Sahara Cup

ODI # 1230
Sahara Cup, 1997
India v Pakistan, 3rd One-day International
Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club
18 September 1997

Match report:

• CricInfo match report
• India put on respectable total in 3rd one-dayer by Qamar Ahmed for Dawn.
• RPakistan lose 3rd match, series against India by Qamar Ahmed for Dawn.

A progress report from CricInfo

Fine bowling and a helpful pitch had restricted India to only 182/6 off 50 overs, after Rameez Raja asked them to bat first in the 3rd Sahara Cup game. Only a superb innings by Azharuddin, supported by Jadeja and Robin Singh saved India from embarrasment. Pick of the Pakistan bowlers was Aaqib Javed who conceded only 17 runs from his 10 overs.

Thursday morning dawned bright and sunny, and Pakistan's hopes of getting back into the Sahar cup after yesterday's disappointing wash-out were further rasied when Rameez Raja called correctly, and put India in to bat. Tendulkar apparently would also have fielded, given the choice. Ijaz Ahmed returned for Pakistan, recovered from his neck problems, at the expense of Mohammad Hussian.

The decision to put India in was soon justified as hostile bowling in helpful conditions soon reduced India to 23/3. Karim and Ganguly lasted 5 overs before they fell in the course of 3 balls. Azhar Mahmood struck the first blow when Ganguly, with little footwork hit him hard but uppishly to point. Ijaz Ahmed, showing no signs of his neck problems too a fine catch. Aaqib Javed got the first ball of the next over to move away from Karim, who edged a simple catch to Moin Khan behind the wicket.

Aaqib Javed bowled superbly in his first spell conceding only 6 runs in seven overs. He was getting a lot of bounce, using controlled movement and mixing swing and leg cutters. The wicket Pakistan most wanted fell, however, when Mohammed Akram, very wayward in the first game, came on to bowl. His first ball went for two wides, but the second lifted and moved away, a near unplayable delivery that Tendulkar edged to give Moin Khan his second catch, and a duck for the Indian captain.

Dravid and Azharuddin played conservatively, and the scoring rate at this point was less than 2/over. Azharuddin stroked an overpitched ball from Azhar Mahmood through mid off for the first boundary of the innings, in the 17th over. As the shine wore off the ball conditions eased, and the spin of Shahid Afridi came as some relief to the batsmen. Ramez Raja kept Saqlain Mushtaq, the most dangerous bowler of the first two games, in reserve until the 31st over, at which point India were 87/3.

Azharuddin and Dravid had put on a crucial 66, when Dravid fell to Saleem Malik. Dravid took a big swing at a poor delivery, well outside leg-stump, and skied it to mid-wicket, where Saeed Anwar took the catch. This brought Jajeda in to resume the partnership that won game 1. Azharuddin reached his 50 off 80 balls. Meanwhile Jajeda sought to push the run-rate, hitting Saleem Malik for two big straight sixes- the ball never being recovered from the first. Jadeja had made 20 from 34 balls when he was caught from a top-edged hook, with India at 133/5 with only 9 overs to bat.

Robin Singh immediately looked to attack hitting Saqlain Mushtaq for a couple of sixes over long-on. as the overs dwindled, Azharuddin tried to accelerate, and with just 3 overs left he was first dropped in the deep, and caught off the next ball. Azharuddin's superb, ultimately match-winning innings of 67 off 110 balls - slow, but entirely in sympathy with the bowling and conditions, matched his fine 50 in the first game. A brief flurry from Robin Singh (32* off 29 balls), taking 14 runs off Saqlain Mushtaq's last over saw India to a total of 182/6, seemingly 30 runs short of a winning total.

When Pakistan started their reply, India's opening bowlers, Kuruvilla and Mohanty, so effective in the first two games, had trouble finding their line. Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi made a confident start, on a wicket that seemed to have eased over the course of the day. Tendulkar shuffled the cards and brought on Harvinder Singh to bowl the 7th over. He immediately had Saeed Anwar edging a none too difficult catch to slip, only for Kulkarni to drop it. Saeed Anwar then proceeded to take 12 off the unfortunate Harvinder Singh's next over, including a pulled six, and a cracking square cut for four, bringing up the 50 in only the 9th over. Saeed Anwar fell in the next over, flicking a hard chance straight to midwicket, very well taken by Dravid, Mohanty the bowler.

After Harvinder Singh completely beat Shahid Afridi with a fine outswinger, the youngster responded by crashing the next three balls for 4, all very hard hit shots between cover and point. After thumping another boundary to mid-wicket, Shahid Afridi lofted a drive to mid-on where Tendulkar took the catch. Pakistan at this point were 72/2 off only 11.5 overs. Afridi made 44 off 38 balls, another brilliant cameo to match that of the previous day. Rameez Raja rapidly followed. After hitting two fine boundaries, he tried for a third, perhaps unwisely, and hit a simple catch to Ganguly at cover to give Harvinder Singh a wicket.

The game at this point took a puzzling turn. Suddenly batting that had looked easy for the openers became a difficult task indeed. Kuruvilla beat Saleem Malik with three consecutive leg cutters, and then, critically, Ganguly replaced Harvinder Singh, who had given up 41 runs off 5 overs. In his second over, Saleem Malik drove too early at a well disguised slower ball, and Tendulkar took the catch at mid on. Hasan Rasa came in and left in the next over, failing to trouble the scorers, as Ganguly struck again. Pakistan had gone from 87/2 to 103/5, and India had some reason to hope. Ijaz Ahmed was playing with caution, but on 13, went for a big hit, top edged, and a skier was well caught by subtitute Kambli. The crowd watched wth amazement as Moin Khan hit a simple catch to cover, Pakistan 118/7, Ganguly 4/10. It was hard to fathom the reason for Ganguly's amazing success- he bowled a good length and line, with some movement, but the Pakistani batsmen showed little application, going for big hits when pushing singles was required.

Mohanty returned to the attack, and soon had Azhar Mahmood hit a simple leg side catch to Karim. Saqlain Mushtaq alone played sensibly, again looking a better player than several of his teamates further up the order. Aaqib Javed, on the other hand, decided to hit, smashing his first two balls for boundaries. Saqlain Mushtaq remonstrated with him, pleading with him to play more sensibly with little success. To Saqlain Mushtaq's obvious fury, Aaqib Javed went for another big hit, and predictably lofted a catch to Kuruvilla - giving Ganguly figures of 5/15 off 10 overs. With the last man in Saqlain was forced to go for his shots, and perished nobly, caught at third man, to give India an astonishing win.

Dave Liverman (wgg@cricinfo.com0

Thanks :; badri

India put on respectable total in 3rd one-dayer

By Qamar Ahmed

Singh struck two sixes and as many fours in his unbeaten 32 from 29 balls to guide India to a total which looked beyond reach when Pakistan had reduced them to 102 for four in 35 overs.

Former captain Mohammad Azharuddin played a usual peculiar and determined innings scoring 67 off 110 balls with four boundaries after India had lost openers Saurav Ganguly (2) and Saba Karim (2) before Sachin Tendulkar also joined them without scoring.

Paceman Mohammad Akram was the pick of bowlers snapping up two wickets for 28 runs but it was Aqib Javed who turned out to be the most impressive. He conceded just 17 runs off his 10 overs before grabbing the wicket of Indian wicketkeeper.

The match, being played afresh after the washout on Wednesday, provided Pakistan with a happy start when Ramiz Raja won the toss again and decided on this occasion to put India in.

Within six overs India had lost their openers Surav Ganguly and Saba Karim for only 12 runs and then in the 12th over India lost another important wicket of their captain, Sachin Tendulkar, who was caught at the wicket by Moin Khan off Mohammad Akram for a duck.

Ganguly, who has been batting well in this five-match series, was first to go when he cut and was comfortably held at point by Ijaz Ahmed off Azhar Mahmood. Ijaz had replaced colt Hasan Raza in this match. Ganguly had scored 2 and later Aqib Javed moving one late from the off stump had Saba Karim taken at the wicket for 2.

Azhar Mahmood, Aqib Javed and Mohammad Akram kept a tantalising line to extract lift and bounce off the wicket on which Pakistan in the washout game had mustered 169 for 3 with Saeed Anwar making an unbeaten 74. Indian batsmen Mohammad Azharuddin and Rahul Dravid, however, settled down after a jittery start to take India to 89 adding 66 runs for the fourth wicket. The two played and missed but seemed to have gained confidence on a wicket of uneven bounce on which Ramiz Raja had to retire on Wednesday after being hit twice on his knuckles by Ganguly. The injury was not serious and is leading the side in this match. In the 32nd over India lost their fourth wicket of Dravid when he pulled Salim Malik and was caught at mid-on by Saeed Anwar for 25. Azharuddin was then batting with 37 having struck two fours. Not much later he reached his 50 with the help of four boundaries as India went past 100 runs in the 35th over.

Both Salim Malik and Saqlain Mushtaq bowled steadily but Ajay Jadeja picked one off Malik and hit over the fence towards mid-on to get into double figures and hit one again in the next over.

Pakistan lose 3rd match, series against India

By Qamar Ahmed

Having restricted India to only 182 in 50 overs they were well in control of the game at 79 for 2 in 11.5 overs and then lost their way as a part-timer with the ball Surav Ganguly, with a haul of 5 for 16 in ten overs, terrorised them, the best ever bowling by any Indian in the instant brand of cricket. Pakistan were all out for 148 in the 37th over, losing their last eight wicket for only 69 runs, and that was pathetic.

It was not uncharacteristic of Pakistan batsmen to bat like that. It has happened before on many occasions, but this time the manner of the dismissal of the frontline batsmen gave a general impression to the public and also to the viewers in distant part of the world that Pakistan was playing to lose and not to win. Perhaps they had planned to do exactly that.

Ganguly, with little pretensions to top-class bowling, did much damage. Pakistan batsmen's mind-boggling approach to get to the target was shocking.

A stand of 52 for the first wicket between Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi was good enough start to build on to it. Once the two were caught off Debashish Mohanty and Abey Kuruvilla for 22 and 44 respectively, the floodgates opened and the waves carried away the rest. Salim Malik offered a simple catch at mid-on off Ganguly when 6. Ijaz Ahmed hooked like a schoolboy would do in his first match to be caught by substitute Vinod Kambli at long leg when only 13, Moin Khan at 7 spooned another delivery from Ganguly at cover to Robin Singh and Hasan Raza had no clue as he hit across the line. The rest, except Saqlain Mushtaq, were as much irresponsible as Ganguly was made to look a dangerous person on the kill.

India earlier after being put in had a poor start losing two wickets for 12 runs as Ganguly and Saba Karim were caught by Ijaz and Moin off Azhar Mahmood and Aqib Javed having made 2 runs each and later Tendulkar was out for 0 off Mohammad Akram at 23 but it was Mohammad Azharuddin, who really held the innings together while making 67 runs. He put on 66 with Aajay Jadeja for the fifth.

Jadeja made 20 with two sixes and later Robin Singh smashed 32 in 29 balls having hit two sixes and two fours to take India to a score from where they could challenge Pakistan which they did.

Source:: Dawn (http://dawn.com/)

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