<p>Pragmatism formed the base of Pakistan’s march to a formidable 267 after they expectedly elected to bat, but India’s in-the-trenches resolve helped them to emerge three-wicket winners, courtesy the nerves of Harbhajan Singh, set up a repeat final showdown with Sri Lanka. <br /><br />India needed a strong start to their chase, but contrary to expectations, Virender Sehwag could not play one of his much-dreaded blinders, a muscle pull making things worse for the Delhi Dasher. His ordeal came to an end when Abdul Razzaq found the edge for Kamran Akmal to complete a simple catch.<br /><br />But the Men in Blue had two steely batsmen in their ranks – skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir. The third-wicket pair stitched together an invaluable 98 runs in 18.3 overs to seemingly tilt the balance India’s way decisively.<br /><br />Unsettling moments<br /><br />The only unsettling moments of the partnership were Gambhir’s altercations with Pakistan stumper Kamran Akmal following a caught behind appeal off off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, and when the southpaw received a reprieve on 63, Mohammad Aamer spilling an easy chance in the deep off Shoaib Malik. <br /><br />Otherwise, the partnership was well-paced as the Pakistani bowlers struggled to apply the brakes on the scoring. It was not that the pair relied only on big hits to conjure runs; they ran well between the wickets to rattle runs at a fair clip before Ajmal castled Gambhir. Rohit Sharma failed to capitalise on Kamran putting him down off Shoaib Akhtar, the young Mumbaikar being trapped in front by Shahid Afridi. <br /><br />Dhoni too soon returned to the hut. The Jharkhandi’s dismissal had a touch of misfortune to it, the ball deflecting off the back of the bat on to the stumps as he attempted a sweep, sending Malik and the Pakistani camp into wild celebrations. <br /><br />But Harbhajan could not be denied his due, the wily Sardar hitting a six off Mohammad Aamer when India needed three runs off the last two balls.<br /><br />Steady stream<br /><br />Earlier, the Pakistan innings progressed like a steady stream, openers Salman Butt and Imran Farhat leading their way with a blend of patience and panache. Normally two free-flowing batsmen, Butt and Farhat checked their aggression, perhaps owing to the pressure of an India-Pakistan match. <br /><br />But when his initial nerves settled, Butt played some excellent shots all around the park in a show of strength and touch. With the pace bowlers looking increasingly incapable of fetching a breakthrough, Dhoni turned to Harbhajan and the off-spinner almost immediately repaid his captain’s call, jettisoning Farhat. <br /><br />The stocky left-hander tried to guide the ball past Sehwag at first slip, only managing to edge it straight to the fielder. Butt and Malik were then involved in a brisk 73-run partnership for the second wicket, a phase during which Pakistan scored at almost six runs per over, and that gave the Green Brigade a fine foundation for the subsequent batsmen to build on. <br /><br />Despite the quick dismissals of Butt, after completing a well-crafted fifty, Umar Akmal and Umar Amin, Pakistan cruised nicely along with skipper Afridi belting a few hefty blows. However, Afridi’s dismissal just before the batting Power Play meant Kamran Akmal had to shoulder the responsibility of taking Pakistan to a challenging total, and he did it in brave fashion. </p>.<p>Score Board </p>.<p>PAKISTAN<br /><br />Butt (run out) 74<br />(85b, 9x4)<br />Farhat c Sehwag b Harbhajan 25<br />(46b, 3x4)<br />Malik b Zaheer 39<br />(46b, 3x4)<br />U Akmal c Dhoni b Jadeja 21<br />(26b, 1x4)<br />Amin c Kohli b Harbhajan 5<br />(9b)<br />Afridi lbw Praveen 32<br />(25b, 2x4, 1x6)<br />K Akmal c Raina b Praveen 51<br />(41b, 2x4, 3x6)<br />Razzaq c Dhoni b Praveen 3<br />(5b)<br />Aamer (run out) 3<br />(7b)<br />Akhtar (not out) 3<br />(5b)<br />Ajmal c Nehra b Zaheer 0<br />(3b)<br />Extras (B-1, LB-4, W-5, NB-1) 11<br />Total (all out, 49.3 overs) 267<br />Fall of wickets: 1-71 (Farhat), 2-144 (Malik), 3-146 (Butt), 4-159 (Amin), 5-196 (U Akmal), 6-219 (Afridi), 7-227 (Razzaq), 8-247 (Aamer), 9-265 (K Akmal).<br />Bowling: Praveen 10-1-53-3 (nb-1, w-3), Nehra 9-0-58-0, Zaheer 9.3-0-41-2, Harbhajan 8-0-47-2, Sehwag 3-0-19-0, Jadeja 10-0-43-1 (w-2).<br />Runs during: Power Play 1: 1-10: 41/0, Power Play 2: 11-15: 26/0, Power Play 3 (batting): 46-50: 40/4.<br /><br />INDIA<br /><br />Gambhir b Ajmal 83<br />(97b, 6x4, 1x6)<br />Sehwag c K Akmal b Razzaq 10<br />(32b, 1x4)<br />Kohli b Ajmal 18<br />(27b, 1x4)<br />Dhoni b Malik 56<br />(71b, 2x4, 1x6)<br />Rohit lbw Afridi 22<br />(29b, 2x4)<br />Raina (run out) 34<br />(27b, 2x4, 2x6)<br />Jadeja b Ajmal 6<br />(9b)<br />Harbhajan (not out) 15<br />(11b, 2x6)<br />Praveen (not out) 3<br />(2b)<br />Extras (LB-15, W-8, NB-1) 24<br />Total (7 wkts, 49.5 overs) 271<br />Fall of wickets: 1-47 (Sehwag), 2-82 (Kohli), 3-180 (Gambhir), 4-208 (Rohit), 5-210 (Dhoni), 6-219 (Jadeja), 7-262 (Raina).<br />Bowling: Akhtar 10-0-57-0 (nb-1, w-2), Aamer 9.5-0-56-0 (w-3), Razzaq 5-0-18-1, Ajmal 10-0-56-3, Afridi 10-0-41-1 (w-2), Malik 5-0-28-1 (w-1)<br />Runs during: Power Play 1: 1-10: 46/0, Power Play 2: 11-15: 19/1, Power Play 3 (batting): 45-49: 43/3. </p>
<p>Pragmatism formed the base of Pakistan’s march to a formidable 267 after they expectedly elected to bat, but India’s in-the-trenches resolve helped them to emerge three-wicket winners, courtesy the nerves of Harbhajan Singh, set up a repeat final showdown with Sri Lanka. <br /><br />India needed a strong start to their chase, but contrary to expectations, Virender Sehwag could not play one of his much-dreaded blinders, a muscle pull making things worse for the Delhi Dasher. His ordeal came to an end when Abdul Razzaq found the edge for Kamran Akmal to complete a simple catch.<br /><br />But the Men in Blue had two steely batsmen in their ranks – skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir. The third-wicket pair stitched together an invaluable 98 runs in 18.3 overs to seemingly tilt the balance India’s way decisively.<br /><br />Unsettling moments<br /><br />The only unsettling moments of the partnership were Gambhir’s altercations with Pakistan stumper Kamran Akmal following a caught behind appeal off off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, and when the southpaw received a reprieve on 63, Mohammad Aamer spilling an easy chance in the deep off Shoaib Malik. <br /><br />Otherwise, the partnership was well-paced as the Pakistani bowlers struggled to apply the brakes on the scoring. It was not that the pair relied only on big hits to conjure runs; they ran well between the wickets to rattle runs at a fair clip before Ajmal castled Gambhir. Rohit Sharma failed to capitalise on Kamran putting him down off Shoaib Akhtar, the young Mumbaikar being trapped in front by Shahid Afridi. <br /><br />Dhoni too soon returned to the hut. The Jharkhandi’s dismissal had a touch of misfortune to it, the ball deflecting off the back of the bat on to the stumps as he attempted a sweep, sending Malik and the Pakistani camp into wild celebrations. <br /><br />But Harbhajan could not be denied his due, the wily Sardar hitting a six off Mohammad Aamer when India needed three runs off the last two balls.<br /><br />Steady stream<br /><br />Earlier, the Pakistan innings progressed like a steady stream, openers Salman Butt and Imran Farhat leading their way with a blend of patience and panache. Normally two free-flowing batsmen, Butt and Farhat checked their aggression, perhaps owing to the pressure of an India-Pakistan match. <br /><br />But when his initial nerves settled, Butt played some excellent shots all around the park in a show of strength and touch. With the pace bowlers looking increasingly incapable of fetching a breakthrough, Dhoni turned to Harbhajan and the off-spinner almost immediately repaid his captain’s call, jettisoning Farhat. <br /><br />The stocky left-hander tried to guide the ball past Sehwag at first slip, only managing to edge it straight to the fielder. Butt and Malik were then involved in a brisk 73-run partnership for the second wicket, a phase during which Pakistan scored at almost six runs per over, and that gave the Green Brigade a fine foundation for the subsequent batsmen to build on. <br /><br />Despite the quick dismissals of Butt, after completing a well-crafted fifty, Umar Akmal and Umar Amin, Pakistan cruised nicely along with skipper Afridi belting a few hefty blows. However, Afridi’s dismissal just before the batting Power Play meant Kamran Akmal had to shoulder the responsibility of taking Pakistan to a challenging total, and he did it in brave fashion. </p>.<p>Score Board </p>.<p>PAKISTAN<br /><br />Butt (run out) 74<br />(85b, 9x4)<br />Farhat c Sehwag b Harbhajan 25<br />(46b, 3x4)<br />Malik b Zaheer 39<br />(46b, 3x4)<br />U Akmal c Dhoni b Jadeja 21<br />(26b, 1x4)<br />Amin c Kohli b Harbhajan 5<br />(9b)<br />Afridi lbw Praveen 32<br />(25b, 2x4, 1x6)<br />K Akmal c Raina b Praveen 51<br />(41b, 2x4, 3x6)<br />Razzaq c Dhoni b Praveen 3<br />(5b)<br />Aamer (run out) 3<br />(7b)<br />Akhtar (not out) 3<br />(5b)<br />Ajmal c Nehra b Zaheer 0<br />(3b)<br />Extras (B-1, LB-4, W-5, NB-1) 11<br />Total (all out, 49.3 overs) 267<br />Fall of wickets: 1-71 (Farhat), 2-144 (Malik), 3-146 (Butt), 4-159 (Amin), 5-196 (U Akmal), 6-219 (Afridi), 7-227 (Razzaq), 8-247 (Aamer), 9-265 (K Akmal).<br />Bowling: Praveen 10-1-53-3 (nb-1, w-3), Nehra 9-0-58-0, Zaheer 9.3-0-41-2, Harbhajan 8-0-47-2, Sehwag 3-0-19-0, Jadeja 10-0-43-1 (w-2).<br />Runs during: Power Play 1: 1-10: 41/0, Power Play 2: 11-15: 26/0, Power Play 3 (batting): 46-50: 40/4.<br /><br />INDIA<br /><br />Gambhir b Ajmal 83<br />(97b, 6x4, 1x6)<br />Sehwag c K Akmal b Razzaq 10<br />(32b, 1x4)<br />Kohli b Ajmal 18<br />(27b, 1x4)<br />Dhoni b Malik 56<br />(71b, 2x4, 1x6)<br />Rohit lbw Afridi 22<br />(29b, 2x4)<br />Raina (run out) 34<br />(27b, 2x4, 2x6)<br />Jadeja b Ajmal 6<br />(9b)<br />Harbhajan (not out) 15<br />(11b, 2x6)<br />Praveen (not out) 3<br />(2b)<br />Extras (LB-15, W-8, NB-1) 24<br />Total (7 wkts, 49.5 overs) 271<br />Fall of wickets: 1-47 (Sehwag), 2-82 (Kohli), 3-180 (Gambhir), 4-208 (Rohit), 5-210 (Dhoni), 6-219 (Jadeja), 7-262 (Raina).<br />Bowling: Akhtar 10-0-57-0 (nb-1, w-2), Aamer 9.5-0-56-0 (w-3), Razzaq 5-0-18-1, Ajmal 10-0-56-3, Afridi 10-0-41-1 (w-2), Malik 5-0-28-1 (w-1)<br />Runs during: Power Play 1: 1-10: 46/0, Power Play 2: 11-15: 19/1, Power Play 3 (batting): 45-49: 43/3. </p>
