Pakistan v Bangladesh, Super Four, Asia Cup, Karachi

Pakistan thrash sorry Bangladesh

July 4, 2008

Pakistan 116 for 0 (Butt 56*, Jamshed 52*) beat Bangladesh 115 (Rauf 3-24) by ten wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Abdur Rauf's picked up three top-order wickets as Bangladesh were bowled out for 115 © AFP

A clinical performance from Pakistan saw them coast to a ten-wicket win over Bangladesh in the inconsequential final Super Four match of the Asia Cup. In a refreshing change at the National Stadium in Karachi, the bowlers dominated the proceedings in the first session but for Bangladesh it was the same old story as their innings folded at 115 all out - the tournament's lowest total.

On a pitch offering sideways movement and extra bounce, Abdur Rauf sliced through the top order with three wickets and Iftikhar Anjum bowled an astonishing six maidens - equalling the record for a Pakistani - to put the hosts on course. Half-centuries from openers Nasir Jamshed and Salman Butt helped complete the formalities with more than 30 overs to spare.

The plethora of big scores that have been easily chased down hasn't dissuaded captains from choosing to bat first, and Mohammad Ashraful continued the trend. While Sohail Tanvir extracted significant lateral movement from the pitch initially, it was Rauf who got the early wickets.

On one of the cooler days of the tournament, on a difficult pitch, Bangladesh's batsmen compounded their troubles with some ill-advised shots. Opener Nazimuddin attempted to pull a short delivery in the second over from outside off and only managed to top-edge it to Shoaib Malik at cover.

Ashraful and Tamim Iqbal didn't bring out their strokes except when the bowlers erred, but their steady approach lifted Bangladesh to 41 for 2. Ashraful hadn't connected with an attempted hook in the ninth over but got hold of a short one from Rauf in the next to launch it over the midwicket boundary. Rauf's next ball was a fast bowler's classic reply: a snorter aimed at the body which forced Ashraful to give Misbah-ul-Haq a catch at point.

Raqibul Hasan has shown a heartening and - for a Bangladesh batsman - rare ability to stick it out in the middle but this time he went for an ambitious hook first ball off Tanvir to hole out at short fine leg.

With Bangladesh at a dicey 49 for 3, Rauf came up with the best over of the match. The first ball was a sharp bouncer which Tamim fended to slip, and Alok Kapali barely survived the next five torrid deliveries - a couple of well-directed bouncers, and a mixture of incoming and away-going deliveries.

Iftikhar Anjum followed the Rauf formula of throwing in a surprise bouncer while also testing the batsmen against the deliveries which seamed off a length. Kapali struck three boundaries in Anjum's first over but he was undone by the extra lift in the pitch as well. It was a superb comeback by Anjum, conceding only seven runs in his last nine overs and beating the bat on umpteen occasions. He finished with figures of 10-6-20-2 and was unlucky to not get more wickets.

Saeed Ajmal backed up the good work of the fast bowlers, picking up two late-order wickets off his doosra, which the batsmen struggled to pick as Bangladesh folded in the 39th over.

The flimsy total wasn't going to be much of a challenge for a Pakistan batting line-up that convincingly chased down 309 against India on Wednesday. Jamshed provided the early momentum, repeatedly carting the bowlers in the arc between long-on and midwicket as Pakistan went into the dinner break at 23 for no loss.

Shahadat Hossain extracted the same bounce which aided the Pakistan bowlers, and troubled both openers in the first over after the resumption but there were few alarms after that. Pakistan scored a boundary in virtually every over with a series of off drives off Mashrafe Mortaza and Shahadat.

There was a brief lull after spin was introduced at both ends before Butt carved Abdur Razzak through extra cover in the eighteenth over. That opened the floodgates as Jamshed pummelled Mahmudullah over long-on for six and brought up his fifty with a swept four to midwicket. Butt also completed his fifty with three sweeps to the boundary off Razzak before an authoritative cut put Bangladesh out of their misery.

Bangladesh are still without a win against challenging opposition since last year's World Cup and the poor showing at the Asia Cup isn't the sort of preparation they'd want ahead of a tough tour of Australia.

Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Super Four, Asia Cup, Karachi

Regular strikes hamper Bangladesh's progress

June 30, 2008

25 overs Bangladesh 131 for 4 (Raqibul 35*, Kapali 5*) need another 202 runs to beat Sri Lanka 332 for 8 (Jayasuriya 130, Sangakkara 121)
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Kumar Sangakkara didn't take the field for Sri Lanka after scoring his third century of the tournament © AFP

With Nazimuddin making a sprightly 47 and Raqibul Hasan going along at lively clip, Bangladesh were striving hard to make a decent attempt at an imposing target of 333 against Sri Lanka. In a match they need to win to keep their Asia Cup hopes alive, they had reached 131 for 4 by the halfway mark, needing to score at eight an over to pull off an improbable upset. Alok Kapali, who scored that blazing century against India on Saturday, was still around though.

Nazimuddin started very slowly, but he launched into some fine cuts and drives once he was settled. Ajantha Mendis, who had bamboozled the Pakistanis, was thumped for a four and a six by Nazimuddin, and only a miscommunication with Raqibul saw him run out when in sight of a half-century.

By then, he had already seen Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful, the side's leading lights, depart. With Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Kulasekara giving nothing away early on, Tamim quickly became restless, and a tame nibble at a Vaas delivery was easily taken by Tillakaratne Dilshan, deputising for Kumar Sangakkara behind the stumps.

Ashraful came in and took three fours off a Vaas over, but then had one of those brain-fades that he's become prone to. He was in no sort of position to try and pull Thilan Thushara, and the top-edge came down into Dilshan's hands.

But with Raqibul starting in strokeful fashion and Nazimuddin determined to tilt at windmills, the run-rate quickly soared, with Thushara coming in for harsh treatment. However, with Nazimuddin's dismissal, and Muttiah Muralitharan coming on to snaffle Mushfiqur Rahim, it looked as though Bangladesh were coming to the end of their Asia Cup campaign.

50 overs Sri Lanka 332 for 8 (Jayasuriya 130, Sangakkara 121) against Bangladesh

	Sanath Jayasuriya helped himself to a century on his 39th birthday © AFP

As birthday bashes go, this one was pretty special, with Sanath Jayasuriya bludgeoning Bangladesh into near-submission as Sri Lanka took a giant stride towards the Asia Cup final. Some of the Bangladesh players were still in diapers when Jayasuriya made his debut, and they must have felt as helpless as babies at times when he celebrated his 39th birthday with the fluent shot-making and power-hitting that typified his halcyon years. He raced to a century off only 55 balls, and it almost escaped attention that Kumar Sangakkara eased his way to an elegant century to follow the one he made against Pakistan just 24 hours earlier. And though it turned out to be a two-man show, Sri Lanka still piled up 332 from their 50 overs.

Jayasuriya and Sangakkara added 201 in only 27.5 overs before Jayasuriya ran out of puff in the Karachi heat. A poor delivery from Alok Kapali was lofted to deep cover where Tamim Iqbal took the catch. There was scarcely any joy because, by then, Jayasuriya had pounded 130 off only 88 balls, with a heady rhythm of cuts, pulls and drives.

Sangakkara carried on though, having been reprieved by Kapali off his own bowling on 51. He drove beautifully down the ground and made good use of both the orthodox sweep and the slogged version. Occasionally, he would also come down the track and loft the ball over the infield, as Bangladesh appeared bereft of options.

When Jayasuriya lashed Mashrafe Mortaza's opening delivery past point for four, it appeared to be a sign of things to come, but with Shahadat Hossain bowling a maiden first up, Bangladesh conceded only 20 in the first five overs. The trouble started after that, with Jayasuriya dusting off his pull stroke and also driving over the infield with immense power.

Sangakkara wasn't to be left behind, piercing the packed offside field cleverly on occasion, but after a while he gave up trying to keep pace. Jayasuriya was unstoppable. When the bowlers dropped short, he would pull over midwicket. If they were too full, the disdainful flick was unveiled. Too much width and the hoardings behind the point boundary were battered with short-arm cuts. And if all that wasn't punishment enough, he would also saunter down the track before lashing the ball over the covers.

The half-century took only 31 balls, and when Abdur Razzak came on, he was taken for 19 runs in his second over. Two crisp fours off Farhad Reza and a single to long leg later, he had a century, the 26th of an illustrious career. Sangakkara, who had caressed some lovely drives himself, was the perfect foil, and Bangladesh's cause wasn't helped when Mushfiqur Rahim fluffed a catch behind the stumps off Razzak right after Jayasuriya had got his hundred.

His eventual departure did stem the tide though, with the other batsmen unable to support Sangakkara. Mahela Jayawardene eased to 20 before pulling a long hop from Kapali to midwicket and neither Chamara Kapugedera nor Silva could get going. Tillakaratne Dilshan was run out by a direct hit from Raqibul Hasan, and when Razzak finally sneaked one under Sangakkara's defence, Bangladesh had managed a comeback of sorts. But thanks to their openers becoming only the 18th pair to score centuries in the same game, Sri Lanka were nearly out of sight by then.

Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Super Four, Asia Cup, Karachi

Sangakkara ton sets up 64-run win

June 29, 2008

Sri Lanka 302 for 7 (Sangakkara 112, Tanvir 5-48) beat Pakistan 238 for 9 (Misbah-ul-Haq 76, Malik 52, Mendis 4-47) by 64 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Kumar Sangakkara was in sublime touch on his way to the ninth ODI hundred of his career © AFP

Kumar Sangakkara's flawless century was backed by a disciplined bowling performance as Sri Lanka took a giant stride towards the final with a comfortable 64-run win over Pakistan at the National Stadium in Karachi. Sohail Tanvir's five-wicket haul couldn't prevent Sri Lanka from piling 302 for 7, and a lacklustre batting performance all but ended Pakistan's hopes by the halfway mark of their chase. For the hosts, a win here was crucial and the result severely dents their chances of progressing to the final.

Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan captain, opted to field today, perhaps wary after India had chased 300 in their previous game. However, once again his bowlers failed to make an impact barring Tanvir, who varied his pace and angle of attack intelligently. He got precious little support from the other bowlers, and the batsmen picked easy runs on a docile pitch. In contrast, each of Sri Lanka's bowlers played their part on a slowing track to limit Pakistan to 238 for 9. After the fast bowlers had throttled the runs, Ajantha Mendis sliced through the middle order with his bag of tricks to completely derail the chase.

Sangakkara's ninth ODI century - his second of the tournament - was the fulcrum of Sri Lanka innings, and the three sizeable partnerships he was in involved in boosted Sri Lanka to a 300-plus total. Sanath Jayasuriya was trapped lbw by the impressive Tanvir early, but the old firm of Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene set about steadying the innings with a 40-run stand.

The pair rarely had to take any risks, watchful against the good deliveries and putting away the loose ones on offer. As Sri Lanka progressed smoothly, Tanvir was brought back in the 14th over and he made an immediate impact, getting Jayawardene to cut one to Misbah-ul-Haq at point. That brought in Chamara Kapugedera, who gave Sangakkara solid support, sensibly working the singles while using his feet to unleash a couple of huge sixes.

Sangakkara was his usual classy self, compiling his runs in an assured manner, with an impeccably-timed push down the ground for four off Tanvir being the highlight of his knock. He was initially content playing from the crease against the spinners but danced down the track to them as the innings progressed.

Kapugedera had moved to 43, and added 88 for the third wicket, when he perished attempting to sweep a ball from outside off, only to top-edge it to midwicket, handing debutant legspinner Mansoor Amjad his first ODI wicket. Chamara Silva didn't learn from Kapugedera's dismissal and was lucky to see a sweep fly to the third-man boundary.

With Malik sending down some hit-me deliveries and the other spinners ineffective as well, Sangakkara and Silva kept the runs flowing. Yet again Malik turned to Tanvir to limit the damage, and the bowler responded by removing Silva with a delivery that angled in. After bringing up his hundred, Sangakkara threw his bat around before being bowled by Tanvir for 112. Thilan Thushara justified the decision to send him ahead of Tillakaratne Dilshan by crashing a 20-ball 28.

Five stats Sohail Tanvir's 5 for 48 is the first five-wicket haul in ODIs. This was his first game against Sri Lanka. Kumar Sangakkara's 112 was his second hundred in the tournament, and his second against Pakistan. Sri Lanka's 302 for 7 is their second-highest score in Pakistan. The best, 357 for 9, came against Bangladesh earlier in the tournament. Ajantha Mendis' 4 for 47 came on the back of his 5 for 22 against UAE. That after he had gone wicketless in two innings. Salman Butt's first-ball duck was his second no-show in the tournament. He has scored just 35 runs in three innings.

In quest of what would have been their most successful chase against Sri Lanka, Pakistan got off to the worst possible start when Salman Butt inside-edged Chaminda Vaas' first delivery on to his stumps. Only three runs had come off the first three overs before Malik and Younis Khan peppered the off side with boundaries to plunder 26 runs off the next two.

Just as the hosts thought the floodgates had been opened, Sri Lanka hit back with a bunch of miserly overs to maintain the stranglehold. Vaas and Nuwan Kulasekara bowled a tight line and length, and once Thilan Thushara recovered from a poor start to curb the runs, the pressure began to tell.

After Younis fell miscuing a pull to midwicket, Mohammad Yousuf and Malik consolidated, picking up the singles, but struggled to keep up with the asking-rate. With the pitch assisting spinners as the match wore on, Mendis added to his growing reputation by deceiving Yousuf (19) with a straighter one and Malik (52) with a legcutter.

By the time Shahid Afridi got out to a customary ill-advised swipe, the asking-rate had ballooned to nearly ten and there was no way back for Pakistan. All Misbah's 70-ball 76, during which he repeatedly carted the spinners over midwicket, could do was make the margin of defeat a little more respectable.

India and Sri Lanka are now both on four points, and Pakistan will have to win both their remaining Super Four matches to keep alive their thin hopes of qualifying for the title clash.