Zimbabwe 'A' in Sri Lanka: Rain hit match ends in tame draw

Mother nature served us a gentle reminder at P. Sara Stadium inColombo today – the wet season is coming to Sri Lanka and thisseries is likely to suffer. Critics will question the wisdom ofholding the series during this traditionally wet period, realistswill understand that international calendar is based on money andpower, not meteorological patterns.On a day that started late due to a monsoonal downpour in themorning and ended early when heavy rains and dark cloudsenveloped the ground in the afternoon, Zimbabwe progressed to 105for 4 in their second innings, after the BCCSL XI had declared ontheir overnight score of 284-7.Despite a lead of 61 runs when they started, the Zimbabwean’swere just starting to struggle against this strong BCCSL XI, whenthe rains came down. The Sri Lankan spinners could well have hadthe visitors six down if it were not for some unusually poorfielding. Two relatively simple catches were dropped, one offGavin Rennie (48*) when he had made 42, and one off DanielPeacock (4*) just before nature’s intervention.Nevertheless Zimbabwe didn’t lose the match. Competitivethroughout the match, they would have surprised many people inSri Lanka by the positive manner in which they approached thegame. They batted extremely well in the first innings and thespinners bowled creditably yesterday. Considering that themajority of the squad has little experience of sub-continentalconditions, The Management will have been satisfied with theteam’s performance.Two areas of concern though will be the accuracy of the pacebowlers and how the batsmen are going to play the spinners. Thepace bowlers cannot afford to over pitch as much as they didyesterday and need to adjust their length. The ball is unlikelyto swing a great deal in these conditions but it may well moveoff the wicket, especially if the ball consistently lands on theseam.How the batsmen cope against the spinners may well decide theseries. Whilst this is primarily a learning experience for theplayers, the batsmen must have a clear strategy when they go outbat. One felt today that a couple of the batsmen weren’t quitesure how they were going to play the likes of Bandarathilake andPushpakumara. Even Vermeulen (25) who had played the spinnersexcellently in the first innings will have been disappointed withhis dismissal, swinging across the line when he had the option topick runs playing straight.A big plus point for the visitor’s will undoubtedly be that GavinRennie scored some runs today. A key player for this side he willneed to be at his best.For the Sri Lankan’s this match has been a wake-up call. Thecoach will have been very disappointed with certain aspects oftheir performance, especially the fielding and the carefreebatting. One suspects that the squad had underestimated theZimbabwean’s before the start of this match. One can rest assuredthat they now know they have work a lot harder than theypreviously imagined.

AVFC will rue Tammy Abraham transfer miss

Aston Villa have not been shy when it comes to spending money on bringing players to the club in an effort to improve the team and push them towards achieving the owners’ ambitions of securing European football.

However, one player that the club missed out on signing that the Villans could now be having nightmares over is former loan star Tammy Abraham.

During his loan spell from his former club Chelsea during the 2018/19 season, the striker managed to score 26 goals in 40 appearances, making him a big part of their promotion campaign back to the Premier League.

Having not been able to secure the Englishman on a permanent basis despite being linked with a move for him, Villa eventually turned their attention to Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings, who have cost the club a combined total of £53m and have scored 12 league goals between them this season.

Since his successful loan period at Villa Park, Abraham spent the next two campaigns back at Chelsea where he racked up 30 goals in 79 games across all competitions before making a permanent transfer move to Italian club AS Roma in a deal worth a reported fee of £34m.

During his time in Italy with Jose Mourinho’s team, the 24-year-old, who is currently valued at £34.2m according to Transfermarkt, has scored 20 times in 36 appearances, showing that it didn’t take him long to settle into a club and league outside of England.

In addition to his consistent goals with Roma, the former Chelsea star’s overall performances have shown what a great signing he’s been for the Serie A side, with WhoScored listing him as the club’s second-highest rated player with an overall rating of 7.26, which would also make him Villa’s second-highest rated player this season behind Philippe Coutinho.

Labelled as an “unbelievable” player in the past by former Villa captain Jack Grealish, Abraham could have been a fantastic deal for NSWE to make based on his previous experience of playing at the club as well as his clear knack for scoring goals. Certainly, it would have made the Villans’ 2019/20 season a lot more comfortable in terms of dodging relegation had they signed him permanently after his loan.

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Taking all of this into account, even though they now have Watkins and Ings at their disposal, Steven Gerrard’s side could be in much better shape now had they have secured the Roma striker’s signature when they had the chance.

In other news: Gregg Evans drops behind-the-scenes AVFC claim that’ll leave Villa Park buzzing – opinion

Rolton's class act spoils Rolls' dream day

Australian left-hander Karen Rolton showed why she is the best batsman in women’s cricket when producing a magnificent century and a sneaked last ball single to give her side victory over New Zealand in a record-breaking game at Bert Sutcliffe Oval today.Rolton ran flat out for the other end as the ball passed through to CLEAR White Fern wicket-keeper Rebecca Rolls, who had scored the century that ensured Australia would face a record chase for a 50-over match.The third most runs in a women’s One-Day International was scored (505) as Australia’s 253/4 edged out the White Ferns, who had made 252/9, the second-highest score against Australia in an ODI after England’s 279/3 in 60 overs at Birmingham in the Women’s World Cup of 1973.Rolton and Melanie Jones added 144 in 132 balls for the fourth wicket to set up a thrilling finale in which Rolton dictated to the inexperienced Frances King in the New Zealand attack, and applied pressure to other bowlers, and to the fieldsmen as they reduced the required run rate from over seven at one stage, and finally laid the ghost of its CricInfo Women’s World Cup final loss to New Zealand to rest.”I was cramping and starting to really struggle by the end,” revealed Rolton, who described the win as a “great team result,” that was “probably the most satisfying” she had been involved in for Australia. “I guess I was worried when Melanie got out,” she continued. “It was chaos out there, but off the last ball I knew I had to run.”A record stand for any wicket against the Southern Stars by Rolls and Emily Drumm should have been more than enough to pull the White Ferns back to a 2-4 win-loss record in the series.However, it was not to be. Drumm said, “It was gut-wrenching. It hurts more because we should be able to defend 250 against most sides in the world. The fact is inexperience showed in that one of our bowlers didn’t bowl well enough.”However, Drumm’s reluctance to use Kathryn Ramel was odd, despite her poor form in Australia, and bringing back King, a rookie at this level for the 49th over was a huge risk.None of this drama seemed possible as New Zealand’s second wicket pair put on 170 after Paula Flannery was run out early on in the game.Rolls hit the numerous bad balls unfailingly to the boundary, punishing leg side deliveries aggressively to bring up fifty in 63 balls and her maiden international century in 111 balls.In all New Zealand hit 26 fours and a six in the innings. Right-handed Auckland wicket-keeper Rolls, 26, had a previous ODI best of 84 not out, scored against South Africa in 1998/99. “I’m very jealous of her that she’s got a one day hundred against Australia,” joked Drumm afterwards. Drumm’s opposite number Belinda Clark said, “Sometimes she (Rolls) comes off and sometimes she doesn’t.”Today Rolls’ attacking style worked unprecedentedly well as she recorded a maiden century at any senior representative level.Drumm’s role in the stand was less dominating, although she reached a 12th ODI fifty in 95 balls.When Rolls lobbed to square leg off opening bowler Therese McGregor’s leg-spin variation, the pace did not let up, although Drumm was beaten by fellow skipper Clark’s throw from mid-off two runs after Rolls was dismissed.Haidee Tiffen hit 34 off 27 balls, but fell to Cathryn Fitzpatrick towards the end. Fitzpatrick moved to 95 ODI wickets with possibly the slowest spell of bowling in her cricketing life. A calf injury had forced the world’s fastest female bowler to cut her run up, and resulted in just the second stumping dismissal of her career, when Julia Price sent Ramel on her way for a duck.New Zealand lost five wickets for 21 runs in the last 28 balls and this show of spirit spilled over into Australia’s reply.Clark and Lisa Sthalekar had no problems against Rachel Pullar, who used the bouncer effectively, Anna Corbin, who opened up with her off-spin, or with slingy newcomer Louise Milliken in the early overs.Clark called Lisa Keightley’s replacement by Sthalekar “a harsh call” but it was a justified one in that it set Australia up for an attack with wickets in hand at the end of the day.The fifty came in 65 balls, and although the required rate was almost at six an over, it took the run out of Sthalekar for a joint-best ODI score of 33, and, more importantly, the wicket of Clark, who had hit a 25th ODI fifty, lbw to Pullar. Michelle Goszko went too, caught behind by Rolls, who seemed to be having the day of her dreams.Only Rolton, with support from Jones, was left to carry the fight, New Zealand as the rate required approached eight an over.Crucially, Rolton was dropped by Nicola Payne at mid off when on 68.”If we’d taken that chance we probably would have won the game,” rued a phlegmatic Drumm.The excitement never stopped, even after Rolton’s hundred came up off 98 deliveries, with Jones holing out for 47 with three runs needed off four balls.A bash to extra cover by Rolton, who had crossed, almost resulted in new batsman Sally Cooper being run out without facing.Milliken fumbled at mid-on off the next, leaving Rolton to run a one bounce single (that she thought she hadn’t hit) to Rolls off the final ball for the amazing victory.Unscheduled guest appearances by the Canterbury Crusaders, a jockstrapped streaker and the England cricket team delighted a ground full of schoolchildren and boisterous students, who all enjoyed the sunshine as well as the facilities New Zealand Cricket provided.The White Ferns have a winter tour to England to look forward to while the Australian international calendar gives Clark’s triumphant team a year off to relish its recent achievements.

Bangladesh set deadline for appointing coach

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has set a deadline of October 30 for the appointment of a national coach.The decision comes in the wake of BCB’s ad-hoc committee supporting a proposal by the board president Major General Sina Ibn Jamali. “We have decided to appoint a new national coach before October 30. We are hopeful that we will be able to finalise it before the deadline,” Ishtiaque Ahmed, the vice-chairman of the BCB’s media committee, told the Dhaka-based . .Ahmed was reported as saying that John Dyson, the former Australian batsman who coached Sri Lanka, had expressed his interest but this was neither confirmed or denied by Gazi Ashraf Hossain, the chairman of the board’s cricket operations committee.”It is better to mention a name only when we can reach a certain level of communication with someone,” said Ahmed. “It is always good to set a target but that doesn’t mean we compromise with our requirements just to meet the deadline. You need some time to locate the candidates”The board had made a fresh start in its search for national coach, after all three short-listed candidates had either refused or been ruled out. John Harmer turned down the post after being the only one to make a presentation to the board. Prior to that, Dave Houghton, the former Zimbabwe captain, had withdrawn his candidature citing family problems; while Jamie Siddons, the former Australian batsman, was out of contention after the board couldn’t match his terms and conditions.The board has been looking for a national coach since Dav Whatmore, who guided them for four years, refused to extend his contract. His last assignment was the home series against India in May. Shaun Williams has been interim coach of the team since the the away series against Sri Lanka in June and July.

'The first hero was my Dad' – Taylor

‘On an individual level, I’d like to be among the top 10 fastbowlers in the world’ © Getty Images

CricinfoHow did it all start for you?
My father introduced me to the game as a youngster. He was a cricketer aswell, and whenever he went for a game, he took me along with him. I’d sitand watch him and his friends, and it became something that I wanted todo. I started playing in primary school and just continued from there.What made you want to bowl quick?
I always liked to see the ‘keeper collecting the ball above his head, andthe ball moving around and creating problems for the batsmen. That was thefirst thing that attracted me.Who were the early heroes?
The first hero was my Dad, as I told you. He was a fast bowler as well.But I’ve always admired Courtney Walsh, Curtley Ambrose and Glenn McGrath.Those guys would be the first to get a mention. Wasim Akram was anotherthat I looked upto.What are your strengths, and where do you think you can still improve?
My strength is swinging the ball, and control.To be honest, I can still improve when it comes to control. And as youplay more games, you learn how to work with the ball more and do morethings.Who are the best batsmen you’ve bowled to?
Brian Lara, in domestic cricket back home. Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkarand Ricky Ponting. They’re more challenging. But I’m one of those who’s willing to take upthat challenge and give it my best shot. If you can trouble guys likeDravid and Sachin, you’re doing something right.What would Jerome Taylor be doing if not for cricket? Did you excel atany other sport as a kid?
In school, I was doing carpentry, so if I wasn’t a cricketer, I’d probablybe doing that. I used to do a bit of track and field, but didn’t continue with it very long.What would you like to accomplish in the future?
It’s important that we live up to the legacy that the past players haveleft behind. On an individual level, I’d like to be among the top 10 fastbowlers in the world.How do you relax once you leave the stadium behind?
Away from cricket, I spend time with the boys, listening to music andgoing out. Maybe a party here and there.

A sound idea fraught with risks

Phil DeFreitas: bowing out © Getty Images

While cricket’s profile in England has not been this high for decades, the success of the England team could actually be to the detriment of the inaugural International 20:20 tournament, which kicks off at Leicester on Thursday. Such has been the public’s interest in a thrilling Ashes series that the event will inevitably have something of an anti-climactic feel about it.The concept itself shows vision. Assemble the best Twenty20 sides from around the world for a champions’ league of domestic cricket. The format lends itself to such an event – the six-team tournament is condensed into three days, ideal for public and television alike. And it is television, especially Indian TV, which is the main reason for it happening at all. Leicestershire have strong links with Asia through Investors In Cricket, the county’s financial backers, and they are the driving force behind the whole thing.The main problem is that, while a football tournament of this type would inevitably draw the crowds, domestic cricket sides are on the whole unsexy from a marketing point of view. Add into the equation that there is no representation from Australia, New Zealand and West Indies – none have yet staged a Twenty20 competition – and the package is dangerously weakened.The teams that are taking part leave a little to be desired. Leicestershire and Somerset are known quantities but neither contains big box-office draws. Nashua Titans, from South Africa, have a very second-team feel about them, because many of their star names – AB de Villiers, Justin Kemp, Andre Nel, Martin van Jaarsveld and Dale Steyn – have stayed away, opting to play in a Jacques Kallis benefit match, while Daryl Cullinan has retired.The two Asian teams are Chilaw Marians from Sri Lanka and Faisalabad Wolves from Pakistan. While Faisalabad will send a decent side, the reality is that their star attractions, Naved Latif and Mohammad Hafeez, are hardly household names. And the first-string Sri Lankans are all playing in the Test series against Bangladesh, so Chilaw are unlikely to contain anyone familiar to the casual spectator.Making up the numbers are the PCA Masters XI. At least this team contains some familiar faces, albeit rather aging ones. Phil DeFreitas, who this week mercifully lost his tag as the only active cricketer to have won the Ashes, bows out here. He is joined by Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and quite a few who were only confirmed at the 11th hour. And To-Be-Confirmeds are not the stuff of good advance box office.The only place that the matches will be shown live is in South Africa. India are rather preoccupied with the Test at Bulawayo, and in the UK, Sky Sports will be showing end-of-day highlights packages.The organisers will also be glancing nervously towards the heavens. September’s weather in England can be notoriously unpredictable, and with no reserve days, the entire event is at the mercy of the elements. Other late-season ventures over the years have been scuppered by cold and rain, and it was more by luck than judgment that the ICC got through last year’s Champions Trophy in September unscathed.The concept deserves to succeed, and if it can survive what is sure to be a difficult first outing, then the prospects for the future are good as more countries embrace the format. What they need at Leicester is good weather, a few more names, and a great deal of luck.

  • Cricinfo will be providing ball-by-ball coverage of the matches which start at 10.30am (BST) on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
  • Anyone who turns up at the ground before mid-day on Thursday and Friday can gain free admission by mentioning Sony.Schedule (all times BST – GMT+1)Thursday, Spetember 15
    Chilaw Marians v PCA Masters 1030 – 1315
    Leicestershire Foxes v Faisalabad Wolves 1400 – 1645
    PCA Masters v Nashua Titans 1730 – 2015Friday September 16
    Somerset Sabres v Faisalabad Wolves 1030 – 1315
    Nashua Titans v Chilaw Marians 1400 – 1645
    Leicestershire Foxes v Somerset Sabres 1730 – 2015Saturday September 17
    First semi-final 1030 – 1315
    Second semi-final 1400 – 1645
    Final 1730 – 2015

  • Malik to seek experts' advice

    ‘Shoaib Malik’s problem is very easy to sort out’, says Bob Woolmer© Getty Images

    Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan allrounder, will seek the opinion of biomechanics experts at the University of Western Australia with regard to his bowling action. Malik’s action had come under scrutiny in October and the matter was reported to the International Cricket Council.Malik sustained an injury to his right wrist on the current tour of Australia and didn’t play in the one-day game against the Chairman’s XI on Tuesday. As a result of the tendon strain, he was unable to take part in the team’s fielding sessions at the WACA on Monday.Malik’s bowling action had come under the scanner in October 2002 when he was reported by Simon Taufel and Jeff Crowe, the match referee. That led to a review, and remodelling, of his action before Malik was cleared to play.Under the existing procedures, Malik would have to work with human-movement specialists appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board before a full report is submitted to the ICC. However, Bob Woolmer felt that there was no serious problem with Malik’s action and that it could be remedied with advice from Bruce Elliott or Daryl Foster, two of the human-movement specialists an the University of Western Australia.”I know what the problem is,” Woolmer told . “I spoke to the biomechanics chap in England and he told me what the problem is and it’s very easy to sort out. No-one ever does it [bowl with a kink in the action] deliberately. It’s just something that happens within his action.”

    Scotland sunk by Hopkinson's allround effort

    National League Division OneEssex v Worcestershire at Colchester
    Scorecard
    Essex scrambled to a thrilling two-wicket victory over the C&G finalists Worcestershire at Colchester, in a match that had been decimated by bad weather. Worcestershire, who batted first, were limited to just 25 overs, enough time to post a competitive 141 for 3, thanks to Anurag Singh’s 43, and an unbeaten 51-run partnership between Justin Kemp and Gareth Batty. Essex had barely begun their reply when the heavens opened again, and they were eventually left with 10 overs in which to score 83 runs. They did so with a solitary delivery to spare, and in effect a solitary wicket as well, after Darren Robinson had been stretchered off with a groin injury.National League Division TwoSussex 173 for 9 beat Scotland 191 for 9 by one wicket at Edinburgh (D/L)
    Scorecard
    Scotland slumped to their 11th defeat of the season in the meeting of the bottom sides, but Sussex remain two points adrift of Scotland despite their one-wicket win. Sussex won the toss but squandered the advantage with some loose bowling as Scotland reached 105 for 2 thanks to a second-wicket stand of 85 between Ryan Watson (48) and Colin Smith (38). But Sussex found their line in the second half of the innings as Paul Hutchison (4 for 29) and Carl Hopkinson (3 for 19) settled into a groove. There was a anticlimactic farewell for Rahul Dravid who ended his spell with Scotland with a two-ball 1. Set a revised target of 170 from 31 overs, Sussex looked down and out when they were reduced to 69 for 6, but Hopkinson cracked 67 not out from 48 balls, guiding them to a dramatic win with a four off the last ball.

    ICC offers to extend Sehwag deadline

    The International Cricket Council has offered to extend tomorrow’s deadline for a decision from the Board of Control for Cricket in India on whether Virender Sehwag will play in the first Test against England at Mohali.The ICC President, Malcolm Gray, has offered to extend the deadline given to theBCCI and fly with the ICC Chief Executive, Malcolm Speed, to Kuala Lumpur for a final summit meeting with Mr Dalmiya on Saturday.”We are making progress and given we are making progress it is worth extending the time before that deadline,” Speed said at a media briefing this afternoon.”The meeting will happen on Saturday morning. At this stage I am unable to say whether we get to that stage, things may break down or we may resolve the matter without having to get on the aeroplane.”We don’t want this going down to the last moment, the teams being presented by either captain and to an excited cricket ground full of fans. That would put safety in jeopardy.”If the match is to be cancelled it must happen well before the proposed start of play on Monday.”We recognise that there is a very serious international issue here, we arevery concerned about the safety of players, fans and officials and the future ofcricket and we will do what we can to resolve the matter.”Meanwhile the player at the centre of the controversy, Virender Sehwag, says he is desperately keen to play in the Test, which is due to start on Monday.Sehwag, 23, was banned for one match by referee Mike Denness for excessive appealing in India’s second Test against South Africa at Port Elizabeth.The ICC insist Sehwag has not served his ban, as they have ruled India’s third Test against South Africa (which Sehwag missed) to be unofficial, after both teams refused to accept Denness as referee.”To sit out a Test match can be extremely depressing,” Sehwag said. “For five days you see your team-mates slog it out for six hours at a stretch daily and I just sit with a glum face in the dressing room.”I can’t comment on the ban but whether I have liked it or not, I have takenit in my stride. I hope the miseries for me are over. I just want to play the first Test against England in Mohali.”I don’t want to be in the news for the wrong reasons any more. Why should a ban destroy my happiness? Yes, it’s depressing to miss a Test match but I am looking ahead in life and that’s why I want to play the England series,” Sehwag told the Times of India.”It’s a new series for me and playing at home will give me a real big boost.”The BCCI president, Jagmohan Dalmiya, has said he will not confirm whether India intend to play Sehwag until the morning of the match, which would be too late to save the Test.

    Pakistan outclass India

    Sharjah, March 26: When it comes to India-Pakistan matches, it allboils down the ability of a team to psyche themselves up to thechallenge on that day. The two are pretty sentimental sides and henceprone to cracking under pressure.Pakistan made no such mistake on Sunday and applied themselves muchbetter to the task at hand with experienced Inzamam-ul-Haq leadingtheir batting revival with a blistering century just when it matteredmost.They badly needed to win the match to stay in the hunt – and they didin style, beating an indifferent India by 98 runs to record theirfirst victory in three matches in the Sharjah Cup triangular series.Berated for inept batting for a long, Pakistani batsmen came good on awicket sympathetic towards batsmen, scoring a handsome 272 for three,rattling up a brisk 93 in the last 10 overs – certainly one of thehigh-points of their innings.Then their bowlers, spearheaded by Waqar Younis, suffocated India’shopes with lively spells. India needed a flying start to make a matchof it. But it didn’t happen.Waqar, who returned with a haul of five wickets for 31 runs, set thetone of their dreadful start as early as in the fourth over when heremoved Saurav Ganguly for just seven and then Wasim Akram claimed theprized wicket of Sachin Tendulkar (10) with an inswinging deliverythat slipped through the bat and pad on to the stumps in the very nextover.The fall of the openers, on whom India rely heavily, by the fifth overcompletely unsettled them as rest of the batsmen just failed toretrieve India from a desperate position.Sunil Joshi, promoted up the order, too fell quickly to Waqar and adefeat began staring at the Indians.It was all over for India when Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Azharuddin,who began shaping well, fell in quick succession, reducing India to 90for five in 25 overs.Dravid (29) chased a wide delivery from Shoaib Akhtar while Azharsnicked to Moin Khan off Waqar, who is now just one wicket short ofjoining the exclusive 300-club.Rest of the batsmen only tended to delay the inevitable.There is no excuse for India, who surprisingly just didn’t bat well onthis wicket.Earlier Pakistan were not off to a flyer, but paced their inningsquite well, opening up in the last 10 overs when Inzamam and Youhanatoyed with the Indian attack.Given a reasonably good start by Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan afterthe early fall of Imran Nazir, Pakistan consolidated their gainsrather step by step.Afridi and Younis, curbing their instinct to go for full-bloodedshots, took time to have their eyes in.They took the score to 44 by the 13th over when Afridi, going for abig one, missed the line and was stumped by Saba Karim, an untidyeffort though, off Anil Kumble for 28 off 41 balls with four fours.In came Inzamam and Pakistan innings began to gather pace gradually.Inzamam also took time to get into the groove and built his inningswith occasional four and six.Pakistan needed a good stand at this moment and Inzamam, in thecompany of Younis Khan, did just that, putting on good 66 runs whenYounis was brilliantly caught by Azharuddin off Joshi for a well-made44 off 66 balls with three fours and a six.With Pakistan three down for 121 by the 29th over, things looked wellin control for India, but Pakistan were in different mood.Inzamam, in particular, had done his home work well. With YousufYouhana, a solid batsman, Inzamam took the score to 179 for three bythe 40th over when they launched the pyrotechnics.It all began in the 43rd over, bowled by Anil Kumble, when Inzamamsmashed the leg-spinner for two sixes off successive balls to reel of18 runs in that over.Youhana, who was keeping quite for a well, suddenly exploded,executing strokes all-round the wicket almost with the ease ofInzamam.With the ball travelling all over the place, the Indian bowlers simplyhad no clue how to stop the brisk flow of runs. Inzamam duly completedhis century in the 47th over – his seventh and first against India in212 one-day internationals – with seven fours and five sixes in 97balls.At the one end, Youhana also reached his 50 in 60 balls with fourfours and one six. And when Pakistan ended their innings the score hadshot up to 272 and it was primarily thanks to a record unbeaten fourthwicket stand of 151 runs of just 132 balls between Inzamam andYouhana.They beat the previous best of 111 against India set up by Imran Khanand Javed Miandad in Gujranwala in 1992.Indian skipper Ganguly felt: “We are not batting well here. In fact,it was Waqar’s spell that took the match away from.”Moin attributed the victory to ‘team effort.’ He said: “Everyone did agood job, but Waqar and Inzamam were outstanding. The victory haslifted our morale and we will be a different team, not the one whichlost seven straight matches.”

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