The exhibition match
before a capacity crowd of 35,000 at the National Stadium marked the return of
international cricket of a sort in Pakistan after 3 1/2 years. All major test
teams have avoided Pakistan since the deadly attack on the Sri Lanka team convoy
at Lahore in March 2009.
Pakistan posted a total
222-7 with Akmal unbeaten on 67 off 37 balls, opening batsman Hasan escaping
three dropped catches to score 54 off 21 balls with six boundaries and four
sixes and Nazir 29 off 19 balls with 5 fours and a six.
Tabish Khan made a
hatrick. He clean bowled Ricardo Powell (5), Jermaine Lawson (0) and Thandi
Tshabalala (0) off successive deliveries to restrict an International World XI
made up of Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies and Afghanistan players to
138-8.Shapoor is the top scorer as he made 42 runs on 54 balls.
Afridi has won the
toss and elected to bat first. Shahzab and nazir made a good start, on83 Shahzab
caught by seymore and on 84 Nazir is caught by Tshabalala, Nasir came at one
down but fail to make a big score. Afridi himself came on no 4, he made 18
score on 7 balls with two huge sixes go out of the ground. Poor fielding effort
by the world xi as they drop three catches of Shahzab. After the Afridi
departure, Akmal came at no five with bombing innings of 67 off just 37 balls
with 7 fours and 3 huge sixes Pak all stars reached to the total of 222 for
loss of 7 wickets. Tshabalala took 3 wickets for 20 runs while Shahpoor took 2
for 38 runs.
World XI starts with
Jayasuriya and Shahzad. Jayasuriya hit a six and a four in the 1st
over but fell out at the last delivery caught by Afridi. Chasing such a long
total International XI kept losing wickets regularly, and fast bowler Tabish
Khan soon dealt the decisive blows. He bowled Ricardo Powell, Jermaine Lawson
and Tshabalala off successive deliveries to take a hat-trick and reduce
International XI to 52 for 6 in the seventh over.
Zadranmade some resistant and stuck around to make 42 along
with Loots Bosman, who batted low at No. 9 due to an injury and remained
unbeaten on 27. Pakistan used everyone but wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed as
bowlers. Afridi, who had lasted seven balls with the bat to club three
boundaries, had Zadran stumped off the final delivery of the match as
International XI managed 138 for 8.
The second and final game in the series will be played
tomorrow at the same venue. Till then good bye and be happy!
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