Pakistan have strolled ahead of India in the one-day series with a facile win at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. For a side that was two down in the series, the transformation has been remarkable for the ease with which they won the next three games, which now gives them the knowledge that they cannot now lose the series.
The pressure will be all on India to win the last game at Delhi and so salvage the series. It’s not going to be easy as the game will have it’s own unique pressure with the Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other dignitaries also coming to watch the game. That will mean that there will be some distraction as the crowds will be moving hoping to get a glimpse of the VIPs not to mention the ubiquitous oily people who like to get into all photos and camera angles.
It will thus be a true test of concentration and Pakistan will be that much more relaxed simply because they know they cannot lose the series.
They are in this happy situation, thanks to a blistering century from Shahid Afridi who looked as if he was intent on breaking his own record of scoring the fastest century in limited overs cricket. He missed that by a mere 10 balls but he didn’t miss anything that the Indian bowlers offered. Nine sixers and ten boundaries tell a story of how he completely and savagely took the game away from India. That 94 out of his 102 runs came through the six and four route speaks volumes, and after he got out it really was a light task for the rest of the batsmen who could thus use the opportunity to stay in the middle and get some valuable match practice.
Shoaib Malik also chipped in with some runs and in the end the Pakistanis would have had enough time to have a long, instead of a quick shower before leaving the ground to catch the flight to Delhi.
Much as Afridi’s innings was awe inspiring, it was the bowling of Naved Rana that put Pakistan in a position to win the game. Rana got both the openers out to superb deliveries and the variety could be seen by the outswinger that forced Tendulkar to play and edge to the keeper and the inswinger that went through Sehwag’s gate!
With these gone and Yuvraj flattering to deceive, it was left to old faithful Rahul Dravid and local boy Mohammad Kaif to restore some sanity to the proceedings. Their partnership not only steadied the innings but also gave India a total that they would have believed was a fighting, competitive total especially as they had both Kumble and Harbhajan in their attack and the pitch was keeping low right from the start.
Of course all that didn’t matter once Afridi began his assault and the reason why his innings was breathtaking was because he played orthodox cricketing shots. Even the sixes he hit were with a straight bat and not the hoicks usually associated with him. India were knocked out and unlike between previous games they have only one day to stand up and fight again.
