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Afridi’s all
round show helps Pak clinch the Twenty20
International |
August 28, 2006 (Scorecard)
 Pakistan
picked up a morale-boosting victory over England
in the Only Twenty20 International played at
Bristol. The visitors had chased the target of
145 with relative ease losing five wickets and
13 balls to spare. Shahid Afridi had given the
perfect platform for Pakistan with his 10-ball
28 and when he was dismissed, Pakistan were
going at an incredible pace at 67 in the 7th
over. Afridi’s innings had allowed opener
Mohammad Hafeez to consolidate and take Pakistan
to the comfort zone. Hafeez made a 40-ball 46.
It was incidentally Pakistan’s first taste of a
Twenty20 International.
England had won the toss and elected to bat
first at the County Ground in Bristol and they
were helped to 144 for 7 thanks to a blistering
36-ball 53 from Marcus Trescothick. However
Trescothick’s power packed innings was negated
by the brakes put at the other end by the
Pakistan bowlers who kept on taking wickets at
regular intervals. Trescothick had got out at
the score of 97 for 5 in the 15th over with his
innings consisting of nine boundaries. Jamie
Dalrymple and Michael Yardy had then scored
useful twenties to take England to
respectability. In fact, Michael Yardy’s innings
was more than a useful one as he smashed an
unbeaten 24 from just 14 balls with the help of
two fours and a six.
It was an international comeback for the
Rawalpindi Express, Shoaib Akhtar and he went
for 31 in his 4 overs. Akhtar gave the first
breakthrough of the England innings by
dismissing opener Ian Bell. The most important
breakthrough looked to be the next one with
Mohammad Asif bowling a magical indipper that
disturbed the furniture of the most dangerous
Kevin Pieteren who was out for a first ball
duck. Asif was simply incredible with his 4
overs going for just 21 runs and taking the
wicket of Pietersen. The most successful bowler
for Pakistan in terms of wickets was Abdul
Razzaq who picked 3 for 30 in his 4 overs.
Pakistan in their chase had lost Shoaib Malik
and Younis Khan in consecutive deliveries off
Stuart Broad in the 4th over. But the counter
attack from Shahid Afridi and the steady game of
Mohammad Hafeez had given Pakistan the recovery.
In the end, Skipper Inzamam with his unbeaten 11
and Abdul Razzaq with a 7-ball 17 guided Pak to
a comfortable victory. Darren Gough in his
comeback for England was taken for 33 runs in
his 3.5 overs and was wicketless. The Player of
the Match was Shahid Afridi for his cameo of 28
and also for his four overs of leg spin that
went for 28 runs.
Brief Scores :
England 144/7 in 20 Ovs (Trescothick
53 Dalrymple 27 Michael Yardy 24* Ian Bell 14
Read 13, Abdul Razzaq 3/30 Mohammad Asif 2/21)
lost to Pakistan
148/5 in 17.5 Ovs (Mohammad Hafeez 46
Shahid Afridi 28 Mohammad Yousuf 20 Abdul Razzaq
17* Shoaib Malik 16, Stuart Broad 2/35) by 5
wickets
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