Sweet revenge
for Pakistan
Superb bowling from Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad
Yousuf and good batting helped Pakistan crush England by seven wickets
in the second one-dayer at Lord's. Shoaib (4-28) and Asif (2-10)
shone in helpful conditions to shoot England out for 166 in a rain-hit
40-over game.
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Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar, celebrates the wicket
of England's Darren Gough, during the second one-day cricket
match between England and Pakistan at the Lords cricket ground,
London, yesterday.- AFP |
Jon Lewis (2-11) bowled well but Younis Khan hit
55, Mohammad Yousuf a patient 49 and Inzamam-ul-Haq blasted 42 to
put Pakistan 1-0 up with 20 balls to spare.
Once Inzamam won a crucial toss, England knew
they were in for a tough time.
Cloud cover and green tinges on the pitch created
the perfect environment for seam bowling and - as they did in the
abandoned opener in Cardiff - Shoaib and Asif were immediately on
target.
After rain delayed the start by 90 minutes, skipper
Andrew Strauss nicked the last ball of Shoaib's first over behind
to go for a golden duck, while Marcus Trescothick and Ian Bell wafted
lazily outside off-stump to provide easy slip catches.
Kevin Pietersen took eight balls to get off the
mark before thumping the expensive Rana Naved-ul-Hasan through the
covers and mid-wicket for successive boundaries.
But he miscued a heave off Asif to Naved at third
man to leave England on 44-4 in 15 overs before Collingwood and
Jamie Dalrymple took the attack back to Pakistan in a stand of 34
in seven overs.
Razzaq ended that recovery by trapping Dalrymple
plumb lbw and only poor fielding prevented Pakistan from causing
even more havoc.
Kamran Akmal missed a stumping chance off Shahid
Afridi, while Mohammad Hafeez and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan squandered
good run-out opportunities.
When Read crashed Shoaib 10 rows back over square-leg
to take England past 150, and sent a slower ball flying over mid-wicket
to bring up the fifty partnership with Clarke off 53 balls, there
was suddenly the prospect of England posting a semi-decent total.
But Read swung and missed at Razzaq, Shoaib cleaned
up Clarke and Gough with devastating yorkers and Younis ran Stuart
Broad out by yards to end that prospect.
Lewis found plenty of away swing and bowled plenty
of leg-cutters to pose all sorts of problems.
Openers Hafeez and Shoaib Malik edged good deliveries
behind, as did Younis - only for Doctrove to signal a no-ball. Replays
showed it was a harsh decision and Younis made the most of his reprieve
to punish the width a nervous Broad provided.
He reached his fifty off 78 balls with nine boundaries,
the highlights of which were two fierce pulls in one over from Clarke.
Apart from two delicious drives off Gough, Yousuf was content to
be circumspect and the policy paid off as he and the vice-captain
accumulated 78 off 128 balls.
England had a bonus when Younis flicked a Clarke
half-volley to the deep mid-wicket boundary where Pietersen casually
pouched the ball.
But any hopes of a dramatic comeback were snuffed
out when Inzamam set about the bowling with real vigour, crashing
five boundaries in a 26-ball knock to end the game in a hurry. --
BBC
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