Pak Vs Bangladesh ODI Series

[Nadeem]

Match 1: Pakistan won by 152 runs http://static.cricketnext.com/pix/sitepix/04_2008/0804yousuf_313.jpg


Lahore: Mohammad Yousuf hit an attractive hundred to help Pakistan thrash Bangladesh by 152 runs on Duckworth-Lewis method in the first day-night international here on Tuesday. The 33-year-old right-hander scored an unbeaten 108 off 103 balls and added a record 145 runs for the fourth wicket with captain Shoaib Malik (85) to propel Pakistan to an impressive 322-5 in the allotted 50 overs. Pacemen Sohail Tanveer (3-29) and Rao Iftikhar (2-16) then shattered the tourists' batting as they folded at 129 in 29.5 overs to give Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Tanveer rocked Bangladesh with a triple strike in his incisive seven-over spell, removing Tamim Iqbal (five), Shahriar Nafees (24) and Aftab Ahmed (14) to leave the visitors reeling at 49-3. Two power breakdowns, stopping play for 48 minutes in all, saw Bangladesh's target revised to 282 in 39 overs which proved beyond their reach after a poor start. Iftikhar had Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful (nine) and Shakib Al Hasan (nought) to further compound the tourists' problems.

Leg-spinner Shahid Afridi (3-41) then removed Farhad Reza (seven) and Dhiman Ghosh (nought) while Shoaib Malik dismissed Roqibul Hassan (12) to bring Pakistan closer to victory. Mashrafe Mortaza (25) and Abdur Razzak (11 not out) shared 37 for the last wicket to take Bangladesh past 100 but it only delayed the inevitable. Earlier Pakistan's innings rallied around Yousuf's brilliant knock. Yousuf, who reached his 17th hundred off 99 balls, hit eleven boundaries and in Malik's company ensured the home team didn't slip further after they were in some trouble at 70-3. The pair beat Pakistan's previous best fourth-wicket stand against Bangladesh in One-Day Internationals set by Inzamam-ul-Haq and Younis Khan at Multan in 2003. Malik hit seven boundaries during his 75-ball knock before he holed out. Yousuf continued to punish the hapless bowling through a brisk fifth wicket stand of 68 with Misbahul Haq, who made 38 off 27 balls with two sixes and a four.

[Nadeem]

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FAISALABAD: Opener Salman Butt struck an aggressive 76 to help Pakistan to a comfortable seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in the rain hit second one-day international.

Butt, who hit nine fours and a six added a sixth 50 to his four one-day hundreds and, with Mohammad Yousuf (32 not out), allowed Pakistan successfully to chase a revised target of 158 runs in 25 overs.

The two-hour rain delay also closed the Bangladesh innings on 225 for eight in 48.2 overs. Pakistan finished on 160 for three with 10 balls to spare.

Yousuf completed his 9,000 runs in one-day internationals during his 73-run stand with Butt, who was run out with seven runs required to win.

Butt, who faced 72 balls, set the tone for the innings in a quick opening partnership of 46 from 37 balls with Nasir Jamshed (21).

Jamshed was bowled by left arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan, hitting across the line while Younis Khan, after hitting a six off Mahmudullah Riad to square leg, was bowled leg stump by pacer Farhad Reza for 13 runs.

Butt and Yousuf brought up the 50 partner

[Nadeem]

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LAHORE: Pakistan won their third consecutive One-day International but not easily this time as minnows Bangladesh gave a tough fight and lost the match by a mere 23 runs in the end.

Chasing a huge target of 309, Bangladesh finished at 285 runs for seven wickets in the allotted 50 overs in the third one-dayer here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.

After losing their first wicket at 23, opener Tamim Iqbal (63) and Aftab Ahmed (42) added 90 runs for the second wicket to raise their hopes of winning the match.

Later, Shakib Al-Hasan (75) and Mahmudullah (24) were engaged in the fifth wicket partnership of 59 runs.

Leg-spinner Shahid Afridi captured two wickets while Sohail Tanvir, Iftikhar Anjum and Shoaib Malik tokk one wicket each.

Earlier, Pakistan set a tough winning target of 309 runs to Bangladesh after winning the toss and elected to bat.

They compiled the huge score of 308 runs for the loss of eight wickets with the help of a big opening wicket partnership of 151 in just 23.5 overs.

Both the openers, Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal, hit centuries to help Pakistan amass a big total.

The left-handed opener, Salman, scored 132 off 127 balls with 15 fours while wicketkeeper batsman Kamran Akmal made exact 100 off 81 deliveries with 16 boundaries and a six.

Kamran after completing his fourth ODI hundred was bowled by Mahmudullah and Salman, who hit his fifth ODI hundred was caught behind off Mashrafe Motaza.

Mashrafe and Shakib Al Hasan claimed two wickets each for 47 and 50 runs, respectively.

[Nadeem]

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MULTAN: Pakistan gained 4-0 lead in the series by defeating Bangladesh by seven wickets in the fourth One-day International here on Wednesday.

In reply to Bangladesh’s 210, Pakistan easily achieved the winning target for the loss of only three wickets.

From Pakistan, opener Salman Butt made 74 and Bazid Khan scored 51 while Mohammad Yousuf and Fawad Alam remained not out on 37 and five, respectively.

From Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasan and Abdur Razzaq took one wicket each.

Earlier, Bangladesh were all out for 210 in 49.1 overs, setting Pakistan a winning target of 211 runs.

Left-handed batsman Shakib Al Hasan scored 108 from 120 balls with eight fours. This was the first individual hundred from a Bangladeshi in the current series.

Batting at number five, Shakib added 97 runs for the ninth wicket with Mashrafe Mortaza, who came at number ten to make 38.

Winning the toss, Bangladesh batted first but none of their batsmen could make any significant score except Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza.

From Pakistan, pacers Sohail Khan and Umar Gul captured three wickets each while Mohammad Asif claimed two wickets. Spinners Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik took one wicket each.

[Nadeem]

A career-best 136 by Salman Butt, and his stand of 179 with Younis Khan, propelled Pakistan to 329 for 9 in the final one-dayer against Bangladesh in Karachi.
The series has witnessed sparse crowds and today was no better, which was hardly surprising considering Pakistan have won the first four games with little resistance. A sporting wicket would have offered some respite to Bangladesh, but it wasn't to be. Shoaib Malik had no hesitation in batting first after winning the toss, a move prompted by the fact that there was little chance of dew troubling the bowlers later in the evening.


The pitch had a sprinkling of grass, though it only helped to bind the cracks together. The opening bowlers, Mashrafe Mortaza and Shahadat Hossain, bent their backs early, hoping to get some pace and nip but the pitch was hardly cooperative. Bangladesh's only moment of celebration at the start came in the form of Kamran Akmal's dismissal, edging Mortaza to Junaid Siddique at first slip. From then on, Butt and Younis milked the bowling authoritatively.


The feature of Butt's innings was the ease with which he lofted the ball into the gaps while staying rooted to the crease. The surface wasn't by any means quick, and Butt merely stayed back, waited for the ball to come to him before powering it past the infield. Balls pitched on middle and leg were whipped to the on side, anything full and fractionally wide was driven past the infield on the offside. The outfield was lightning quick and all Butt had to do was to place it just wide of the fielders to fetch the boundary. All this meant that the margin for error was minimal for the bowlers and once again it was Butt who made them pay.


That Pakistan added 64 in the first Powerplay was a sign that another big score loomed. Younis, returning after a two-match break, started off edgily, miscuing a hook, but settled in quickly, starting with a chip for four over midwicket off Shahadat. He was his usual busy self at the crease, pushing the singles, and the pair brought up the 50 stand in 49 balls. Butt pushed a single to the onside to bring up his half-century, off just 47 balls.


Bangladesh could have had him on 57 had Mortaza hung on to a difficult diving catch to his right at mid-off after the batsman had given Shakib Al Hasan the charge. To add insult to injury, Butt charged the same bowler and lofted him over deep midwicket to bring up his only six of the innings.
The introduction of the spinners did little to stem the run rate. Shakib and Abdur Razzak, the left-arm spinners, varied their lengths, pushing it in quicker, sometimes giving it more flight, but the lack of turn allowed the pair to milk the singles. Younis brought up his half-century with a reverse sweep and by then the pair had gone past Pakistan's highest second-wicket stand against Bangladesh, beating the 123 between Rameez Raja and Saeed Anwar in 1997.


Mohammad Ashraful decided to bring on his seamers in the middle overs and the move paid off when Younis fell to a miscued pull off Shahadat. Mohammad Yousuf joined Butt and the pair clattered 17 off one Shahadat over, before Butt finally fell to a well-judged catch at long-on by Shakib. Pakistan had the luxury of having enough wickets in hand and in going for more runs, they lost a few wickets in quick succession. Yousuf was caught off a top edge and Shahid Afridi failed in front of his home crowd, mis-hitting to long-off. Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq added a breakneck 52 off just 5.4 overs to take Pakistan past 300.


Bangladesh managed to pluck away at the lower order wickets but Pakistan would be happy with this score, one which would really test Bangladesh in their attempt to gain a consolation win.