Thank God I did all right, expresses Sarfraz

NEW DELHI: It was a debut that Sarfraz Ahmed will remember for the rest of his life. In front of thousands of Indian fans at the majestic Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, the 20-year-old Sarfraz kept the wickets for Pakistan and didn’t take long in making a good impression on everybody watching the game.

“The feeling was better than what I’ve imagined,”

said the Karachi-born youngster, who led Pakistan to a title-winning triumph in last year’s Youth World Cup.

“To be playing for Pakistan against India in India was like a dream come true and thank God I did all right,”

he expressed.

Sarfraz had replaced the out-of-sorts Kamran Akmal in the final game of the series and gave a good account of himself with two catches. A talented middle-order batsman, Sarfraz didn’t get a chance to bat in the game that Pakistan won to finish the five-match series 2-3.

“For me the best part was that we won the match,”

he said.

“We really played well today and it was great to be a part of it,”

he added. Sarfraz, who was rushed to India last week after Akmal suffered from a finger injury, said that he took the field confidently after getting complete backing from the ‘captain, coach and other senior players’.

“Shoaib bhai sat down with me and told me that whatever happens in the match he would back me and that really helped. The coach was also very supportive and so were all the senior players and I must say that without their backing I couldn’t have played the way I did,”

he explained.

Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan captain, commended Sarfraz’s performance in his debut match and said that the youngster has a great future in international cricket.

“Sarfraz really did us proud,”

he said.

Team manager Talat Ali Malik described Sarfraz as a ‘natural’ wicket-keeper saying that he is a welcome addition to the Pakistan squad.

“Sarfraz is athletic and has the reflexes of a natural wicket-keeper,”

he said.

“The boy is still quite young and I’m sure with experience he would turn into a world-class player,”

he remarked.

Pakistan's Kaneria targets Tendulkar scalp

Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria said he will target all India's batsmen in the forthcoming Test series but getting the wicket that has eluded him so far -- Sachin Tendulkar -- would be a dream.

"I have not dismissed Tendulkar and perhaps this will be the last time I will be up against him so I wish to get his wicket,"

Kaneria told AFP before leaving for India on Monday.

Besides Kaneria, batsman Faisal Iqbal and paceman Mohammad Sami will join the Pakistan squad in India where the first of three Tests start in New Delhi from Thursday.

Pakistan won the fifth and final one-day game by 31 runs Sunday at Jaipur but India clinched the series 3-2.

Kaneria, 26, said playing against India was always a tough challenge.

"India pose one of the biggest challenges for us, and playing against them in their own backyard is more challenging because they have world class batsmen like Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and many others,"

he said.

The bubbly spinner has grabbed 31 wickets against India in eight Tests but has yet to dismiss Tendulkar.

"He (Tendulkar) is a master and I came close to dismissing him in the 2005 series at Mohali. I thought it was a bat-pad but the umpire thought otherwise and his wicket eluded me.

"The world knows how good a batsman Tendulkar is and it would be like an empty cupboard without his wicket so the first thing in all the innings would be to get his wicket and it's always the key."

Kaneria said he would target all Indian batsmen with the ploy he usually unfolds against the archrivals.

"Since you know Indians play leg-spin, well, you have to use a different ploy against them so I have that in my mind and I want to play my part as the main bowler and help Pakistan win the series,"

said Kaneria, only the second Hindu behind Anil Dalpat to play for Pakistan.

Kaneria said scoring big would be the key to victory.

"Since they have a very deep batting line-up the opposition needs to score big and then only you can pressurise India. If we score big then we can attack them like we did against them at Bangalore in 2005,"

said Kaneria, who has 208 wickets in 48 Tests.

Pakistan squared the series 1-1 with a come-from-behind win at Bangalore in the third Test two years ago.

Kaneria felt Pakistan will badly miss former captain Inzamam-ul Haq in the batting department.

"Inzamam was like a big brother to every player and he infused a fighting spirit in the team so not only as captain but also as a key batsman he will be missed. But we now have Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf to shoulder our batting."

The other two Tests will be played at Calcutta (November 30-Dec 4) and at Bangalore (December 8-12).

Fourth ODI, Pakistan Vs India, Gwalior

A glorious exhibition of strokeplay from Sachin Tendulkar put India in the ascendancy as Pakistan struggled to stay afloat in the five-match ODI series. On a pitch where most other batsmen were restricted in their shot-making, Tendulkar played with the fluency and confidence of old, finding gaps with effortless ease as India ate into the target of 256.

To compound Pakistan's problems, Shoaib Akhtar, who bowled with genuine menace for three overs, went off with what looked like a shin injury after completing his fourth. He returned only in the 25th over, by which time India were well past half-way. In his absence, Tendulkar unveiled some stunning drives, including a couple of pushes through the covers off the back foot that brought back memories of the halcyon years.

Sourav Ganguly and Gautam Gambhir didn't make much of an impression. Ganguly poked one into the slip cordon off Shoaib, and Gambhir pulled a poor delivery from Rao Iftikhar Anjum straight to Sohail Tanvir at midwicket. That brought Virender Sehwag to the crease, and though he was scratchy early on, Tendulkar's punched drives and measured clips off the pads gave him the time to play himself into form. A chop behind point set the tone, and a withering cover-drive then suggested that Redemption Road wasn't too far away.

And after Shahid Afridi had stemmed the tide for a couple of overs, it was Sehwag that once again unleashed mayhem with a huge six over midwicket. Tendulkar followed suit with three magnificent drives through cover, each timed better than the previous one. For the Pakistani bowlers who have taken a pounding in this series, respite didn't seem to be on the agenda.

50 overs
Pakistan 255 for 6 (Yousuf 99*, Younis 68, Zaheer 2-40)

On a sluggish pitch where unfettered strokeplay was rarely an option, Pakistan were indebted to the old firm of Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan for a competitive total that gave them some hope of squaring the series. Having elected to bat, Pakistan made sedate progress before Yousuf and Misbah-ul-Haq injected some much needed urgency in the final phase of the innings. Younis had dropped anchor initially with a doughty 68, and there was also a patchy innings from Shoaib Malik after he promoted himself to the opener's slot.

Yousuf's splendid unbeaten 99 - he needed three off the last ball, but could get only two to long-off - was anything but patchy though, with some glorious drives through the covers and a lofted six over midwicket off Harbhajan Singh. As ever, he was immensely strong off the pads, and with Misbah ticking along at a run a ball, the run-rate crept towards five.

India though rarely let things drift. The bowlers, both pace and spin, were fairly accurate, and the fielding a marked improvement on the previous games. Even Sourav Ganguly played his part, with the priceless wicket of Shahid Afridi, slightly unfortunate to be given leg before after being struck just outside the line of off stump.

At that stage, Pakistan were in disarray at 131 for 4, with Younis having looped a return catch to Yuvraj Singh off the leading edge. But Yousuf's ability to find the gaps made the difference as the sluggishness of the early overs was forgotten by the finish.

Malik surely wouldn't have bargained for Salman Butt lasting only two balls. RP Singh, taking the new ball, shaped the ball from leg to middle to trap him plumb in front, 129 short of what he had scored on Sunday. Left to consolidate, he and Younis did it mainly in singles, and even those didn't come along frequently.

It took 14 overs for the 50 to be raised, and there was a moment of controversy as the Indians claimed a catch behind off Younis. Amiesh Saheba made the right decision though, with the ball having bounced just before nestling in MS Dhoni's gloves. Pakistan were just beginning to shed the shackles when Zaheer Khan picked up his 200th ODI wicket. Malik's heave against the line was an ugly one, and it got what it deserved - an inside edge on to the stumps.

With the run-rate still below four after 20 overs, acceleration was required and, though Yousuf signalled his intent with a loft down to long-on off Yuvraj Singh, India refused to loosen the grip. Younis was given a reprieve on 48, when Dhoni missed a tough stumping chance off the pads, and it was left to him and Yousuf to ensure that India would have a tricky target to chase under lights.

Pakistan agree Gwalior has a perfect batting track

GWALIOR, India: Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik and team officials on Tuesday inspected the wicket here at the Roop Singh stadium ahead of the must-win game of the series against India to be played tomorrow (Thursday).

A team official said that Shoaib, coach Geoff Lawson and manager Talat Ali Malik agreed to the general impression that a perfect batting wicket has been prepared for the crucial fourth one-dayer.

“It is a true batting wicket and could produce a high-scoring game on Thursday,”

said the official.Pakistan will take the field for tomorrow’s One-day International 1-2 down in the series after having lost the previous game in Kanpur. They have won here to remain alive in this five-game series.

Before the arrival of the Pakistanis at the stadium, the chief groundsman had said that fans should get ready for a run feast on Thursday. Samndar Singh Chauhan, Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association’s chief curator, told reporters that a perfect batting strip at the Roop Singh stadium will ensure a high-scoring game between Pakistan and India.

Chauhan said that the wicket is so good that even a score of 280-290 will be chasable.

“It’s a perfect batting wicket and we have prepared it keeping in view the fact that people want to watch exciting and high-scoring games,”

he said.

He added, the pitch will remain in good shape even in the second innings and a score around 280 will not be difficult to chase. Chauhan believes that both Pakistan and India are unlikely to field two spinners in the game like the way they did in Kanpur. There is a tinge of grass on the pitch but it will most probably be removed before the game.

Chauhan said:

“There is some grass on the wicket but we are rolling it down to turn it into brown. Actually, we do not want sideways movement otherwise the match will be a low-scoring one.”

He added:

“The temperature during the day is 33-34 degrees while in the night it dips to 12-13 degrees.So there is a possibility of heavy dew. We have chemical spray but it is not of very good quality. We are trying to get a better machine from Delhi by tomorrow.”

Skipper plays down Afridi-Gambhir spat

KANPUR, India: Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik played down an incident that took place during his team’s third one-dayer against India when Shahid Afridi had a war or words with Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir.

“It was nothing,”

Malik said after the match which Pakistan lost.

“It just happened in the heat of the moment and later I went to Gautam and apologised to him on behalf of Afridi,”

he added.

After the first two games that went smoothly, the cricket community was reminded about the intensity of Pakistan-Indian encounter when Afridi and Gambhir had a spat during the Kanpur one-dayer.

It all happened when Gautam came to the crease at the dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar and soon drove Afridi for a boundary after which the duo got engaged in a verbal clash. It got worse when Gautam decided to go up to Afridi and said something which by judging Afridi’s reaction made it clear that Gambhir wasn’t exchanging any pleasantries.

The eyeball-to-eyeball encounter between the rival players was finally cut short by umpire Ian Gould. The umpire took Gambhir aside and asked him to control his emotions and also gave a similar advice to Afridi.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni also played down the incident.

“Agar yeh nahi hota tau pata kaisay chalta ka yeh Pakistan-India series hay (If this hadn’t happen then how will you know that it is a Pakistan-India series),”

he said smilingly at a post-match press conference.

Pakistan win practice match against Delhi

Pakistan made the most of their only warm-up game ahead of the five-match ODI series against India by easing to a seven-wicket win over Delhi at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Shoaib Malik's decision to exploit conditions suited for swing movement worked in his favour, as his bowlers, inspired by surprise package Younis Khan, restricted Delhi to 213 for 9. Salman Butt then led the chase with a stylishly brisk 83 before he retired hurt, but the middle order knocked off the runs with 44 balls remaining.

Umar Gul dealt the first blow when he had Gautam Gambhir caught in his crease in the second over, but it was Younis, bowling gentle slow-medium pace, who extracted good swing and shocked Delhi. Younis trapped opener Aakash Chopra leg-before for a 42-ball 16 and bowled captain Mithun Manhas first ball with one that pitched and came in. Imran Nazir ran out Virat Kohli for 8 and the hosts were 46 for 4.

Delhi rallied around a 91-run fifth-wicket partnership between Rajat Bhatia and Shikhar Dhawan but a slew of wickets down the order brought the visitors right back into the game. Dhawan was watchful but confident, and looked set for a big score when Younis hit back to run him out for 52 from 80 balls. From here the spinners, Fawad Alam and Shahid Afridi, nipped out the lower order. Bhatia played the fast bowlers well, hooking and cutting Shoaib Akhtar for powerful boundaries. He was run out going for a suicidal single to short third man and it was left to Gaurav Chabra's slogging to get the score above 200.

In reply, Nazir slammed 34 from 22 balls even as out-of-form wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal endured another poor score. After Nazir was removed by Amit Bhandari, the medium-pacer with national experience, Butt and Misbah-ul-Haq added 116. Butt, who did not play any of Pakistan's five ODIs against South Africa recently, was strong either side of the pitch. His cutting and driving were especially good, and he opened up with a flurry of boundaries against the medium-pacers.

He did not slow down much after his half-century but left the field when on 83 from 84 balls. With victory in sight Misbah drove Pradeep Sangwan towards mid-off, where Gambhir plucked off an excellent catch, diving backwards to his right as the ball was passing him. Yasir Hameed finished the affair with an unbeaten 30 as Pakistan cashed in on their only chance to acclimatise themselves before the first one-dayer in Guwahati on Monday.

Pakistan cricket team reaches New Delhi for Indian tour

LAHORE: The Pakistan cricket team, led by Shoaib Malik, reached New Delhi for the tour of India.The Pakistan team will play five One-day Internationals and three Test matches against India.

Before the departure for India, the cricketers relating to Lahore reached the airport individually while players coming from other cities came together from the National Cricket Academy.

On this occasion, players faced much difficulty due to presence of people at the airport as there were no security arrangements.

Besides, no official of the Pakistan Cricket Board was present at the cricket academy and the airport to see-off the cricket team.

Talking with media before leaving the cricket academy, captain national cricket team Shoaib Malik said that it is difficult to say any thing regarding win or loss in the series but the players worked hard and they will try their best to win the series in India.

He further said that Yuvraj Singh in the Indian team may be a great danger for the Pakistan team.

Use of ball out rule was unexpected: Malik

DURBAN: Captain of Pakistan cricket team Shoaib Malik said that implementation of ball out rule in the match against India was unexpected for his team.

In a post match press conference here, Shoaib said that team had tried hard to win the match but the match was decided off the field.

Pakistani skipper said that the application of ball rule was unexpected for him. Players performed well and they lost the match after giving tough time to the opponents.

Indian captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni said that he is happy that his team continued the sequence of defeating Pakistan in world cup matches. He would try to continue perform well in forthcoming matches of the tournament.

Tied match turns in India’s favour on bowl-out rule

DURBAN: After the sensational match between the arch rivals tied, India turned it in their favour on the basis of bowl-out rule in the Twenty20 World Cup tournament here on Friday. However, both teams qualified for the super-eight round from group-D.

The bowl-out rule has been introduced for the first time in the history of this new type of cricket.

Set an easy target of 142 in 20 overs, Pakistan managed to get out of a certain defeat and tied the match against their old rival but the umpires decided to experiment a new rule of bowl-out in the match. They invited five bowlers from each team to hit the stumps on five deliveries. Indian bowlers hit the stumps on three consecutive balls while Pakistani bowlers missed all the three hits and lost the match 3-0.

Earlier, India scored 141 runs for nine wickets after Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik put them into batting after winning the toss in the high voltage clash between the arch rivals.

The Indians got off to a disastrous start losing the three frontline batsmen courtesy Mohammad Asif.

Robin Uthappa once again kept his cool and played some great cricket under tremendous pressure and got to his maiden T20I fifty in his first appearance in this version.

Dhoni supported him well and together they made sure that India get off to a respectable score.

Irfan Pathan hit two massive two sixes in Shahid Afridi's over but was bowled on the last ball for 20 runs.

Mohammad Asif bowled extraordinarily well taking four wickets for eighteen runs in his four over spell.

In reply, Pakistani batsmen could not face Indian bowlers well except Misbah-ul-Haq, who scored 53 and was run out on the last ball of the innings to see the match tied.

Pressure on India as traditional rivals clash

India's stay in South Africa might be a short one if Shahid Afridi gets going in Durban

When India and Pakistan clash, the buzz is generally around the players who could turn in the match-winning performance, but thanks to all the rain around Durban the weather has taken centrestage on the eve of this high-profile game - the forecast predicts 60% chance of evening showers.

Pakistan have already qualified for the Super Eights and can, if they choose to, take this as a practice match before the next stage. India, though, have more at stake: if they lose such that their run-rate is more than 2.55 lesser than Pakistan's (by more than 51 runs if Pakistan score 160, or if Pakistan chase down India's 160 in 15 overs or lesser), they will be knocked out of the Super Eights stage of a World Cup for the second time in one year.

Despite all the talk by Mahendra Singh Dhoni to the contrary, the Indians will be feeling the pressure when they step out at Kingsmead on Friday.

Bat play: The Indians missed out on an opportunity to get a hit in the middle, but Dhoni mentioned after the wash-out that the same 12 have been chosen for Friday. That probably means the same XI will play, and the batting line-up will be exactly the same as well. There are potential match-winners there, but the challenge will be to step it up against a dangerous bowling attack in conditions which will be unfamiliar for the Indians.

Pakistan's batting wasn't entirely convincing either, but it always looked like they weren't pushing the accelerator at full throttle. Even with qualification not on the line, expect them to come hard at the Indian bowlers. A promotion up the order is on the cards for Shahid Afridi.

Wrecking ball: Umar Gul had a field day against Scotland, and if conditions remain overcast - and forecasts suggest they will - expect Gul and Mohammad Asif to ask plenty of questions of the Indian batsmen. India have Sreesanth, RP Singh and Ajit Agarkar in their ranks, but if conditions assist swing, Irfan Pathan, who already has a hat-trick to his name against Pakistan is Tests, could be the one to watch out for.

Keep your eye on: Asif. The Indians have generally struggled against him, and even a batsman-dominated game, his four overs could push them back significantly.

Shop talk: Most players like to play down the significance of an India-Pakistan match, but Salman Butt, the Pakistan opener, made no attempt to pass it off as just another game. "It's the biggest game there is," Butt said. "The whole nation will be depending on us to do well. There are two sides to the coin. You can either see the match as a pressure situation or as an opportunity to perform."

Dhoni, on the other hand, refused to believe the washout against Scotland had placed his team under extra pressure. "There is so much pressure in international cricket that a little extra expectation makes no difference." The Indians will also be putting on the line their record of never having lost to Pakistan in a World Cup match: they have beaten them four times, though they were all in the 50-over format.

Pitching it right: If the first two games here were any indication, the pitch should offer a few challenges to the batsmen - there was sideways movement on offer, which could be exaggerated under cloudy skies.

Teams
India (likely): Virender Sehwag, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh, Sreesanth.

Pakistan (likely): Salman Butt, Shahid Afridi, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif.