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West Indies innings 10 overs: Two ‘keepers injured as West Indies openers take charge
from Rohan Chandran in Dhaka
It was a full house again at the Bangabandhu Stadium as Pakistan and the West Indies prepared to do battle in the last of the quarter finals of the Wills International Cup. Judging by the noise level in the raucous crowd, and the number of flags waving, the Pakistanis, despite having the most unfortunate uniforms, are the best supported team in the tournament, with Wasim Akram clearly the single biggest card.
The crowd may have a lot of respect for Wasim Akram, but Philo Wallace certainly didn’t, and after Brian Lara had won the toss and elected to bat, the West Indian opener launched into Wasim Akram's opening over, clubbing him back over his head, through mid wicket, down to fine leg for boundaries. It was what the crowd wanted to see - fair minded as ever, it didn’t bother them that their hero was suffering under the onslaught.
The pitch looked to have a tinge of green, but that was merely an illlusion, a result of the groundsman having rolled a sprinkling of grass into it overnight. The intent was no doubt to help bind the pitch together, but Azhar Mahmood was clearly a little overexcited by the look of the strip, and it was to Stuart Williams’ advantage, for when the bowler pitched short, the diminutive opener had all the time in the world to rock back and pull through mid wicket for four.
This was followed by a lengthy delay, when Azhar Mahmood sprayed the ball wide, and Moin Khan injured his knee as he stretched for the take. Physio Dan Kiesel patched Moin up as best he could, but the keeper was clearly in trouble, unable to even walk properly, and at the end of the over, he had to leave the field, Aamer Sohail donning the gloves in his place. This wasn’t a surprise, but the loss of one of their slow bowlers may affect Pakistan later in the day.
Stuart Williams showed a side of his batting which many observers have never seen before, electing to move his feet from time to time. Having driven Azhar through the covers in Rahul Dravid style in the previous over, he now meted out the same treatment to Wasim. The bowler switched to bowling round the wicket, and this immediately made an impression, the familiar leaden footed ways of Williams returning to haunt him.
All of a sudden, things swung around completely. Azhar bowled a superb over to Williams, allowing him just a single, and then Wasim, obviously fired up at the other end started out brilliantly, going past the batsman four times in succession outside the off stump. He slipped a little therefter, bowling a wide down leg side, which Sohail as unable to hold on to, and following it up with a slower ball which went well wide of the off stump, but he conceded nothing else, and the West Indies ended the fifth over on 33 for no loss.
With the first ball of the next over, Azhar trapped Williams plumb in front, the openers lack of footwork, which has earned him the nickname Nureyev, betraying him once again. Shiv Chanderpaul was the next man in, but he had to wait a while, as Aamer Sohail became the second Pakistani wicket keeper on the day to require treatment for an injury. It wasn’t clear what had happened, and this reporter speculated that one of his team mates may have missed in an attempt to high-five him, and caught him in the eye. Minutes later, as Sohail was attended to on the field, television replays confirmed exactly that, the teammate in question being Salim Malik. Mahmood was working up some pace, and this was evidenced emphatically when Chanderpaul edged him to third man, and the ball crashed straight through the sponsors advertising hoardings, leaving a gaping hole in its wake.
As Wasim continued from the other end, bowling at a similar pace to Indian speedster Javagal Srinath, in the high 130’s, Chanderpaul looked uncomfortable. Not the most elegant of batsmen at the best of times, he was beaten twice outside his off stump as he sparred at balls which ought to have been left well alone.
Moin returned to the field in the 8th over, and Aamer Sohail gratefully gave him back the keeping gloves. He was immediately back in the thick of the action, as a Wallace heave resulted in a bottom edge bouncing just over Moins head, and down to the boundary for four. Some terrible fielding from Arshad Khan and Saleem Elahi allowed the West Indians some extra runs, and the 50 came up in the 8th over.
This was Akram’s cue to withdraw himself from the attack, and the first spin of the day, Akram’s slower ball excepted, came in the form of Saqlain Mushtaq. Bowling with a slip and a short cover to the right hander, and a slip and silly point to Chanderpaul, Saqlain settled right into his stride, forcing the batsmen to play him watchfully.
Chanderpaul was beginning to look more settled at the crease, and with every ball faced, his confidence visibly grew, and he looked to go after Mahmood, flicking him delightfully through mid wicket for four, and then cutting him to third man for a single. The left-right combination unsettled Mahmood, and he strayed down the leg side to Wallace, who glanced him fine for four, and then drove him through Wasim Akrams hands at mid on for another couple.
At the end of ten overs, West Indies wer 69 for 1.
20 overs: The Wallace and Wallace Show
The Pakistan bowlers continued to suffer, and it was Saqlains turn to bear the brunt of the damage, as Philo Wallace ripped into him, slamming fours backward of square, and through wide mid wicket. Wasim brought himself back on from the other end, replacing Azhar, but he had no more luck, as Wallace picked his slower ball, and guided it brilliantly to third man for four, a really superb shot, both in conception and execution. Wasim retorted with a 140 km/h scorcher, but it was good only for a single, as Wallace flashed and edged down to third man again. Saqlain was hit over mid wicket as he dropped slightly short to the Bajan, and with Chanderpaul looking to give his partner the strike as often as possible, the runs were flowing in abundance. Drinks were taken after the twelfth over, the delays for injuries having slowed the over rate, with the West Indians on 92 for the loss of Stuart Williams.
Sohail kept Akram on after the break, despite him going for about 6 an over, and Wallace was quite happy, picking up where he had just left off, as he raced past 50 with a stupendous straight drive for four. At the other end, one off spinner gave way to another, Arshad Khan replacing Saqlain. It didn’t make a difference to Wallace though, as he launched an expansive off drive which burst straight through yet another hoarding on the boundary. At the end of the 15 overs, the West Indians were 107 for 1, and very well poised to at least match India’s total of yesterday.
The end of the field restrictions saw the introduction of Shahid Afridi, fresh from taking 5 wickets in his his first bowling spell in Test cricket. Bowling fastish top spinners for the most part, he was able to do what none of his compatriots had done until that point, and keep Wallace under some semblance of control. It didn’t last long though, and the last ball of his over, Wallace took one stride down the wicket and waded into the delivery, the ball travelling high in the air, but bouncing just inside the boundary on it’s way over the ropes.
Chanderpaul took his cue from his partner, lofting Arshad over long off for four. Why he chose to wait until after the field restrictions were removed to open his shoulders may forever remain a mystery, but he did it to good effect. Wallace showed he could do even better however, and in the same over, he first danced down the track and clubbed Arshad straight back over his head for four, and followed that up with an exquisite square cut which fetched him another boundary. As if to demonstrate the versatility in his game, he then produced the deftest of flicks through mid wicket, just laying off the shot a fraction to allow himself time to scamper a brilliantly run two.
Salim Malik replaced Shahid Afridi, as Sohail chopped and changed his bowlers in a bid to prevent the batsmen from settling. All that happened however was that it was Chanderpaul who took over, driving through extra cover for two, and brilliantly cutting through the covers for the twentieth boundary of the West Indian innings.
It had looked like Afridi was going to change ends, but Sohail persisted with Arshad, and he was well rewarded, when the off spinner bowled a maiden to the frustrated Chanderpaul. There was yet another delay at this point, when a ball change became neccessary, and although it was Malik who had the ball and was ready to bowl before the change, after a new ball had been selected, he was banished to the outfield and Afridi brought back. He bowled a very tight over, with three men behind the wicket in the circle on the off side, and he was ultimately rewarded when a comedy of errors led to Wallace being run out. Wallace cut hard and through the gully, where two men were stationed. Malik dived to his right, but only parried the ball, as Wallace set off for a run. The ball bounced conveniently into the hands of Ijaz Ahmed, and as Chanderpaul sent Wallace back, the throw came in straight over the top of the stumps and he was run out for a brilliant 79, perhaps the best innings of the tournament to date.
Brian Lara was the next man in, and he received the same warm reception that Sachin Tendulkar had the day before. The crowd wanted to see him bat, and he was not planning to disappoint, signalling an intent with a glanced four to fine leg off his very first delivery, taking the West Indies to 147 for 2 after 20 overs.
Arshad Khan should have had Lara dismissed in the next over, as the West Indies captain recklessly came down the wicket and was beaten in the flight, but Moin Khan made a complete hash of the stumping attempt, despite having almost half a dozen chances to effect it.
At the other end, Sohail changed the bowling for the fifth successive over, bringing on Saqlain Mushtaq. Lara proved to be in an adventurous mood, and it wasn't long before he had hoisted Saqlain from bended knee over mid wicket, bringing up the West Indies' 150 in just the 22nd over. Chanderpaul was content to continue in the anchor role, working the singles well, letting his more illustrious partner be the aggressor.
Arshad's good spell finally brought the run rate down below seven, as the batsmen struggled to work him off the square, and all the action was reserved for the other end. It was almost a surprise when Saqlain was not taken off, and interestingly, Sohail brought a slip and a silly point up for the impatient Lara. The left hander flailed wildly on a couple of occasions, fortunate not to throw his wicket away in the process, and in the end all he could manage was a single. Kudos to Sohail then, although at this point it was far too little and far too late, with Pakistan needing a small miracle to get them back in the game.
In Arshad's next over, Lara prodded to a ball which turned away outside the off stump, and Aamer Sohail's dive managed to avoid the chance completely, as it sped through the solitary slip for four. It had to happen sooner or later though, and two balls afterwards, Lara tried to drive Arshad back down the ground, but the ball was far too short for the shot, and he spooned it straight up in the air, for Saqlain to run round from mid off and take an easy catch. It was a very poor innings indeed from Lara, not one befitting a man of his reputation at all.
The dismissal brought Carl Hooper to the crease, and he brought a stamp of class to the proceedings. That the crowd appreciated his sublime talents was clear, the applause for a beautifully timed wristy on drive for two matching that afforded Philo Wallace when he smote Akram back down the ground.
Umpire Orchard chose a lull in proceedings to get actively involved in the game, incorrectly no balling Saqlain Mushtaq twice in a row. The bowler was disturbed, but didn't allow it to affect him, maintaining a tight line, and not allowing the batsmen any room to drive, or get onto the back foot.
Another over, another injury. This time the victim was Arshad Khan, and the perpetrator Shivnarine Chanderpaul, demonstrating a technique which is normally seen only on a football field. Another bit of work for Dan Kiesel, but the bowler was happily restored to full functioning order, as Hooper and Chanderpaul settled into a rhythm, picking off the singles at will.
Drinks were taken at the end of the 29th over, with the West Indians on 187 for 3.
40 overs: West Indies collapse
The crowd was witness to more bizarre captaincy from Aamer Sohail after drinks, but in the end it paid dividends. Afridi bowled to Hooper with two gullies, and two men in the covers and succeeded in tying the Guyana skipper down. The frustration got to Chanderpaul at the other end, and like Dravid yesterday, he missed out on a well deserved half century when he was superbly stumped by Moin Khan.
Keith Arthurton replaced Chanderpaul, and he followed his fellow left handers' example when he inflicted another injury on the unfortunate Arshad Khan, inadvertently winding the bowler with some delicate use of his elbow. Arthurton's last visit to the subcontinent was one he will want to forget, as his sequence of scores included just zeroes and ones. But the player once dubbed 'binary man' soon got off the mark, edging Afridi down to third man for four, as the West Indians brought up their 200 in the 34th over.
Salim Malik took over from Arshad Khan as the latter finished an excellent spell, and almost immediately he picked up the wicket of Carl Hooper, flinging himself high and wide to his right to pull off a spectacular one handed return catch.
As Phil Simmons strode to the crease, the West Indian innings lay in tatters, a total of 300 now looking a long way off, when 350 had seemed within easy reach at one stage. A slip was brought in as Afridi started looking a far more dangerous proposition, the Pakistanis aware that one more wicket would put them in amongst the West Indian tail.
The runs slowed to a trickle, Afridi in particular bowling a very tight spell, pitching the ball on off stump, turning it away from the right handed Simmons, and forcing him to push straight to the fielders time and again.
The frustration mounted for Simmons in particular, who was clearly hungry for more than a diet of singles. He repeatedly looked to cut Afridi square of the wicket, but failed to connect on each occasion, and Arthurton's use of the outside edge appeared to be more effective.
At the end of the 40th over, the West Indies had crawled to 224 for 5, a total in the region of 275 probably their revised target.
Phil Simmons continued to struggle to put away even the loose deliveries, until finally, in the forty first over, a rasping back foot drive through extra cover off a Salim Malik long-hop fetched him his first boundary. At the other end, Arthurton was still struggling to break the shackles, and even some nimble footwork could not achieve the desired result. The singles still flowing, 300 was not an impossible target, but the two men at the crease had to be mindful of the fact that there was not an awful lot of batting to follow, and that Wasim Akram had four overs of his spell remaining.
Predictably, Sohail brought Wasim back on in the 44th over, presumably saving Saqlain’s three overs for the other end. Arthurton was clearly unsettled by the change in pace and was beaten outside off, and cut completely in two off successive deliveries, before the fifth ball of the over finally did the trick, having him caught behind by a jubilant Moin Khan for a well compiled 33. It was Saqlain’s turn to have treatment for some minor muscle pain as the Pakistanis awaited the arrival of Ridley Jacobs.
Jacobs didn’t last long however - off the very next delivery, umpire Orchard pronounced him lbw, as he looked to work Akram down to fine leg. An unfortunate decision, as the ball was swinging well wide of leg stump, but the damage was done, and the gradual collapse of the West Indian innings continued.
Salim Malik continued from the other end, and had Rawl Lewis completely bemused. After having an lbw appeal rejected, TV replays suggested that Lewis had indeed got a bottom edge to the next delivery, but despite some frenetic appealing from the bowler and keeper, Umpire Shepherd turned them down.
The pace of Wasim’s bowling was a lot more to Lewis’ liking, and he gave ample indication of this, easing into a Hooper-esque cover drive which comfortably beat the chasing fielder to the fence.
Malik kept going, and had Lewis in trouble once again, but he with the two batsmen now going for their shots with gay abandon, he wasn’t able to contain the batting in quite the manner he had contained it before. Wasim Akram put Phil Simmons out of his misery with a perfect leg stump yorker, and with the very next delivery, he could well have had Nixon McLean caught and bowled, were he a few inches taller. McLean played the same shot to the first two balls he received, a wristy looking attempted on drive - the first going to mid off, and the second to mid wicket, but he will have been satisfied with the three runs which resulted.
Having crossed to the other end, McLean tried the same shot to Salim Malik’s slow medium pace, and this time he found his spot, and four runs were added to the total. The next ball however, he abandoned his tried and trusted methods, and went for the good old agricultural heave-ho. The ball flew high in the air, and eventually descended towards Aamer Sohail at mid wicket. Ijaz Ahmed was taken no chances however, and running round from square leg, he ordered his skipper to make way, and, perhaps fortunately for him, safely completed the catch.
Eight runs came off Akram’s over, the final one of the innings, and Dillon and Lewis will have been delighted with that, having played their part in guiding the West Indians to an imposing total. However, the team as a whole will be disappointed, having wound up a good fifty runs short of what they would have fancied. The stage is set for a dramatic run chase in the best traditions of one day cricket, and if Shahid Afridi can get Pakistan off to a good start, the crowd at the Bangabandhu Stadium will have a real match on their hands.
Pakistan innings 10 overs: Elahi takes centre stage
from Rohan Chandran in Dhaka
Pakistan started slowly as they began their chase of 290 under lights, and it was not until the third over that the crowd really had something to cheer about. The only surprise was that it was not Shahid Afridi, but Saleem Elahi, who effortlessly flicked Nixon McLean over mid wicket for six. The shot was played with an uncharacteristic nonchalance, but for Pakistan to progress further in the tournament, it will need to be one of many.
At 135 km/h, Mervyn Dillon is one of the quickest bowlers on display here, only fractionally behind Wasim Akram, Henry Olonga and Javagal Srinath, who are leading the way. Elahi clearly found McLean the more attractive proposition, and against the extra hostility of Dillon, he was unsure how to proceed. A 139 km/h bouncer which sailed past the flailing bat of Elahi was called a no-ball, and that was the only run the Pakistanis managed off the over.
Going into the fifth over, Pakistan were 21 for no loss, remarkably, Afridi had yet to get off the mark. Perhaps spurred on by his counterpart, McLean too hit the 139 km/h mark, as Elahi now found that the going was just as difficult from either end.
As Dillon steamed in, Afridi finally decided that he had to get things going, and in an extraordinary piece of improvisation, he stepped forward and out to the offside to a delivery just short of a length, and hoiked it over mid wicket for four. That was to be his last act of bravado however, as with the next ball, Dillon trapped him absolutely smack in front of his stumps, the ball pitching middle and straightening just a touch.
Azhar Mahmood replaced Afridi, no doubt with instructions to get the scoreboard moving. It continued to be Elahi who dominated though, and although it was a complete mishit - an off drive winding up at square leg, he managed to fetch himself a boundary off the fastest delivery of the tournament to date, a 141 km/h missile from Nixon McLean. Elahi helped himself to another boundary to round out the seventh over, this time courtesy of a superbly struck straight drive back down the ground.
At the other end, Dillon dropped short to Mahmood again, and this time, the all rounder smacked his lips, said thank you very much, and pulled it away through mid wicket for four. Mahmood was now into his stride, and at the other end he produced an exquisite flick off his hips, tucking McLean away to the mid wicket boundary, following that up with a lovely cover drive which brought him a couple more.
Phil Simmons' nightmare continued in Dillon's next over. Elahi drove a half volley straight into the hands of the Leicestershire all rounder, who contrived to spill the straightforward chance, hanging his head in shame as he did so.
At the end of the first ten overs then, Pakistan 60 for 1.
Maclean, lacking the pace of his bowling partner, still looked the bowler most likely to concede runs and at the start of the 11th over, Elahi drove a short delivery through the covers for four. Both batsman would have been relieved at the introduction of Hooper, brought on for Dillon. Sure enough they found his looping deliveries easier to get away. Elahi almost contrived to get himself out nonethless trying to on drive the ball over the head of the tallest man on the field. But Dillon spilled the simple chance, failing to bring his hands together to meet the ball at shoulder height.
Improbably, it was the second change, Arthurton, who made the breakthrough. Bowling full and straight around the wicket off a short run up he caught Mahmood attempting an ambitious late cut, pushing over his off stump. Finally the binary man had some ones and noughts to celebrate: one ball, one wicket, no runs. He clearly couldn’t wait to bowl again, chasing a Mahmood glance at long leg off Hooper with all the enthusiasm of the Arthurton of old, picking up, spinning round and throwing the ball in in a single action.
After Arthurton’s next, fairly ineffectual over, fielding restrictions were lifted and Lara chose to push three fielders out to the boundary, at deep square leg, deep cover and a deep extra cover. Arthurton, now sharp as ever, alternated between gulley and long leg. The binary man once again delighted the statisticians in conceding only two singles off his next over. But it was Hooper who recorded the next significant single number on the scoresheet, bowling Sohail, who, like Mahmood, attempted to cut a straight ball.
Pakistan, not for the first time, looked to be pushing the self-destruct button. Lara kept three men on the leg side boundary for incoming batsman Ijaz, perhaps in the hope that he would be tempted to swat Hooper’s go-slows to the boundary. Rawl Lewis came on for Hooper, and straight away found the same full length as his team mates. Sending the ball down slightly quicker than either Arthurton or Hooper, he found enough turn away from the right handed Ijaz to twice beat the outside edge.
The Pakistan score at 97 for three compared unfavourably with the West Indies’ 149 for two at the same stage. The Pakistanis had just passed the 100 mark in Lewis’ second over, the 22nd, when Ijaz pushed Lewis to Dillon at mid on and opted for the run. Saleem Elahi was well short of his ground as Dillon skidded the ball home for the run out.
Ijaz finally began to find his feet, sweeping Arthurton for the first boundary the bowler had conceded. New batsman Akhtar Shafraz, a left hander, demonstrated a wicked late sweep and a useful cut, taking runs off both bowlers. But light rain still looked more likely to save Pakistan than either of the batsmen. Just in case they were getting comfortable, or more likely to bowl his weakest bowlers through while the West Indies had the initiative, Lara brought back McLean for Arthurton, prompting both batsmen to call for helmets. The replacement was a good one for the West Indies, as neither batsman coped well with the change of pace. The ball was now greasy from the light rain and Hooper came on for Lewis at the far end.
Ijaz looked the batsman most likely to score, lifting Maclean for one glorious four over cover. But Maclean’s wayward line, which kept Jacobs busy down the leg side, went unpunished far too often. Lara was happy to keep four or five men deep and let Pakistan run singles. Pakistan were at 140 for four after 30 overs.
In the 31st over, the West Indies struck again. Sharfraz came down the wicket to a full length ball, skied it in the air, and Dillon ran round from long off to long on to take a simple catch. Mahmood’s early appearance meant Malik could come out at number seven, and Pakistan needed a big Malik score to have any chance of saving the game.
Straight away Dillon came back on. He took a little time to find his range, but by the end of the first over had Malik wafting outside off stump. Mclean bowled his last from the other end, finishing with 10 overs for 59 runs and one wicket, a tidy second 5 overs had cost only 20 of those runs.
The time was ripe for Malik to make something of the match. The old stager thrilled the crowd with a couple of solid drives through the covers, and a scintillating cut off Dillon for four backward of square. But the outfield was damp and the West Indian fielders, who were not particularly keen to run hard after the ball, had an easy time mopping up Malik’s best efforts.
Arthurton returned at the pavilion end and was again the danger man for Pakistan. Ijaz pushed a straight one to Hooper at midwicket, and Hooper, like a latter day Roger Harper in his floppy hat, picked up the ball on the run and returned the ball with venom, making a direct hit. Malik ran hard and just beat the ball. In his next over he spotted Ijaz, who had just reached his 50, moving away from the wicket to cut, pushed the ball full and onto leg stump, and bowled him. It was a critical blow for Pakistan. Worse was to follow as Malik tried to reverse seep the next ball but one, and was caught leg before.
The burden now fell on captain Wasim Akram and Moin Khan, with Pakistan on 180 for 7. Lewis came back on, turning his arm over rapidly from the shoulder, and ripping the ball hard. Wasim sent the third ball of his third over, the 38th, for a massive six over midwicket. He completely missed the next delivery which spun in from outside off trying to sweep the ball and was bowled, but umpire Orchard called a no ball. Wasim was clearly chancing his arm, and it was no surprise when Arthurton, in the following over, pushed one down the off side, Wasim nicked it and was caught by Jacobs. Arthurton finished with 31 for four off his ten overs.
Saqlain came on next, apparently shirt sharing with Ijaz who had also had ‘Saqlain’ emblazoned across his shirt earlier in the innings. Simmons came on for Arthurton and proceeded to give Pakistan a glimmer of hope, sending a whole over down the leg side to Moin Khan’s obvious delight. Khan let rip in Simmons’ next over. He came down the track to the second ball and smashed it over the bowler’s head for a massive six, hit the second high over long leg for four, the third to square leg for two, and the fourth for two more to long leg, 14 off the over in total.
Just as Pakistan were back in reach, Moin tried to swing a short ball from Dillon, the first of the next over, through square leg and was caught by Lewis. The umpires briefly contemplated the possibility of calling a no ball, but good sense prevailed - the ball was clearly not above shoulder height. Pakistan, now 221 for 9, had no hope of making up the difference, and sections of the crowd started to leave. Arshad and Saqlain had a few overs batting practice before the innings closed 250 for 9, 31 short.