Pakistan prevail in thrilling climax

Pakistan prevail in thrilling climax

Cricinfo staff

January 23, 2010

Pakistan (Ahsan 30, Aziz 28, Azam 17*, Unadkat 2-26) beat India (Mandeep 40, Fayyaz 4-27) by two wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

India and Pakistan livened up a contest that, at one stage, was in danger of ending in a washout. Pakistan would have qualified for the semi-finals had the match been abandoned, but they proved they were capable of progressing to the next stage based on performance alone. A combination of quality seam bowling from Fayyaz Butt and some enterprising batting by their middle and lower orders, especially Hammad Azam, sealed a thrilling two-wicket win in the final over in front of a sparse yet boisterous crowd at the Sutcliffe Oval.

More to follow

Innings break India Under-19 114 (Mandeep 40, Fayyaz 4-27) v Pakistan Under-19

A washout would have ensured them a place in the semi-finals but Pakistan proved they were capable of progressing to the next stage based on performance alone. A combination of quality seam bowling, especially by Fayyaz Butt, and some shoddy Indian batting allowed Pakistan to limit their opponents to 114 in a game truncated to 23 overs as a result of persistent rain.

Pakistan's decision to bowl paid off immediately: the first ball of the day, a lovely outswinger from Butt, castled Rahul Kannaur, who played from the crease to a ball he should have dealt with by stepping forward. If poor technique lay at the heart of the first dismissal, a serious lack of maturity brought about the second, as Mayank Agarwal's misplaced aggression caused him to edge one to the keeper just four balls later.

The two Singhs, Mandeep and Harpreet, went about the repair job in difficult conditions - the ball moved around and the outfield was slow. With boundaries proving elusive, they concentrated on rotating the strike and accumulated 40 runs at a healthy rate before Sarmad Bhatti had Harpreet caught behind. The Indian captain Ashok Menaria, though unconvincing for much of his stay, managed a six in another promising partnership before the left-arm spin from Raza Hassan during the batting Powerplay brought about his downfall.

Mandeep then began to accelerate, edging Hammad Azam for a boundary while trying to swing over midwicket and slogging him for three more, but a mistimed pull to mid-on ended his determined knock of 40. A desperate attempt to pose something competitive provided the spark for some innovation as Mandeep, Sufian Shaikh and Gaurav Jathar experimented with the scoop over the wicketkeeper, each with varying results. The only effective surge, however, came from Manan Sharma, who hit 16 off 11, including a six in the final over, but Fayyaz cleaned up the last two wickets to finish with a four-for.

Atlast something to cheer about!!! The way earlier they played, it seemed Indians will steam roll Pakistanis but the way later order played, left some pride