Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Pakistan won by 205 runs

Afridi takes five to sink Kenya

Pakistan 317/7 (50 ov)
Kenya 112 (33.1 ov)
Pakistan won by 205 runs
Kenya made little effort to mount a serious challenge in their pursuit of 318 at Hambantota, rather looking to a lay a solid platform in order to make sure of batting out their full quota of overs as they reached 79 for 3 at the halfway stage.
Seren Waters and Maurice Ouma launched Kenya's innings with far greater certitude than had been the case in their tournament opener against New Zealand, although Pakistan could well have had an early breakthrough with Shoaib Akhtar bursting several perfectly pitched outswingers past the outside edge with the new ball.
After hustling 17 runs from the first three overs Kenya's chase rapidly slowed, and Waters had inched his way to a sedate 17 before he tried one cheeky single too many and was run out by an athletic airborne pick-up and throw from Umar Akmal. Ouma survived a close call against Abdur Rehman, the smart use of a referral granting him a reprieve after he had been given out lbw, but couldn't make it count as he slashed awkwardly at a length delivery to be caught behind off Umar Gul in the very next over.
Tikolo, who was out to his second ball against New Zealand, very nearly departed to his first today as a thick inside edge rocketed between his legs and past the leg stump. He and Collins Obuya shut up shop thereafter, their partnership progressing at three runs an over as Kenya attempted to chart a cautious path through the innings.
Tikolo had crawled to 13 with barely a shot played in anger when he charged out at Afridi but was beaten on the inside edge by one that rushed straight on to have his stumps rattled. Tanmay Mishra made a busy start to his innings, and Obuya looked to have settled in for the long haul, but this match already appears to be over as a contest.
50 overs Pakistan 317 for 7 (Umar 71, Misbah 65, Kamran 55, Odoyo 3-41) v Kenya
Pakistan recovered from an early stutter against the new ball to register a dominant 317 for 7 against Kenya at Hambantota. Four batsmen reached fifty, equalling the World Cup record for half-centuries in a single innings, and Pakistan showed they had more appetite for the fight as, after just 109 runs had come from the first 25 overs, Kenya were run ragged on an enormous outfield before a final charge boosted the total beyond 300.
Unexpectedly, Kenya had bossed the opening exchanges of the match, Thomas Odoyo and Elijah Otieno showing admirable control with the new ball. Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad were prised out early to reduce Pakistan to 12 for 2 in the seventh over, but the pressure was released by the Kenyan back-up bowlers, and Pakistan progressed fluently through the middle overs before upping the tempo at the death.
Otieno provided the first breakthrough when Hafeez tried to force a length delivery into the leg side but hit it uppishly and Seren Waters, at straight midwicket, leapt to his left and managed to cling onto a juggled catch mere inches from the turf. In the very next over Shehzad, who had scratched around for 17 balls that yielded just a single run, chipped a leading edge to give Jimmy Kamande a simple catch at mid-off and Pakistan were in some serious strife.
The pressure soon began to lift, however, Kamran Akmal and Younis Khan quickly settling and Nehemiah Odhiambo suffering a shambolic start to his spell as 16 runs came from a first over that included three no-balls. Kamran proved the more fluent of the two early in his innings but Younis provided sensible support and, as the spinners came on, plenty of ones and twos were taken to keep the score ticking over.
Kamran eased past 50, from 62 balls, and looked set for plenty more before he charged down the wicket to left-arm spinner Shem Ngoche and was easily stumped. Kenya were buzzing once more with the breakthrough, but despite giving a far a far better account of themselves than they had against New Zealand at Chennai they lacked the necessary firepower to land the killer blow.
Misbah-ul-Haq opened his World Cup account with a massive six off Steve Tikolo and rushed into the 20s at better than a-run-a-ball to complement the more circumspect Younis, who showed the value of steady accumulation before he was dismissed lbw for exactly 50 despite an optimistic review.
Misbah and Umar Akmal were barely troubled as they set about compiling a 118 runs for the fifth wicket, their partnership exploding into life as the Batting Powerplay was called for in the 44th over immediately after Misbah had reached fifty on his World Cup debut. Umar thrashed 20 off a weary Otieno's seventh over and soon sprinted to the fourth fifty of the innings as the score passed 250 in the 46th over. With Pakistan now swinging from the hip at just about everything, Kenya picked up regular wickets but threatened to unravel completely in the face of an all-out assault.
Odoyo removed Umar and Shahid Afridi from consecutive deliveries to find himself on a hat-trick in the 49th over but speared the next ball acres down the leg side and repeated the blunder later in the same over as battle fatigue set in. Extras, with 46, very nearly became the fifth half-century maker of the innings as Kenya had the ignominious honour of equalling the record for most wides in a one-day international, and there was a visible sense of relief as they finally completed their stint in the field.
Liam Brickhill is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo


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