Sport - Cricket

Pakistan wins title

Dhaka: Adversity can throw up heroes, produce men for the moment. The resurgent Pakistanis were a bundle of joy under the lights.

Shoaib Malik’s men played the key moments of the contest better to clinch a thrilling 25-run win in the final of the Kitply tri-series at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium here on Saturday night.

Well-paced centuries from Salman Butt and Younis Khan powered Pakistan to 315 for three after the side won a crucial toss.

Then Umar Gul & Co. closed out a tense duel.

Salman Butt was adjudged Player of the Series, and Younis Khan, Man of the Final.

A determined Mahendra Singh Dhoni (64, 59b, 3x4, 2x6) kept India in the hunt till the last stretch with calculated aggression before being held in the deep off leg-spinner Shahid Afridi with 10 deliveries remaining.

Gul employed the short ball effectively initially and impressed with his swing and yorker length at the death. Left-armer Sohail Tanvir’s craft was visible in the manner he used the crease and changed the angles.

Rao Iftekar Anjum chipped in with his wicket-to-wicket line and the ability to take the ball away.

And Afridi produced two decisive moments of the match consuming a well-set Yuvraj Singh with a slider and then dismissing a battling Dhoni.

Handling a demanding chase, Virender Sehwag, misread the deceptive Tanvir’s pace and perished.

Gambhir and Rohit Sharma threatened briefly when Malik gave his trumpcard, Umar Gul, another fling. Gul struck, with Rohit top-edging a half-hearted pull. Soon, India was in a deeper mess with Gambhir’s (40 off 33 balls) fierce upper-cut off Gul picked up near the point fence.

At 79 for three in the 13th over, India faced a difficult path. Yusuf Pathan promised before succumbing to an innocuous delivery.