Pakistan lose U-19 WC opener against India
February 15, 2014
Sarfaraz Khan’s 74 was crucial in getting India to a competitive 262 and Deepak Hooda’s five-wicket haul haul ensured that Pakistan didn't have an inch of clawing back, despite a steady beginning to the chase.
Contrasting half-centuries by Sarfaraz and Sanju Samson rescued India from frittering away an aggressive start. Their stand of 119 was the difference between a below-par total and a competitive one on a second-day Dubai pitch that turned and required concentration from the batsmen.
At 94 for 4 in the 20th over, India looked in danger of folding up for less than 262, until Samson and Sarfaraz showed the team's middle-order reliability.
Sarfaraz brought up his fifty with a six over long-on, off Zia. He had made up for his slow start, needing just 60 balls for his landmark.
The batting Powerplay was a productive period for India as both players used their feet against the spinners to loft inside out over the covers to take 36 runs off that block of overs.
Pakistan finally had a breakthrough when Sarfaraz mis-hit the left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar over cover and was caught. Samson too was caught, off a top edge and when the pair had departed, India were at a more secure 229 for 6 after 45.1 overs.
India were earlier given a brisk start by their openers Ankush Bains and Akhil Herwadkar, who punished the seamers who were guilty of bowling too short. Bains lost his middle stump trying to drive the right-arm seamer Irfanullah Shah before Vijay Zol was done in by Zia's inswing. Herwadkar was bowled trying to cut Karamat and the bowler later claimed Ricky Bhui when the batsman drove at a ball that had stopped on him. From then, Pakistan let the advantage slip.
Some tight bowling by India's opening bowlers kept the Pakistan openers on a leash. Pakistan's first boundary came in the ninth over, off the left-arm seamer Chama Milind, and a few boundaries down the ground helped the openers, Sami Aslam and Imam-ul-Haq, find their groove. They focused on building steadily, looking to set a foundation. Aslam looked comfortable against the spinners and reached his fifty with a slogged four off Kuldeep Yadav.
They took the score to 109 in the 24th over and appeared in a more favourable position. The offspinner Aamer Gani got the first breakthrough when Imam gave the charge and found Sarfaraz at long-off. Though the pace of the partnership wasn't electric, India looked desperate for a wicket and Sarfaraz's celebration was an indication of relief, having finally broken through.
The biggest blow to Pakistan, though, was Aslam's departure. Having primed himself for batting through the innings, he set off from the non-striker's end for a risky single, turned back but couldn't beat Vijy Zol's throw from the off side. Suddenly, Pakistan had two new batsmen at the crease but were still very much in the game, with a required rate of 6.12.
A series of mistakes contributed to Pakistan's slide. Hasan Raza stayed back to a delivery from Sarfaraz that kept low and was bowled. Two balls later, Kamran Ghulam was struggling to make his ground to the bowler's end and was run-out off a direct hit. Bizarrely, the bowler Sarfaraz had accidentally knocked off one bail with his arm before collecting the throw but to his luck, Hooda's throw knocked down the other bail and Ghulam was deemed run-out. Pakistan lacked a power hitter in the lower order to get them going with the asking rate. Hooda ran through the lower order as they looked to hit out.
