Pakistan v India Match Report

Majestic Innings
By Amjid Javed
September 20 2004

What a match, what an occasion ! Pakistan versus India at Edgabston turned out be an amazing encounter which ebbed and flowed all day.

Yousaf youhana was the hero with an unbeaten 81 as Pakistan beat Asian rivals India in the match of the tournament thus far in the ICC trophy. A sell out crowd off 21,000 were kept on the edge of their seats for the whole game in a see-saw battle.

The game began with Pakistan skipper Inzamam ul-Haq winning the toss and having no hesitation in asking India to bat 1st, on a wicket which was expected to seam and swing around early on. Pakistans new ball pair off Muhammad Sami and Rana Naveed bowled with great discipline and were rewarded as India where reduced to 28/3 mid way through the 10th over. Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly was 1st to fall in the 1st over of the game slashing outside off stump he was snaffled up by Moin Khan who took 4 catches in total in the match. India were 1/1 and already on the back foot. Samis partner with new ball Rana accounted for VVS Laxman and Verinder Sehwag both hitting leg side shots straight to Shoaib Malik at square leg.

India now on the ropes needed to fight back, Muhammad Kaif and Rahul Dravid started a mini rearguard for India. A mixture of good running between wickets, solid defence and the odd boundary made it look like India were getting back into the game as they reached 72/3 in the 19th over. But then double disaster struck for India, with the Rawalpindi express Shoaib Akthar finally after months of mediocrity found his rhythm and length again. Two rip snorting deliveries in one over sent back Kaif and Yuvraj Singh, the latter for a duck. India were now back in a hole on 76/5. next man in Rohan Gavaskar briefly threatened to help Dravid rebuild Indias innings but he was dismissed by the miserly Abdul Razzaq, India were now 106/6 in the 34th over.

In came an unlikely Indian batting hero Ajit Agakar. Agakar came out and decided to take the bull by the horns and show some fight which other Indian batsmen were sadly lacking. India started to put their foot down and a partnership off 82 runs in 14 overs gave India hope that they could reach 225 from a position where 150 runs looked unlikely. But Pakistan bowlers who had kept to a plan all day kept their cool and the dismissal of Rahul Dravid for 67 meant India suffered a 3rd collapse in their innings. India with Dravids dismissal were on 188/7 and soon folded to exactly 200 all out. The main bowling stars for Pakistan were Rana Naveed who took 4/25 off 9 overs and Shoaib Akthar who took 4/36. Akthars return to form for Pakistan couldnt have come at a better time.

Pakistan then came out to bat needing 201 to win off 50 overs, a target which at first glance would have looked easy to obtain. However India and Irfan Pathan in particular had other ideas. Pathan with a mixture of swing and seam added to by reckless strokeplay by Pakistans batsmen ran through the top order. Farhat, Hameed and Malik were all gone within the 1st 11 overs as Pakistan stumbled to 27/3 in almost identical fashion to India had done earlier.

Pakistan now needed a Dravid type regard action, and Pakistan got that through their two senior most and best batsmen Inzamam ul-haq and Yousaf Youhana. The pair slowly but surely got Pakistan back into the game. A partnership off 75 runs seem to have given Pakistan the edge, but Ajit Agakar removed Inzamam for 41, who had early become only the 2nd man to go past 10,000 ODI runs in the history of the game. Pakistan were now 108/4 and game was back on a knife edge. The atmosphere and noise around the ground seemed to be getting to both sides; Pakistan lost two further batsmen in Abdul Razzaq and Moin Khan as they stumbled to 152/6 in the 40th over. Moin was out to a sensational catch at point by Yuvraj Singh.

Pakistan just needed someone to stick with Yousuf Youhana. Overs were running out and the run rate was going up. Pakistan required 49 runs off 58 balls now. Pakistan needed someone to step up the rate. In stepped Shahid Afridi an “impact player” as labelled by Bob Woolmer and what an impact Afridi had. Afridi changed the face of the game by hammering a quick fire 25 off 12 balls which, included two monster sixes off Irfan Pathan. Pakistan looked home and dry but as is so often the case with Afridi he had to play one shot too many and perished with Pakistan needing 15 runs. Pakistan though held firm as Rana Naveed and the majestic Yousuf Youhana took Pakistan home. Youhanas knock of 81 was a brave one and also maybe answered Bob Woolmers prayers of a finisher that was missing in previous games. Pakistan made it 3 wins out off 3 against India under Bob Woolmer and will now fancy them elves to at least reach the final.

Man off the match – Yousuf Youhana, a majestic talent who played one of his best ever ODI knocks.