A fan's diary: Pakistan vs India

[Zainub]

Going Bananas...

My eyes opened this morning at precisely 5, I prayed and then lied down again intending to go back to sleep but I couldn't. I was so excited about the India vs. Pakistan match starting later in the afternoon I didn't sleep at all after that. After a while I thought lying down on the bed doing nothing would be boring so I walked study intending to find something to read. I picked up /Great/ /Expectations/ considering the title coincided well with the intensity of the encounter I was so eagerly anticipating. By 7, I was feeling hungry so I went downstairs to catch hold of the papers and make my self some breakfast. I didn’t have to in the end, as the sole Devonshire Spilt left over from yesterday’s tea snacks sufficed my appetite. I then lay back on a green bean bag I bought yesterday exclusively for the match. /Dawn/ had declared Pakistan favorites and so too had /Express/. Both the English and Urdu newspapers were packed with news on cricket cramped with reviews, previews and analyses of all sorts of things.


I some how managed to control the excitement for the next 7 hours looking up at the clock nearly every fifteen minutes. Finally the proceedings kicked of at half past two, fifteen minutes after scheduled start of play. The delay was caused as the ground staff used blowers and hair driers to dry up a patch in the wicket were some water had leaked from the covers. The wicket had some moisture still over all and it was no surprise when Inzi decided to take field after winning the toss, although rather interestingly Ganguly indicated at the toss he would have batted first anyway. What ever be the case the atmosphere was electric, the Indian fans had outnumbered the Pakistani ones at Edgbaston, Birmingham but there was no doubt of which fans were in the majority at C-146, Clifton-2. My cousins had come over from east, west and north of the metropolis and we were a hefty 10 in all. So when Ganguly (0 off 5) edged behind to Khan off Sami in the very first over the noise in our living room was substantial.



In came Laxman and out went Laxman (3 off 9). In just the third over he held out to Malik at short mid wicket off the bowling of Rana Naveed-ul-Hassan. Soon after Sehwag (10 off 20) was dismissed in identical fashion again of the bowling of Rana, India were now reeling at 28-3 as we went mad in merriment almost ripping apart the bean bag and everything in sight. Dravid and Kaif then briefly steered the ship taking the score to 73 before the extraordinary took place. Shoaib Akhtar bowling as second change took two wickets just after the half way mark getting Kaif (27 off 59) and Yuvraj (0 off 3) caught behind in what was eventually a double-wicket maiden.



Razzaq (10-0-27-1) and Malik (10-0-29-0) than bowled excellently in tandem giving very little away. Inzi seemed set to bowl them out there and then but I was wondering if he should have given one of the brief one or two over spell to break through India’s tail. His persistence and faith in the two paid off though. It was by virtue of sheer pressure that Gavaskar become Moin’s 4th catch behind the stumps as India lost their last recognized batsman at 106. At that stage it looked India would struggle to bat out their 50 overs and I backed either Sami (9-1-50-1) or Afridi (2-0-23-0) –who replaced Malik and Razzaq- to finishes the innings off. But Dravid 67 (108) and Agarkar 47 (50) played an array of sublime strokes to put on a rapid fire 82 for the seventh wicket to ensure India got them selves in a position to get a respectable score. They both got out to towards the end chasing big runs off the bowling of Rana Naveed-ul-Hassan (9-1-25-4). Shoaib Akhtar (9.5-1-36-4) also weighed in with a four-for dismissing Pathan (6 off 8) and Nehra (0 off 3) as India finished exactly on 200 all out in 49.5 overs, Harbajjan Singh remaining not out on 3 off 3.



We all felt confident of win at half time but no one predicted a walk over – we rarely do in India-Pakistan matches. And so it was proved as Pakistan got off to horrific start losing Farhat for not of just the forth ball of the innings, caught behind of a good one from Pathan. Soon after Dravid gulped another catch as Malik playing away from his body was dismissed by the same bowler for 5 off 7. The disastrous start was completed as we lost our third wicket inside the first 15 overs, Yasir Hameed (15 off 29) this time being caught at deep fine leg by Nehra off Pathan. Inzi and Youhanna than bogged down to build an excellent platform for a revival adding 75 for the 4th wicket. Our nerves were just beginning to settle as Inzi become the first Pakistani ever, and just the second over all batsmen to pass 10,000 runs in ODI cricket, but India were not going to give up this easily. Agarkar (10-2-33-1) got him bottom edge one to Dravid as Pakistan lost their captain for a well earned 41 off 79 including five boundaries.



When Razzaq came in at 102-4 the match was wide open once again. Youhanna was playing well though, and he’d notched up his half century by the time Razzaq (9 off 21) played one on from Sehwag to leave Pakistan in doldrums again at 127-5. Moin Khan was send ahead of Afridi and it was a decision that paid off as he moved merely on to 10 from 13 before Yuvraj Singh took a typically astounding catch diving full length at backward point to give Nehra (10-0-45-1) his first and only wicket. Just when it seemed we had our nose ahead India would pull it back slightly, their was much less noise around now in our living room which was overflowing with people as more friends and neighbors joined into watch the proceedings. As a matter of fact everyone was very much on the edge of their seats, or whatever they were sitting on, in some cases not sitting at all.



There were more than just butterflies in our stomachs as Afridi came into bat – we knew with him it was going to be sudden death, he either hits or misses. Thankfully for us he chose to hit this time. Irfan Pathan was greeted with two sixes in what proved to be a crucial come back over as Afridi raced to 25 in half a dozen balls. With just 14 more required though there was yet another twist in the tale. The Indian supporters must have breathed a sigh of relieve as Afridi hold out to Sehwag of the first bowl of a surprise over from Yuvraj Singh. In the midst of all the drama Youhanna was struggling with cramps and by the time Naveed-ul- Hassan had got off the mark Shoaib Malik was on the field as runner. We were still biting our nails as Pakistan went in the final three overs needing just 8 more runs for victory. But with a set batsman in we were always in with a better chance. And so it proved to be. Hasan took a single of the penultimate ball of the 49th over as Pakistan leveled the scores going into the final over with Youhanna on strike. As expected Ganguly brought in the fielders but could not stop the Pakistani vice captain from guiding the second ball past gully for the winning runs.



A string of whistles and animated applauds greeted Youhanna off the Edgbaston square field after a match winning innings of 81 not out of 114 balls. Our living room at that stage resembled everything but a living room crowded with people dancing and screaming -it was a portrait of wild celebration- celebration that lasted well into the presentation ceremony that saw a jubilant Pakistani camp virtually lost for words. As I walked back upstairs to begin writing my match diary, friends and family blew crackers outside to continuing celebrating what was our third straight victory against the arch rivals. There were slogans of revenge being achieved for the defeat in the home series and this-and-that. It was bananas all rounds as we decided to gather at another friend’s place for the semi-final against the Windies on Wednesday. With the other quarter final at Oval also resulting in a fairly comprehensive win for the Windies, the Pakistan and India match as was widely expected lived up to its billing of being a great artiste. A closely contested game after ages it seemed and by far the best match of the tournament. A day to remember.

[R W S]

As a neutral (although I have a soft spot for India having spent three months there) I too thought it was the best game so far - I even missed the start of the last day of the Ryder cup to listen to the final few overs (it seemed for a moment there that it may drag into a second day as the end time was past the official cut-off of 6pm local time)!

Congratulations and I hope you get a chance to meet Harmy & Freddy in the final!

Nice read.

[Nikhil]

Congratulations to Pakistan.

Well for India, it's time to turn attention to the best series. Go home and hone your skills. The Aussies will come full throttle, so India needs to be prepared..

Nice article Zainub. You should join cricinfo . You write better than those chaps.

[Zainub]

Originally Posted by R W S

Congratulations and I hope you get a chance to meet Harmy & Freddy in the final! Nice read.

I'd be looking forward to that if happens. Should be an interesting contest.

[Zainub]

Originally Posted by Nikhil

Congratulations to Pakistan.

Well for India, it's time to turn attention to the best series. Go home and hone your skills. The Aussies will come full throttle, so India needs to be prepared..

Nice article Zainub. You should join cricinfo . You write better than those chaps.

Thanks for those compliments. But I don't think I anyway near as good as the guys that write in cricket info. Although I do hope to get a job there one day when I complete my degree in Mass Media Communication. Fingers crossed!

India bowled well I thought, Pathan was excellent in the first spell - you just can't blame him for the treatment he got from Afridi though - there was every chance he could have got him out. Because with Afirid you never know, he either hits them or holds out to some one in the deep. That's how he is.

The home series in India should be very interesting indeed, and a one that both teams will be rearing to win badly, Australia to finish a 35 year drought of a victory there and India to prove a point that their tremendous performances last season where more than just a high. A great spectacle for a neutral like me.