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The 'Bowl Out' made its Debut in the Twenty20 World Championship thanks to an exhilarating match between arch rivals India and Pakistan. It was the 'Bowl Out' that had separated both sides after Pakistan were forced to tie the match in the last ball of the match. India prevailed in the 'Bowl Out' with its nominated bowlers hitting the stumps with 100% accuracy compared to a 0% accuracy from their Pakistani counterparts. It was one heck of a show from India's New Generation of Cricketers in clawing their way back in the game against all odds.

The weather for today's big game was threatening to play spoilsport but it was no way as near to what it was yesterday when the India-Scotland match was abandoned. Shoaib Malik won the toss and asked India to bat first on a wicket that had plenty of moisture. The cloudy conditions were further going to strengthen the case of the fast bowlers. India found it tough and soon the openers Gambhir and Sehwag went cheaply to Mohammad Asif. The opening over from Asif produced just the one run after Gambhir was caught and bowled for a duck in the third ball. Umar Gul at the other end was smashed for a boundary by Sehwag but the bowler came back quite well. All the action was happening at Asif's end with the batsmen all at sea against the sideways movement. Virender Sehwag's danger was just for 3 balls with Asif cleaning him up with a sharp incutter. Asif then went onto add the big fish Yuvraj who was caught off the leading edge after playing a pick up shot. Yuvraj too fell with a single digit score. Asif's quota of four overs was being bowled on the trot and in his last over got another incutter which got the better of Dinesh Karthik who got India going with a couple of boundaries. Asif finished with dream figures of 4-0-18-4. India found themselves in trouble at 36 for 4 in the 7th over with the danger of getting a low total that might help Scotland sneak through.

India had to take the risk after the opening burst from Asif and Umar Gul. And the runs started to come from Yasir Arafat who was smacked for a couple of sixes by Robin Uthappa. However, the runs weren't coming from Sohail Tanvir, who was making his international debut for Pakistan. Sohail Tanvir, the left armer surprised the Indians with peculiar action, he is a rare bowler who lands wrong footed in his delivery stride. Both Uthappa and Dhoni expected the left armer to bring the ball back but Tanvir was repeatedly going past their bats with the away going ones. India atleast started to go forward with Uthappa picking up two fours of Afridi's first over to reach a fifty. After 12 overs, rain became very heavy to put the players off the park for a while and when they did return, Uthappa lost his concentration as he got out poking at a delivery that was leaving him from Tanvir to get caught behind. Uthappa got 50 from 39 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes which was a top effort under difficult batting conditions. His wicket left India tottering at 84 for 5 after 13. Sohail Tanvir went onto finish his spell giving away just 18 in his 4.

The real turning point of the Indian innings came when Irfan Pathan, the comeback man sent Afridi for two consecutive sixes which took India past the hundred run mark. It was another matter that Afridi got his revenge in the third delivery when Pathan was bowled. It was an important cameo of 20 from 15 from Irfan Pathan. The next two deliveries after the wicket saw Dhoni take on Yasir Arafat for a boundary and a pull for a six which got the Indians towards a decent total. Agarkar added up two important boundaries in the 19th over to take the pressure off Dhoni but a good last over from Yasir Arafat restricted the Indians to just three runs in the final over. Three wickets fell in the final over including that of Dhoni's. The Indian Captain played a responsible knock of 33 which came in 31 balls with 3 fours and a six. India posted 141 for 9 leaving an asking rate of over 7.00 for Pakistan. The immediate mission for India was to see that Pakistan can't reach the target in anything less than 14.4 overs which would have meant a lower net run rate than that of Scotland!

With all the drizzle around, the wicket only got more freshened up with the ball just skidding through at a nice pace. Life was extremely for Imran Nazir and Salman Butt against the swing and seam from RP Singh and Sreesanth. RP Singh in the 3rd over got rid of the dangerous Imran Nazir who committed hara-kiri with a rash shot. Kamran Akmal surprisingly came out at no.3 and he got his team going with a hook shot for a six off RP but at the other end, Salman Butt was struggling to get runs at a good pace. The left hander was struggling and his end came in the 8th over, caught behind off Agarkar for 16 from 25. In the next over, a brilliant direct throw from Yuvraj Singh sent Kamran Akmal back in the pavilion with Pakistan at 47 for 3 in the 9th. In the same over, India started to entertain thoughts of a victory when Younis Khan after playing out four dot balls was bowled by a bit of extra bounce from an Irfan Pathan's inswinger. Irfan Pathan went onto bowl a maiden, in fact a wicket maiden in his very first over in his comeback! Pathan in the company of Harbhajan tightened the screws up and Pakistan went on the defensive for a few overs and that meant that India were comfortably through to the next round. In the 15th over, Shoaib Malik looking to hit out of trouble fell to Irfan Pathan after miscuing his big shot. Malik made 20 in 18 with 3 fours leaving Pak at 87 for 5 after 15 overs. Pathan finished with 2 for 20 in his 4. The man who could win it for Pak was Boom Boom Afridi with 55 to get from 30. But when Afridi miscued a full toss from Harbhajan to be caught, it was match over for Pakistan as far as the Indians were concerned. Afridi's departure in the 18th over left Pak with 39 to win from 14. India were lucky that Afridi couldn't make them pay penalty for dropping him a few balls back. The equation came down in Pak's favour in the next two balls after Afridi's wicket with Misbah-ul-Haq smashing Harbhajan for a six and a four.

The 19th over bowled by Ajit Agarkar bowled India out of the match almost with as many as 17 runs getting leaked through length deliveries. Misbah-ul-Haq turned out to be the Man of the Moment for Pak picking up three boundaries in that Agarkar over. The final over left Pakistan with 12 to get from Sreesanth and a smashing shot over covers from Misbah-ul-Haq in the second ball increased the chances of his team's victory. The third ball was taken for two runs and the fourth ball sealed the match with a boundary coming past mid off thanks to a full toss that got Misbah-ul-Haq to a fifty. With just 1 to win from 2, all the fielders came in the circle and Sreesanth decided to come round the stumps. He somehow beat Misbah with a bit of extra bounce to defeat his cut shot and now it was from one from one. A short delivery it was from Sreesanth which hurried onto Misbah, who was shaping to play the pull but the ball went straight to Yuvraj at covers. It was a simple pick up and throw from Yuvraj to Sreesanth and Misbah-ul-Haq was not even in the frame at the non-striker's end with the match ending in an unbelievable tie. Sreesanth held his nerve while Misbah couldn't quite pull it through towards the last few minutes. Still nothing could have been taken away from the 35-ball 53 (7 fours and a six) from Misbah-ul-Haq.

'Bowl Out' - Pakistan caught short on accuracy while India made it look so simple

Twenty20 doesn't allow a result to end in a tie and now it was time for the 'Bowl Out'. Each team has to nominate five bowlers to bowl a ball each with both sides alternating. The team that hits the stumps most times would be the winners with overstepping the crease not counted. Shoaib Malik won the toss and he asked India to have first go. The crowd didn't leave the stadium at all, they were praying for their respective teams to prevail in this unique contest on a cricket ground. India's five bowlers were Sehwag, Uthappa, Harbhajan, Sreesanth and Pathan while Pakistan's were Asif, Umar Gul, Afridi, Arafat and Tanvir. Sehwag started the Bowl Out and bang he was on the target and in response Yasir Arafat nervously bowled it oustide the offstump! Next Harbhajan bowled an off break that went straight onto the stumps and in reply, Umar Gul bowled with cross seam which nicely swung away outside the offstump. Pakistan under all sorts of pressure, they now needed to fire in three out of three to just tie the Bowl Out and start it all over. Robin Uthappa came in next, hit the stumps and took a bow. His competitor Shahid Afridi wasn't that cool enough as he drifted his leg break or whatever miles down the legstump leaving India victorious with 3-0! The only consolation for Pakistan was the Man of the Match award which went to Mohammad Asif. Nobody could have ever asked for a better cricket match than this!

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