Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Brave Zimbabwe fall 5 runs short

Zimbabwe gave Pakistan a solid run for their money as they nearly chased down 247, falling 5 runs short.

Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq called correctly and opted to bat in a day game. Everyone was surprised, as the track was supposed to be a batting friendly-one, but would assist the bowlers early on. However, Misbah opined that it looked like a dry track and even his counterpart Brendan Taylor wanted to bat first.

Chris Mpofu drew first blood, getting Imran Farhat caught by Tatenda Taibu for a duck. Mohammad Hafeez and Younus Khan then steadied things out in the middle. They ensured that no more wicket fell for a while and took Pakistan to 43/1 at the end of the Quick Start Overs.

Taylor took Powerplay 2 and it did not look very fruitful until the 15th over, when Hafeez was dismissed by Prosper Utseya and the 73-run stand was broken. Nevertheless, it was a profitable Bowling Powerplay for Pakistan, having earned 32 runs in those 5 overs for the loss of just Hafeez.

Skipper Misbah joined Younus in the middle and the pair took control in their hands. The pair added 52 for the third wicket before the latter was run out and was followed by Shoaib Malik. Misbah and Umar Akmal added 60 for the fifth wicket when the skipper was finally dismissed for 54, LBW by Ray Price.

That led to a collapse as Pakistan could only add 18/1 in 5 Extreme Performance Overs. There was a bit of improvement in Powerplay 3, as they scored 38/1 in those 5 overs. Pakistan eventually reached 247/7 in 50 overs.

Younus Khan top scored with 78 with a Batting Momentum of 116, well supported by Misbah who made 54. For Zimbabwe, Ray Price was the pick of the bowlers with 2/39 in 10 overs, earning a Bowling Efficiency of 180.

Have a look at the scorecard.

Like Pakistan, Zimbabwe did not have a good start and lost Chamu Chibhabha early for 1. Vusi Sibanda and Hamilton Masakadza took care of the innings till the end of the Quick Start Overs, taking Zimbabwe to 41/1. Similar to Brendan Taylor, Misbah took Powerplay 2 in the 11th over.

His bowlers were very miserly and conceded just 15 runs in these 5 overs. What is more, they also got the wicket of Masakadza in that period. Sibanda and Brendan Taylor then added 61 for the third wicket and just when things were going good, Sibanda was dismissed in an unlucky fashion, caught and bowled by Aizaz Cheema for a very fine 73.

Tatenda Taibu then got together with his skipper and added a fine 60 for the fourth wicket. But just when Taibu tried to cut loose, he holed out, getting caught by Younus Khan at long off off Cheema’s bowling. Thereafter, the hosts lost steam and could not keep up with the required run-rate.

Powerplay 3 was taken in the 43rd over and 38/1 in those 5 overs saw Zimbabwe coming close to the Pakistan total. They were in top shape with 25 needed off 18 balls but a brilliant Saeed Ajmal over in the 48th which went for just 3, spoilt the hosts’ plans.

Taylor eventually was dismissed in the penultimate over for 84 and Zimbabwe tried hard, but fell short by 5 runs. Brendan Taylor top scored with 84 and earned a Batting Momentum of 102. Aizaz Cheema was the pick of the bowlers, with 3/36 in 10 overs, gaining a Bowling Efficiency of 261.

Pakistan just edged past Zimbabwe with a Castrol Index of 51 to Zimbabwe’s 48. The hosts won the battle in the departments of Bowling Efficiency and the Quick Start Overs but Pakistan held their nerves in the Extreme Performance ones.

Aizaz Cheema was the best performer, earning 59 points for his 3-wicket haul while for Zimbabwe, Elton Chigumbura got 48.

Younus Khan was named the Man Of The Match for his valuable 78 and earned a value of 46.

The teams clash again at Harare, on Sunday, 11th of September, 2011 at 0730 GMT.

Captain Cook takes England 1-0 up

It was yet another rough outing for India, this time in a rain-curtailed game as they failed to defend a competitive score, handing England a 1-0 lead.

Heavy rain from the morning had forced the players to take cover inside. It was pouring down without any break and chances of a game being played were looking very bleak. Just when we were assuming of the game being called off, the rain relented and the ground staff showed their magic, getting the ground ready within 90 minutes.

The weather was overcast and the game was reduced to 23 overs a side. English skipper Alastair Cook was more than happy in choosing to bowl under those conditions. But the Indians were up for it.

Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane got stuck into the bowling and got off to a rollicking start. The pair had added 30 runs within 4 overs before James Anderson got rid of the former. Rahane and Dravid then consolidated and took India to 36/1 at the end of the Quick Start Overs which was reduced to 5 overs.

Cook took Powerplay 2 and that helped a bit, with the visitors scoring just 14 runs in those 2 overs. The duo of Rahane and Dravid settled into a nice partnership and had made 79 when Swann got rid of the latter. Thereafter, the wickets kept falling but the runs also kept coming. 

Rahane fell in the same process, making a fine 54. India opted for Powerplay 3 in the 20th over and scored 28/1 in those 2 overs. Suresh Raina played a fine cameo of 40 from 19 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes and propelled India to a score of 187/8 in 23 overs. Rahane top scored with 54 while Raina earned a Batting Momentum of 100. For England, Bresnan and Swann picked up 3 wickets each but the latter earned a Bowling Efficiency of 142.

Have a look at the scorecard.

India would have been very happy at the break, needing to defend a target of 188 in 23 overs and with the conditions still overcast, the new ball bowlers would have been very confident. But the English openers dented their confidence by taking the bull by the horns. Alastair Cook and Craig Kieswetter launched into the Indian attack and raced to 56 runs in the Quick Start Overs.

Vinay Kumar provided the breakthrough in Powerplay 2, getting rid of Kieswetter for 46 but by then, most of the damage was done as England needed only 121 from 100 balls. The hosts managed to score 19 runs in 2 overs even after losing Kieswetter.

The Indian bowlers struggled in cold and wet conditions and almost leaked a boundary every over. Alastair Cook stayed till the end, getting involved in useful partnerships with Bell and Bopara to take his side to a comfortable 7-wicket win.The skipper made an unbeaten 80 from 63 balls and ended with a Batting Momentum of 134. For India, there was nothing much to write about the bowling and Ravichandran Ashwin picked up 2 wickets, earning a Bowling Efficiency of 84.

Both teams finished level with 54 points on the Castrol Index though, one must admit, England outplayed India.

Alastair Cook was named the Man Of The Match for his half century and finished as the top performer with a value of 51. For India, Suresh Raina earned a value of 44 points.

By virtue of this win, England take a 1-0 lead in the 5-match series with 3 games remaining. India have slipped to 4th place in the ODI rankings as a result of this defeat.

The third ODI will be played at the Oval on Friday, 9th September, 2011 at 1200 GMT.