Virat Kohli starred in India’s chase of mammoth 330-run target and win by 6 wickets against Pakistan during their high-voltage league match of the Asia Cup cricket tournament tonight. Pakistan innings Openers Mohammed Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed cracked sparkling centuries as Pakistan piled up a mammoth 329 for six against India.
Both Hafeez (105) and Jamshed (112) stitched a record 224-run opening partnership to lay the foundation as the Indian attack wore a pedestrian look throughout the innings while below par fielding in the initial part only added to the woes.
The opening stand is Pakistan’s highest against India eclipsing Saeed Anwar and Aamer Sohail’s opening stand of 144 in Singapore, back in 1996. Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul Haq won the toss and his decision to bat was vindicated by the openers who didn’t put a foot wrong during their partnership. They never took any undue risks yet hit boundaries at will while keeping the scorers busy with singles and twos. Hafeez was the first to get off the blocks with a square cut off Praveen Kumar’s bowling in the very first over. Young Jamshed then took the cue and hit Praveen for three boundaries in the third over and Pakistan never looked back since then. The 50 of the innings came in the 10th over and 100 in the 18th over as Dhoni’s bowlers looked clueless in the wake of the onslaught. While Praveen’s lack of pace on a slow pitch became his undoing, Irfan time and again drifted on the pads as both Jamshed and Hafeez gleefully kept clipping those deliveries at will.
The Pak Bangla match was indicator of this result.They nearly won but for silly shots by Bangla batsmen.Misbah did not learn.
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