),Yousuf Youhana (52) and Mohammad Hafeez (44) leading the onslaught on the Bangladesh bowling on a placid pitch.
Hafeez notched up his highest score of the series after making only 64 runs in the previous four games. He was stumped by Khaled Mashud after the opening partnership with Yasir had produced 95 runs in 133 deliveries. Hafeez’s 64-ball innings contained seven boundaries.
Yasir - who according to the Pakistan team management was rested from the last game in Rawalpindi - played some exquisite drives, striking seven boundaries in all. But when he looked on course for his third hundred on this ground against Bangladesh, following his 170 and 105 on Test debut four weeks ago, Rajin had him stumped by Mashud fir a 107-ball 82, an innings that earned him the Man-of-the-Match award.
Youhana, who came into this game with 314 runs behind him against Khaled Mahmud’s men, played the innings of the afternoon to lift his tally to 366 (at an average of 91.50) and 5,000 runs in 144 one-dayers. But as in the Test series, there was no prize for the Man-of-the-Series here.
And nobody would have disputed Youhana running away with it. Youhana, the dominant partner in the second-wicket stand of 74 in 66 balls, clobbered three sixes and six fours in his 32-ball cameo.
Against a bowling attack that all through the tour looked anything but threatening, Pakistan batsmen made the bowlers pay a heavy price by plundering 97 runs in the final 10 overs of the innings.
Inzamam, as usual, shepherded his young partners, Shoaib Malik and Abdul Razzaq, expertly and let them unleash their bats. Shoaib, the all-rounder, lashed three fours and one six in making 31 off 20 deliveries, while adding 61(48) balls with his captain.
Inzamam and Razzaq garnered 42 in the final four overs of Pakistan’s innings. Inzamam, in the process, flat-batted Khaled Mahmud for a six over long-on. He also struck three boundaries to finish with unbeaten 59 off 54 balls. Scoreboard
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