The Hindu : Pakistan enters final

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 21, 2003

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Pakistan enters final

DAMBULLA May 20. Pakistan rode on middle-order batsman Shoaib Malik's blazing 74 to defeat New Zealand by 22 runs on Tuesday and clinch a place in the tri-series final.

Malik's 72-ball 74 stirred a tottering Pakistan to 203 for nine in 50 overs and New Zealand was bowled out for 181 in 48.1 overs with leg-spinner Danish Kaneria dismissing three top-order batsmen in one of his rare one-day appearances.

Kaneria (3-31) shared the spoils with the pace bowling duo of Shoaib Akhtar (3-36) and Mohammad Sami (3-34).

The victory sets up Friday's final between New Zealand and Pakistan. New Zealand (13 points) had secured a place in the final with Monday's nine-run win against Sri Lanka, but Tuesday's victory enabled Pakistan (12 points) to edge past Sri Lanka (11 points).

Left out of its own tri-series final, Sri Lanka's five-year winning stretch of home one-day competitions came to an end.

Stepping in with Pakistan in trouble at 61 for four, Malik, 21, rescued the innings with his 41-run fifth-wicket partnership with Younis Khan, who struck a 45-ball 26 but perished in trying to accelerate the scoring.

Malik opened up in the company of Abdur Razzaq (23) as he smashed eight boundaries and a towering six to emerge as the top-scorer from six low-scoring matches of the series.

Pakistan became the first team to cross 200 in the tournament, overtaking its own previous best of 199 for eight in the first league game against Sri Lanka, during which opener Mohammad Hafeez (53) hit the only other half-century.

Put in to bat, Pakistan got off to a rocky start as openers Taufeeq Umar (2) and Mohammed Hafeez (3) perished in the space of five deliveries.

Umar had his off-stump tilted after pace bowler Daryl Tuffey found the gap between his bat and pad, while Hafeez played a rising Kyle Mills ball on to his stumps.

Debutant Yasir Hameed, 25, played a composed 57-ball knock of 25 in his innings-steadying 47-run stand with vice captain Yousuf Youhana (17), but was caught by Scott Styris at short-midwicket off Chris Harris when he failed to keep an on-drive down.

Youhana was trapped by an armer from left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori (3-25), who was the pick of the New Zealand attack.

Khan miscued a pull shot against Vettori, only to see substitute Matthew Horne bring off a diving catch at midwicket and skipper Rashid Latif (2) holed out to Chris Cairns on the mid-wicket fence against off-spinner Paul Wiseman.

Malik and Razzaq then led the attack during their 71-run seventh-wicket stand off 55 balls as Pakistan scored 76 runs in the last 10 overs. Charging out at Vettori, Malik pulled him for a four and six over midwicket off successive deliveries in the 47th over. But the spinner had his revenge when Malik's top-edged pull was snapped by wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum.

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