5th Match: Pakistan v Zimbabwe at Sharjah, 31 Oct 2001 CricInfo Live Report

5th Match: Pakistan v Zimbabwe at Sharjah, 31 Oct 2001
Anand Vasu

Pakistan innings: 15 overs, 30 overs, End of innings,
Pre-game: Toss & Teams,
Zimbabwe innings: 15 overs, 30 overs,

FLOWER BROTHERS KEEP ZIMBABWE IN THE HUNT

As they have done so many times in the past, Grant and Andy Flower lifted their games to a higher level when Zimbabwe needed it the most. Coming together with the score on 13/2 the brothers batted sensibly and solidly to take Zimbabwe to 145/2 in 30 overs. Grant Flower outscored his brother quite easily - a rare sight. Unbeaten on 81 (113 balls, 10x4) Grant Flower led the way, with Andy Flower (45 not out, 54 balls, 3x4) keeping him good company.

After Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram were done with their initial spells, the Pakistan bowling let the Zimbabweans off the hook. Having exerted tremendous pressure early on, the Pakistanis needed to keep things tight. Abdur Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood however were both guilty of giving the batsmen a bit too much width. Bowling both sides of the wicket, the mediumpacers allowed Grant Flower to get the ball away quite regularly.

Danish Kaneria playing his first limited overs international got good purchase from the wicket but could not break through the defences of the batsmen. Giving the ball plenty of air and a good rip, Kaneria got the ball to bounce and fizz, beating the bat on more than one occasion. Kaneria’s confidence was evident in the number of googlies he sent down, without much luck.

Grant Flower’s experience came to the fore in the manner in which he paced his innings. Having seen off Waqar and Wasim at the cost of batting slowly, Grant Flower capitalised on some less than inspired bowling. When the ball was there to be hit Grant Flower threw everything at it, flashing hard when he did so. Thumping square cuts and drives interspersed with delicate tickles past the keeper kept the Pakistanis on their toes and the scoreboard ticking over.

The batting was not pretty – no frills or fancies whatsoever. The efficiency however was exactly what Zimbabwe needed. At the end of the 30th over, the Flower brothers were still together, having added 132 in 22 overs. At this stage, Zimbabwe are still very much in the hunt.

WAQAR YOUNIS STRIKES EARLY AS ZIMBABWE CHASE 262 FOR VICTORY

Under the bright lights at the Sharjah Cricket Association stadium, with a full moon looking down on the proceedings, arguably one of the finest fast bowling pairings in recent times made life extremely difficult for the Zimbabweans. Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis steamed in, with a total of 262 to defend. Having bowled together for many years, Akram and Waqar complemented each other perfectly. While Akram concentrated on bowling a length that made it difficult for the batsmen to go after him, Waqar maintained a teasing line just outside the off stump. The display of high quality fast bowling kept Zimbabwe down to 53/2 in 15 overs.

The dew that invariably sets in under the lights seemed to assist the fast bowlers on what looked a good track for batting. Using the bouncer to great effect, the ‘twin Ws’ pushed batsmen onto the back foot. Zimbabwe openers Trevor Gripper and Grant Flower barely put bat to ball in the early overs. At the end of seven overs, Zimbabwe managed to put just 13 runs on the board.

The 8th over however, put an end to Gripper’s misery. With the pressure sufficiently built up, Waqar slipped in a full delivery on the middle and leg stump. A touch of late swing meant that Gripper could not keep his flick shot down and Yousuf Youhana pocketed a sharp catch at midwicket. Gripper managed 4 runs from 14 balls. Although Gripper would like to forget that particular moment, Waqar Younis will remember it for a long time to come as the wicket took him to 350 wickets in his 115th ODI. That’s a strike rate that would make anyone proud.

Stuart Carlisle replaced Gripper and in turn found the proceedings too hot to handle. After being tested by a couple of quick ones from Waqar, Carlisle chased after one outside the off stump and only managed to edge the ball to stumper Latif. Carlisle did not trouble the scorers in his three ball stay at the crease.

The brothers Flower came together in the 8th over with the score on 13/2. The fact that a batsman of Andy Flower’s class was tied up speaks volumes for the sheer quality of the fast bowling on display. Akram finished with figures of 6-2-13-0 from his first spell and certainly looked good for a wicket or two. Bowling at the other end, Younis took himself off the attack after notching up figures of 6-1-16-2.

Grant Flower had just 10 from 43 balls when he struck the first boundary of the Zimbabwe innings in the 13th over. At the end of 15 overs he had 35 off 60 balls to his credit.

The disciplined second string of Azhar Mahmood and Abdur Razzaq took over from Akram and Younis. This eased the pressure a bit and Zimbabwe managed to move on to 53/2 after 15 overs.

ZIMBABWE RESTRICT PAKISTAN TO 261/9

Just when one thought the Zimbabwe team had taken too much of a beating to bounce back, Brian Murphy’s men showed that they had enough in them to put up a fight. It might be a case of too little too late, but Zimbabwe managed to snare wickets at regular intervals and peg the Pakistan scoring rate back. After being 153 for 3 after 30 overs, Pakistan managed 261/9 in their allotted 50 overs.

A spate of run outs saw the Pakistan team lose all chances of mounting a late order assault. Azhar Mahmood (29 runs, 38 balls, 1x6, 1x4) and Younis Khan put together the only meaningful partnership of the middle-order, adding 53 runs for the fourth wicket. Mahmood however played one shot too many and was snapped up by Brent off the bowling of Sean Ervine in the 40th over. The Pakistan score at Mahmood’s dismissal was 205.

In the following five overs, Pakistan lost a further three wickets, with no batsman getting set. Abdur Razzaq (10), Rashid Latif (4) and Wasim Akram (2) all fell cheaply and the Pakistan innings lost momentum. With wickets falling, the Zimbabweans got sharper in the field, bowled a steady line and length and kept the runs down to a bare minimum.

More than a case of good bowling, it was a lack of concentration that caused Pakistan’s downfall. Younis Khan, who batted well with his various partners played one shot too many and perished in the 46th over, holing out to Doug Marillier at long on off the bowling of Ervine. Younis Khan’s innings was well paced and had the right mixture of aggressive and defensive strokes. With just two boundaries in his 58, Younis Khan had to do a lot of running and the effort began to tell. It was a tired shot that caused his downfall, coming after almost 100 minutes spent in the hot, humid conditions out in the middle.

Younis Khan’s wicket saw Inzamam-ul-Haq return to the middle. Shahid Afridi, one of the quickest men in the Pakistan team came out to run for Inzamam. Now that the big man did not have to worry about running, his timing and placement improved. Putting away loose balls that were on offer, Inzamam helped keep the scoring rate up. Pakistan would have liked to see Inzamam (21 runs, 25 balls, 2x4) bat the full 50 overs, but that was not to be. An uppish flick off the bowling of Ervine went straight down the throat of Murphy at midwicket.

For the Zimbabweans, Sean Ervine bowling mediumpace returned the best figures, scalping 3/28 off 7 overs. The hallmark of his bowling was the manner in which he varied the pace of his deliveries, bowling well disguised slower balls at will.

Waqar Younis (8 not out) and Danish Kaneria (3 not out) did their best at the end of the innings and Pakistan left Zimbabwe needing to score 262 for victory at a rate of 5.24 per over. Although the Pakistanis would have been looking at a bigger score, this target is not one the Zimbabweans can afford to take lightly. Pakistan have great variety in their bowling attack – Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram to open the bowling, Azhar Mahmood and Abdur Razzaq to bowl steady mediumpace and Danish Kaneria with his leggies. Kaneria, it must be remembered, bagged 12 wickets in the last Test he played, against Bangladesh at Multan.

PAKISTAN CONSOLIDATE AFTER QUICK START

As is so often the case with one-dayers played on good batting strips, the excitement of the first 15 overs makes the 15 that follow look rather docile. Having raced to 89/2 off 15 overs, Pakistan proceeded to add 64 runs in the next 15 overs, losing one wicket. Although only one wicket was lost, two batsmen returned to the pavilion, with Inzamam-ul-Haq retiring hurt.

To say the middle overs of the Pakistan innings passed without incident would be a case of adding insult to injury to the great man from Multan. Attempting to pull a delivery from Henry Olonga, Inzamam played over the ball and was struck in the groin. A painful blow that caused Inzamam to retire hurt after 17.1 overs.

Yousuf Youhana and Younis Khan then combined to push the Pakistan score on. Flicking, stroking and driving carefully, Youhana kept the scoreboard ticking without setting the stands ablaze. A flurry of boundaries off the spinners in the period shortly after the 20th over helped keep monotony at bay but did not significantly boost the scoring rate.

Gary Brent, hammered early on, managed to salvage some pride, trapping Youhana (41 runs, 67 balls, 4x4) in front of the stumps in the 29th over. With Azhar Mahmood joining him out in the middle, Younis Khan had 24 to his name while Pakistan were 153/3 at the end of 30 overs.

AFRIDI ASSAULT GIVES PAKISTAN BREEZY START

Heath Streak will surely be relieved that he stepped down from the captaincy before the carnage in the Khaleej Times Trophy 2001. After being asked to take the field, Zimbabwe were sent on an earnest leather-hunt by a strong Pathan who has put the fear of God in so many bowlers the world around. Shahid Afridi took the attack to the heart of the Zimbabwe camp. On the back of Afridi’s assault, Pakistan reached 89/2 in their first 15 overs. Yousuf Youhana (12) and Inzamam-ul-Haq (2) were at the crease.

Things began rather badly for the Zimbabweans, with Henry Olonga not finding his rhythm at all. Despite generating good pace, Olonga was ineffective, bowling as many as five no-balls in his very first over.

The no-balls however, were hardly the problem for the men from Africa. In the fifth over of the day, Afridi announced his intentions loud and clear, clouting Streak over midwicket for the first of many powerful sixes. While Afridi might have been going great guns, there was some small consolation for the Zimbabweans as Streak managed to surprise debutant Naved Latif with a quick bouncer. The attempted pull shot was snapped up by Trevor Gripper at square leg, jumping high and plucking the ball out of the air with his left hand. Latif managed just seven in a forgettable debut.

If the Zimbabweans thought the fall of Latif’s wicket would slow things down, they were mistaken. In the presence of Pakistan’s Mr. Dependable, Yousuf Youhana, Afridi exploded. Gary Brent, bowling military medium pace, was taken for 12 runs off the first two balls he bowled in the game – one massive hit over midwicket and an equally expansive drive over extra cover.

The drama continued with the first two balls of Brent’s next over, the 10th of the innings. Afridi reversed the order but served up the same treatment, sending the ball first into the stands at extra cover and then square leg.

Youhana, meanwhile, was content to work the ball into the gaps and scored his first boundary as late as the 14th over. By this time, the pair had added 50 for the second wicket, with Afridi’s dominating contribution being 39.

In the midst of all the run hitting, there was one chance for the Zimbabweans. Going for one of his trademark heaves Afridi sent a ball ballooning into the air to the mid-off region. Getting under the skier, skipper Brian Murphy appeared to have things in control, but spilled the catch at the last moment.

The first ball of the 15th over saw Afridi reach a remarkable half-century, off 34 balls, when he dispatched Doug Marillier’s off-spin into the stands at long off. Afridi’s 50 included six sixes and just one boundary. A boundary came off the next ball to the same region. Off the very next ball, however, Afridi’s blitz came to an end as he was caught at mid-off by Gripper. Afridi (58 runs, 36 balls, 2x4 6x6) perished trying to hit yet another six and this brought Inzamam to the crease.

WAQAR YOUNIS ELECTS TO BAT FIRST

On winning the toss, Pakistani skipper Waqar Younis elected to bat first in their Khaleej Times Trophy encounter against Zimbabwe. The wicket at the Sharjah Cricket Association stadium looked full of runs, as is almost always the case. It appeared shiny and hard, and no doubt this influenced Younis’ decision to bat first.

In the tournament thus far, Zimbabwe have lost all their matches, thereby virtually ruling themselves out of a place in the final. Pakistan have one loss and as many wins from two games. This being the case, Pakistan chose to give all their players an outing, chopping and changing their team.

Pakistan today handed Naved Latif his debut one-day match, choosing to open with the youngster; Taufeeq Umar is the player dropped. A right-handed opening batsman, Latif has forced his way into the team with some strong performances in domestic cricket. Leggie Danish Kaneria gets his first match in one-day international cricket at the expense of Shoaib Malik who scalped 3/27 in an earlier encounter. All-rounder Azhar Mahmood too gets to roll his arm over, as he replaces Shoaib Akhtar.

Saeed Anwar, who has enjoyed a run of fine form at Sharjah has been rested.

Zimbabwe meanwhile brought in speedster Henry Olonga to replace Travis Friend.

Pakistan team: Naved Latif, Shahid Afridi, Yousuf Youhana, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, +Rashid Latif, Abdur Razzaq, Wasim Akram, *Waqar Younis, Azhar Mahmood, Danish Kaneria.

Zimbabwe team: GW Flower, TR Gripper, SV Carlisle, +A Flower, DD Ebrahim, DA Marillier, HH Streak, ML Nkala, GB Brent, HK Olonga, *BA Murphy.