Pakistan complete series victory with six-wicket win
Col (Retd) Rafi Nasim - 30 October 2000

Pakistan completed a 2-1 series victory over England with this comfortable victory in Rawalpindi.

The match started in a refurbished Rawalpindi Stadium, newly equipped with floodlights and an electronic score board. The ground was full to the brim with an enthusiastic crowd, and such was the demand for tickets that the police had to use tear gas to disperse the throng outside.

Crucially, Pakistan skipper Moin Khan won the toss and chose to field first. The Pakistan team had one change from the Lahore match, Imran Nazir replacing Saeed Anwar who withdrew with a throat infection. Meanwhile England resisted the temptation to draft another spinner into the side (Salisbury and Grayson were both available) and fielded an unchanged XI.

Batting first England struggled to gain any momentum. Stewart and Trescothick were forced to call for water to soothe their eyes as the tear gas wafted across the pitch, and it came as little surprise when Stewart edged Razzaq to the 'keeper.

Hussain soon followed, given out lbw by umpire Mian Aslam to a ball from Wasim that appeared to have pitched well outside the leg-stump.

Marcus Trescothick dealt with the arrival of the spinners in belligerent fashion, striking Mushtaq Ahmed for three successive boundaries when he entered the attack. Saqlain soon snared Hick with a magnificent ball, however, and when Trescothick followed three deliveries later it became clear that this was to be Pakistan's day.

Saqlain Mushtaq mesmerised the batsmen, not allowing them any liberties. He controlled the whole show by taking 5 wickets for 20 runs.

White hit a longhop into the hands of the deep fielder, and despite some sensible batting from Thorpe the innings ended more than seven overs prematurely when he found himself at the same end as Caddick. 158 runs in 42.5 overs was never likely to be enough, and so it proved.

The enterprising opening pair of Shahid Afridi and Imran Nazir attacked too early in the innings, and soon perished to Caddick with only 9 runs on the board. The next partnership of Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saleem Elahi, however, gradually brought up Pakistan's 50 before Giles dismissed Saleem Elahi in his first over for 21 runs.

The responsibility now rested with Inzamam-ul-Haq. He satisfied a nation's expectations by scoring an unbeaten 60 and bringing Pakistan to victory. Yousuf Youhana (31) and Abdur Razzaq 17 not out were the other stalwarts who kept Inzamam-ul-Haq company in achieving the target.

Though England's fielding was superb, at no stage were the batsmen troubled by the bowlers. In 43.3 overs Pakistan piled up a total of 161 for 4, thus defeating England by 6 wickets and clinching the one-day series.

The two consecutive victories in the series are bound to boost Pakistan's spirits for the oncoming test matches against England. Both Saqlain Mushtaq and Inzamam-ul-Haq could be called the architects of Pakistan's victory but Saqlain Mushtaq was chosen as Man of the Match.

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