Terrific Taylor takes NZ top of group

Terrific Taylor takes NZ top of group

Ross Taylor

The people that travelled through the hills to watch the first one-day international in Pallekele witnessed a Pakistan team in shambles: they saw a glut of extras, three dropped catches, the worst possible display of end-over bowling, and a batting implosion from a shell-shocked team. They also saw a struggling New Zealand side take advantage of their opponent's extraordinary failings, slowly at first, before Ross Taylor launched an assault so brutal that Pakistan were gutted and rendered defenseless by the end of the innings.

A stronger opponent would have made Pakistan regret their shoddy performance -Kamran Akmal played the lead and Shoaib Akhtar a supporting role - sooner in the piece, but New Zealand's batsmen did not until the end. And then they did so without mercy. Martin Guptill was their solitary performer in the first half of the innings, and Taylor needed massive slices luck to get going. But in the last six overs Taylor broke free with unprecedented violence, taking 28 off a Shoaib over - the tournament's most expensive - before plundering 30 off one from Abdul Razzaq. It began to rain sixes and fours and Pakistan's helplessness was startling as New Zealand plundered 114 off the last six overs to reach 302.

Pakistan's batsmen were still swooning from Taylor's rope-a-dope when they began their chase and the inevitable collapse came to pass. Before the mandatory Powerplay was over, the contest had ended, and after the innings had been reduced to 23 for 4 and 66 for 6, Abdul Razzaq merely delayed the inevitable with a half-century. The only worry for New Zealand was the fitness of their captain, for Daniel Vettori hobbled painfully off the field after injuring his knee in the sixth over and did not return. Taylor, who took over the captaincy, however, had ensured that Vettori's bowling wasn't needed on the day.

New Zealand's formidable total didn't take shape until very late though. When Pakistan's spinners dismissed Guptill and James Franklin to reduce the innings from 112 for 2 to 113 for 4, New Zealand were slipping. When Scott Styris, who was dropped by Kamran Akmal, was trapped by an Umar Gul yorker in the first batting-Powerplay over they were only 175 for 5, in sight of a middling total. That changed in a blink.

In the 47th over, Shoaib bowled wide deliveries, length deliveries and full tosses that Taylor savaged through cover point and over the deep-midwicket boundary. That exhibition of how not to bowl at the death was outdone by Razzaq, whose medium-pace at poor length was meat and drink to a marauding Taylor. Fielders looked on helplessly, Shahid Afridi tore his hair out metaphorically and Taylor continued to batter a ragged Pakistan. He had added 35 in 3.5 overs with Nathan McCullum, who initiated the acceleration, and then 85 in 3.4 overs with Jacob Oram, who muscled 25 off 9 balls.

Before the massacre was The Comedy of Errors. The litany began off the first ball of the innings, when Shoaib overstepped and umpire Nigel Llong didn't spot it. Llong called Shoaib's next three foot-faults, though, and the New Zealand batsmen sent all those free-hits to the boundary. Brendon McCullum, however, missed an incutter soon after pulling the first free-hit for six and his dismissal brought in How, playing for the unwell Jesse Ryder.

Tim Southee:"It was the sort of day you are dreaming of, we were thinking of 245 and then suddenly ... it was some of the cleanest hitting I have ever seen. The partnership at the end from Pakistan is slightly disappointing." New Zealand are now top of table on net run rate.Here's the latest points table. This match will be remembered for the surreal onslaught at the end of New Zealand's innings, and Kamran Akmal's disastrous effort behind the stumps. Pakistan lost it in the final six over of New Zealand's batting and the first seven of theirs. Post-match presentation: Shahid Afridi: "I have no excuse. We didn't bowl well, we didn't field well, you can win games based on fielding, but I am confident of my team and myself, we will not repeat this performance. We should learn from what we did in this game." Ross Taylor: "To have them six down after 20 overs was a credit for the bowlers. We didn't want to be complacent at the break. I had a bit of luck early on, even when I was at 30 or 40, but the way Nathan and Jake came out and hit it rubbed off. " No update on Vettori. Taylor says "we'll just have to find out over the next couple of days." George Binoy has the bulletin for this match here. On behalf of Abhishek Purohit and the rest of the team, this is Siddarth Ravindran signing out. Thanks for all the mails, see you tomorrow.
41.4	Styris to Shoaib Akhtar, OUT, game over, Shoaib lasted all of two balls, another short one from Styris, Shoaib flails at it and gets a top edge that flies towards mid-on, Nathan McCullum gets across and takes a smart catch, and New Zealand get their third win of the tournament
	Shoaib Akhtar c NL McCullum b Styris 0 (2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
41.3	Styris to Shoaib Akhtar, no run, Stryis may be a dibbly-dobbly bowler but he wants to send a message to Shoaib, a bouncer that sails high over Shoaib
41.2	Styris to Umar Gul, 1 run, Gul's on strike now, he swings a shortish ball towards deep square leg
Shoaib Akhtar is the last man in
41.1	Styris to Abdul Razzaq, OUT, Styris has struck, Razzaq was looking for the Hollywood hit over long-on, can't get hold of it and it balloons in the air towards Oram at long-on, Pakistan lose their ninth
	Abdul Razzaq c Oram b Styris 62 (74b 9x4 0x6) SR: 83.78
End of over 41 (4 runs) Pakistan 191/8 (112 runs required from 54 balls, RR: 4.65, RRR: 12.44) Umar Gul    33* (24b 3x4 1x6)      NL McCullum    6-0-28-2 Abdul Razzaq    62* (73b 9x4)      SB Styris    4-0-16-0
40.6	NL McCullum to Umar Gul, no run, Gul looking totally at ease here, one more ball on the pads, glanced to short fine
40.5	NL McCullum to Abdul Razzaq, 1 run, Razzaq again wanted to go for the big hit, McCullum sends it short, Razzaq checks his shot and plays it past a diving McCullum
40.4	NL McCullum to Umar Gul, 1 run, off his pads and down to fine leg, the partnership grows to 65
40.3	NL McCullum to Abdul Razzaq, 1 run, thumped past Taylor at midwicket, a misfield from the acting captain gives a single
40.2	NL McCullum to Abdul Razzaq, no run, defended back to the bowler
'One mistake will do, lads, one mistake will do,' says McCullum
40.1	NL McCullum to Umar Gul, 1 run, nudged towards deep midwicket for a single
End of over 40 (4 runs) Pakistan 187/8 (116 runs required from 60 balls, RR: 4.67, RRR: 11.60) Umar Gul    31* (21b 3x4 1x6)      SB Styris    4-0-16-0 Abdul Razzaq    60* (70b 9x4)      NL McCullum    5-0-24-2
39.6	Styris to Umar Gul, 1 run, elegantly done by Gul, driven towards wide long-on for a single
39.5	Styris to Abdul Razzaq, 1 run, length ball this time, hammered over the bowler's head, long-on is very straight and Oram gets round to stop what looked like a boundary
39.4	Styris to Abdul Razzaq, no run, superb delivery from Styris, in the blockhole, Razzaq looking to pull the trigger every ball now, he can only block this
39.3	Styris to Umar Gul, 1 run, on the pads, Gul whips it towards short fine leg, where Southee makes a smart stop
39.2	Styris to Umar Gul, no run, short of length and outside off, defended to the off side, Razzaq wanted the single but Gul didn't
39.1	Styris to Abdul Razzaq, 1 run, muscled down to long-off, it was an overpitched ball, Nathan McCullum attacks the ball in the deep to keep the batsmen to a single
Scott Styris returns. 120 needed from 11 overs
End of over 39 (8 runs) Pakistan 183/8 (120 runs required from 11 overs, RR: 4.69, RRR: 10.90) Abdul Razzaq    58* (67b 9x4)      NL McCullum    5-0-24-2 Umar Gul    29* (18b 3x4 1x6)      JDP Oram    10-1-47-1
38.6	NL McCullum to Abdul Razzaq, 1 run, fuller ball is thumped towards cover
38.5	NL McCullum to Umar Gul, 1 run, a bit shorter and a touch wider, Gul carves it to deep backward point
38.4	NL McCullum to Umar Gul, no run, fullish ball on the pads, driven to mid-on
38.3	NL McCullum to Abdul Razzaq, 1 run, length ball outside off, Razzaq makes room and jabs the ball towards backward point
38.2	NL McCullum to Umar Gul, 1 run, length ball outside off, dabbed towards point and a quick single is pinched
38.1	NL McCullum to Umar Gul, FOUR, full and wide outside off, Gul caresses that one past a diving cover fielder, supremely timed by Gul for four
End of over 38 (10 runs) Pakistan 175/8 (128 runs required from 12 overs, RR: 4.60, RRR: 10.66) Umar Gul    23* (14b 2x4 1x6)      JDP Oram    10-1-47-1 Abdul Razzaq    56* (65b 9x4)      KD Mills    8-1-43-2
37.6	Oram to Umar Gul, 1 run, short of length ball, sliding into middle, worked behind square leg for a single that brings up the 50 partnership
37.5	Oram to Umar Gul, FOUR, the runs are flowing for Pakistan, finally, a bouncer down the leg side, helped along to fine leg