India  V Pakistan 2004
Schedule
Date Start Time Match  Venue 

March 10   Arrival in Lahore 

March 13 04.30 GMT 1st ODI  Karachi 

March 16 09.00 GMT 2nd ODI  Rawalpindi (D/N)

March 19 04.30 GMT 3rd ODI  Peshawar 

March 21 09.00 GMT 4th ODI Lahore (D/N) 

March 24 09.00 GMT 5th ODI Lahore (D/N) 

March 28 - April 1 04.00 GMT 1st Test Multan

April 5-9 04.00 GMT 2nd Test Lahore

April 13-17 04.00 GMT 3rd Test Rawalpindi 

April 18   Departure from Lahore
 

Indo-Pak Test Matches
5th ODI 24/03/2004
SCOREBOARD
INDIA: 
V. Sehwag c Moin b Shabbir Ahmed 20 
S. Tendulkar c Moin b Mohammad Sami 37 
V. Laxman c Sami b Shoaib Malik 107 
S. Ganguly c Moin b Shoaib Akhtar 45 
R. Dravid b Mohammad Sami 4 
Y. Singh c Inzamam b Shabbir Ahmed 18 
Mohammad Kaif c Umer b Sami 16 
Irfan Pathan not out 20 
Laxmipathy Balaji not out 10 
EXTRAS: (b2, lb4, nb5, w5) 16 
TOTAL: (for seven wkts) 293 
Did not bat: Murali Kartik, Zaheer Khan 
Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-79, 3-171, 4-183, 5-227, 6-253, 7-276 
BOWLING: 
Shoaib Akhtar 10-1-47-1
Shabbir Ahmed 10-1-56-2
Mohammad Sami 10-1-63-3
Abdul Razzaq 10-0-54-0
Shoaib Malik 10-0-67-1 
Overs: 50 
PAKISTAN: 
Yasir Hameed b Balaji 2 
Taufiq Umer b Pathan 18 
Yousuf Youhana lbw b Pathan 1 
Inzamam-ul Haq c Tendulkar b Kartik 38 
Younis Khan c Yuvraj b Pathan 12 
Shoaib Malik c Kaif b Sehwag 65 
Abdul Razzaq c Sehwag b Balaji 5 
Moin Khan b Balaji 72 
Mohammad Sami b Zaheer 23 
Shoaib Akhtar run out 2 
Shabbir Ahmed not out 1 
EXTRAS: (b2, lb5, nb3, w4) 14 
TOTAL: 253 
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-9, 3-25, 4-58, 5-87, 6-96, 7-195, 8-248, 9-250 
BOWLING: 
Pathan 10-2-32-3
Balaji 9.5-0-62-3
Zaheer 9-0-54-1
Kartik 10-0-42-1
Tendulkar 5-0-27-0
Sehwag 4-0-29-1 
Overs: 47.5 
India won by 40 runs to take the series 3-2 
Toss: Pakistan 
Umpires: David Shepherd (ENG), Nadeem Ghauri (PAK) 
TV umpire: Zamir Haider (PAK) 
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI). 
India  V Pakistan
LAHORE-Cricket rivals India and Pakistan were gripped by big-match jitters as they prepared for today’s decisive fifth one-dayer that one expert said would be "too close to call." With the series locked 2-2, it’s all to play for at the day-night encounter at the Gaddafi stadium with the winner gaining a psychological edge ahead of the three Tests to follow. Sourav Ganguly’s Indians go into the showdown buoyant after securing a series-levelling win on Sunday, but are wary of their poor record in one-day finals over the past year. It was India that walked into the finale with the rubber tied at 2-2 and the tag of chokers hanging around its neck like an albatross. But it was Pakistan that ended up surrendering the match, by 40 runs to be precise. To the utter dismay of the packed-to-capacity crowd expecting a thriller, it was all over bar the shouting with nearly half of the regulation 50 overs to go as Pakistan was reduced to 96 for six. Shoaib Malik and Moin Khan tried to make a fist of it, but the Indian win was more or less inevitable.  Sourav Ganguly injured his back to be carried off the ground on a stretcher while trying to stop an Inzamam-ul-Haq off-drive but he rewrote history in becoming the first Indian skipper to have won a one-day series in this country in half a dozen attempts since 1978. The victory also gives India a psychological boost prior to the Test series that commences at Multan on March 28. Though quite remarkably led by VVS Laxman (a superb hundred anchoring the Indian innings) in batting and Irfan Pathan (devastating opening spell of three for 20 off eight overs) in bowling, it was anything but India’s clinical precision that spelt doom for Pakistan. It was rather the lack of any method in Pakistan’s chase that nipped the hopes of a triumph in the bud.
Pakistan was to make 294 to win, an identical target that India had surpassed with such consummate ease on Sunday. There is no denying that it was a competitive target. But Pakistan had made 344 at Karachi before losing by just five runs. There was no shame in that, but this was in poor taste. And the conditions were not difficult either. Again it was a placid track; Indian bowling too was the same against which Pakistan had made a similar total batting first the other day. If anything it should have been slightly more difficult for the Indian attack to contain Pakistan under the lights. Three wickets in the first six overs put the skids under the Pakistan innings. With Yasir Hameed and Yousuf Youhana going cheaply, Taufeeq Umar struck Laxmipathy Balaji for three fours to raise hopes of closing the gap. He too perished, bowled behind his legs by Irfan Pathan. Younis Khan is not a great striker of the ball, and he nudged it around for 20 balls before driving a really wide one from Pathan into Yuvraj Singh’s hands at point. It all depended on Inzamam and Abdul Razzaq, the two big strikers who were in rich vein of form. Inzamam tried to loft Murali Kartik straight out of the ground, but Sachin Tendulkar took a great catch right on the rope. Razzaq holed out to Virender Sehwag at long-off and the end seemed nigh. From here on Malik (65 off 89 balls, 3 fours, 1 six) and Moin played some sparkling strokes and brisk running between the wickets to add 99 from 102 balls for the seventh wicket to revive a morose crowd by taking the fight to India. As Malik gave it away, Moin kept game on, adding another rapidfire 53 with Mohammad Sami, but the task was way beyond the tail. Earlier, Inzamam-ul-Haq won the toss for the fifth time on the trot, and for the third time in the rubber he elected to field first. Given the wanton ways of the Pakistan attack, this was a brave decision, one that Inzamam may have rued had Pakistani bowlers continued gifting wides and no-balls. Rising to the call of their skipper, Pakistan’s bowlers put up a much more disciplined performance than has been their wont in the four previous games. And had Laxman in the middle of the innings and Irfan Pathan at the fag end not benefitted from dropped chances the target may have been slightly less daunting.
But Shoaib Akhtar led by example, his first spell of five overs going for just 15 runs, with no extras. Despite Shabbir and Sami going for runs in their first spells, the run rate was mostly kept in check, and was never allowed to go beyond six an over. This was helped a great deal by Shabbir and Sami providing breakthroughs that accounted for the two Indian openers, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar. These were vital blows for Sehwag seemed to be in that irresistible mood and Tendulkar was keen to leave an extended poor run in the four finals in the last one year. Tendulkar looked solid, and had driven Shabbir and Sami through the covers a couple of times with characteristic aplomb. He had also guided the two speedsters to third man for boundaries a couple of times. He tried the shot again, this time the outside edge ending up in Moin’s gloves. Laxman and Ganguly retrieved the situation in a partnership of 92, the best stand of the innings. Laxman (107, off 104 balls with 11 fours) by now had enjoyed a life, when Taufeeq dropped him at deep mid-wicket when he was only at 52.  Both were aiming for acceleration when Inzamam, now searching for wickets, brought Akhtar back into the attack. And he had Ganguly caught by Moin, his third catch of the innings. As Akhtar was rested again, Sami castled Rahul Dravid. With the slog on, Yuvraj, Laxman and Kaif lost their wickets losing the long handle. But Irfan Pathan and Laxmipathy Balaji made some brisk runs at the death to ensure that the target was in the vicinity of 300.
India  V Pakistan
4th. ODI 21/03/2004
SCOREBOARD
PAKISTAN: 
Yasir Hameed st Dravid b Kartik 45 
Shahid Afridi c Yuvraj b Pathan 3 
Yousuf Youhana lbw b Pathan 9 
Inzamam-ul Haq b Balaji 123 
Younis Khan c Pathan b Kartik 36 
Abdul Razzaq c Kaif b Tendulkar 32 
Moin Khan b Balaji 0 
Shoaib Malik c Kaif b Zaheer 13 
Shoaib Akhtar b Zaheer 2 
Mohammad Sami not out 0 
Shabbir Ahmed not out 0 
EXTRAS: (b10, lb9, nb5, w6) 30 
TOTAL: (for nine wkts) 293 
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-39, 3-89, 4-194, 5-264, 6-264, 7-283, 8-290, 9-292 
BOWLING: 
Pathan 10-1-53-2
Balaji 10-0-64-2
Zaheer 10-0-43-2
Kartik 10-1-48-2
Tendulkar 8-0-48-1
Yuvraj 2-0-18-0 
Overs: 50 
INDIA: 
V. Sehwag c Younis b Sami 26 
S.Tendulkar c Moin b Shoaib Akhtar 7 
V. Laxman b Shoaib Akhtar 20 
S. Ganguly c Moin b Abdul Razzaq 21 
R. Dravid not out 76 
Y. Singh c Youhana b Sami 36 
Mohammad Kaif not out 71 
EXTRAS: (lb9, nb9, w19) 37 
TOTAL: (for five wkts) 294 
Did not bat: Irfan Pathan, M. Kartik, L. Balaji, Zaheer Khan 
Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-69, 3-75, 4-94, 5-162 
BOWLING: 
Shoaib Akhtar 9-1-63-2
Shabbir Ahmed 7-0-62-0
Mohammad Sami 10-0-50-2
Abdul Razzaq 7-0-42-1
Shoaib Malik 7-0-38-0
Shahid Afridi 5-0-30-0 
Overs: 45 
India won by five wickets 
Man of the match: Inzamam-ul Haq (PAK) 
Toss: Pakistan
Umpires: Simon Taufel (AUS), Asad Rauf (PAK) 
TV umpire: Nadeem Ghauri (PAK) 
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI) 
Last match: Lahore on Wednesday 

India  V Pakistan

India romp to series leveller as extras cost Pakistan dear 
LAHORE -- India's batting might came good under the lights in the crunch game and brought the series to even keel with consummate ease, knocking off a sizable Pakistan target of 294 with five wickets and five overs to spare. 
The thoroughly deserving victory that came under great pressure keeps the rubber alive, with the promise of the fifth decisive game on Wednesday being a thriller. 
While Sourav Ganguly must have felt relieved, the result laid to waste Inzamam-ul-Haq's magnificent hundred, the second of this series and 10th overall - his only consolation being the Man of the Match Award. But, his own contribution notwithstanding, he must blame his batsmen for a less determined effort that saw Pakistan ending up well short of 300 on a wicket that was as good for batting as the earlier ones at Karachi and Rawalpindi.
As if that was not enough, the Pakistani bowlers could not measure up to the discipline and resolve of their less reputed counterparts. They squandered too many no-balls and wides, a whopping 28 in all, and their waywardness allowed the batsmen to dictate terms.
Shoaib Akhtar started off with four wides and Shabbir Ahmed, such a revelation at Peshawar, was massacred for 15 in his first over by Virender Sehwag. Akhtar induced an inside edge from Sachin Tendulkar with Moin Khan pouching a good catch, but that did not put any skids under the Indian onslaught. 
The wickets kept falling at regular intervals, with Akhtar uprooting VVS Laxman's middle stump with a brute of an in-shooter and Sami finding Sehwag's edge with Younis Khan doing the rest at first slip. But to keep the pressure on Pakistan bowling, the Indian batsmen seemed intent on taking the fight to them by scoring at a brisk pace that was well over the asking rate. 
Ganguly and Yuvraj didn't stay on the wicket for long, both together facing 50 deliveries contributing 57 runs with seven fours and a six by the former over third man off Sami. 
When Razzaq had Ganguly caught at the wicket, it was 94 for four and Inzamam must have thought that he had a window of opportunity there. Dravid and Yuvraj added another quick 68, in around 11 overs to bring the asking rate under five runs an over.
From here on they only had to keep their nerve, and Dravid (76, 92 balls, 9 fours) and Mohammad Kaif (71, 77 balls, 8 fours) are not known to lose theirs easily. Together the two put on 132 off only 130 balls to put the issue beyond doubt. 
Inzamam's power and majesty had earlier taken Pakistan close to 300, and they may well have gone past this oft-crossed figure in this series had wickets not fallen in a bunch in the last four overs.
Inzamam's knock (123 off 121 deliveries, 9 fours 4 sixes) was most important in the sense that it provided thrust and substance to the Pakistan innings. With Razzaq playing a blistering cameo, Pakistan added 95 runs in the last 10 overs. In ordinary circumstances this should have been a pretty good endeavour, but during this series both the sides batting first once apiece and setting a target of well over 300-plus had survived the scare but only by the skin of their teeth.
With Inzamam and Razzaq (32, off 24 balls, 2 fours, 1 six) going great guns, hitting bowlers to all parts of the park after they were kept in check in the middle overs, Pakistan seemed destined to make their third total of 300-plus in four games. But with the slog on, five wickets fell in the space of 25 deliveries and that thwarted the brisk scoring.
Pakistan started poorly, with Shahid Afridi's lofted cut off Irfan Pathan snapped up by Yuvraj Singh at point. Yousuf Youhana hung around for a while but didn't seem to be his usual confident self. Pathan, bowling well after having started off with a first-ball wide, was swinging the ball around. He hit Youhana on the pads four times in an over, and finally got him plumb in front.
Inzamam, winning his fourth toss on the trot and this time electing to bat, came in to steady the innings with Yasir Hameed, solid as ever though not given the freedom to cut loose by the determined Indian bowlers. He tried to break the shackles by going after Murali Kartik, missed the line of the ball and Dravid stumped him.
By now Inzamam was well settled and dominating a stand of 105 off 109 deliveries with Younis Khan, he stepped up the scoring rate quite considerably, setting up the final assault. 
At this point he tried to improvise only to see Balaji take revenge by knocking back his off-stump was rattled by Balaji. And though Razzaq and Shoaib Malik got a few, but the late charge kept losing the momentum as wickets kept falling regularly.
Still quite a handy total, only if Pakistani bowlers had risen to the task. The would need to make serious amends if Pakistan intends to do better on Wednesday.

India  V Pakistan
 
3rd. ODI 19/03/2004
Hameed fashions Pakistan victory
SCOREBOARD 
INDIA: 
V. Sehwag c Afridi b Shabbir Ahmed 13 
S. Tendulkar c Moin b Shabbir Ahmed 0 
V. Laxman b Shabbir Ahmed 3 
R. Dravid c Moin b Shoaib Malik 33 
S. Ganguly c Moin b Abdul Razzaq 39 
Y. Singh c Youhana b Sami 65 
Mohammad Kaif lbw b Abdul Razzaq 1 
R. Powar lbw b Shoaib Malik 14 
Irfan Pathan b Shoaib Akhtar 16 
L. Balaji not out 21 
Zaheer Khan not out 6 
EXTRAS: (b1, lb5, nb4, w23) 33 
TOTAL: (for nine wkts) 244 
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-30, 3-37, 4-105, 5-139, 6-140, 7-167, 8-198, 9-237 
BOWLING: 
Shoaib Akhtar 10-0-50-1
Shabbir Ahmed 10-0-33-3
Mohammad Sami 10-0-71-1
Abdul Razzaq 10-1-44-2
Shoaib Malik 10-0-40-2 
Overs: 50 
PAKISTAN: 
Yasir Hameed c Yuvraj b Pathan 98 
Shahid Afridi b Pathan 6 
Yousuf Youhana c Laxman b Pathan 2 
Younis Khan run out 18 
Shoaib Malik c Sehwag b Zaheer 2 
Inzamam-ul Haq lbw b Tendulkar 28 
Abdul Razzaq not out 53 
Moin Khan not out 22 
EXTRAS: (lb11, nb7) 18 
TOTAL: (For six wkts) 247 
Did not bat: Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed 
Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-29, 3-55, 4-65, 5-156, 6-173 
BOWLING: 
Pathan 10-0-58-3
Balaji 9.2-0-41-0
Zaheer 9-0-56-1
Ganguly 6-0-24-0
Powar 4-0-17-0
Tendulkar 8-1-31-1
Yuvraj 1-0-9-0 
Overs: 47.2 
Pakistan won by four wickets 
Man-of-the-match: Yasir Hameed (PAK) 
Toss: PAK 
Umpires: David Shepherd (ENG), Nadeem Ghauri (PAK) 
Tv umpire: Asad Rauf (PAK) 
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI) 
Remaining matches: March 21 (Lahore), March 24 (Lahore) Remaining matches: March 21 and March 24 (both at Lahore) 
Opener Yasir Hameed missed out on a century, but his fluent 98 guided Pakistan to a four-wicket victory over India in the third One-Day International in the five-match series in Peshawar on Friday.
Fast bowler Irfan Pathan sliced through the Pakistan top order, grabbing three wickets on his return to the Indian team before Abdul Razzaq dashed the tourists' hopes with an unbeaten 53 off 52 balls. 
Earlier, India recovered from a bad start to post a respectable 244 for 9 wickets, with Yuvraj Singh top-scoring with a well-made 65. The Indian total was boosted by a quick-fire 21 off just 12 balls from Lakshmipathy Balaji.
India innings:
Pakistan won the toss and put India in to bat on a pitch that, for the first time in the current series, boasted of some grass cover. Skipper Inzamam-ul Haq took heart from the conditions and took the gamble of bowling first.
The side batting first won the earlier two matches in the series.
Pakistan made no changes to their squad while India drafted in Irfan Pathan following Ashish Nehra's injury. All-rounder Ramesh Powar's gutsy showing in the second ODI at Rawalpindi enabled him retain his place in the squad.
The signs were not very encouraging for the Indian batsman. The first ball from Shoaib Akhar swung a long way and it seemed as if Haq had made the right decision.
Indian opener Virender Sehwag was dropped in the first over itself. A swinging delivery flew off the edge straight to Haq, who failed to get his hands up in time at first slip. Sehwag survived, but not for long. His end was to come soon enough.

But before that, the Indian innings was jolted by the fall of Sachin Tendulkar's wicket. Shabbir Ahmed dismissed the master batsman for a duck. Ahmed sprayed the ball around for the first four balls of the over, which extended to 14 balls, and then produced a jaffer to send the batsman back to the pavilion.
Sehwag played a few trademark shots as he raced away to 13 off 18 balls. But a ball from Ahmed squared him up and the leading edge flew to Shahid Afridi, who took a good catch at gully.
V V S Laxman was sent back to the pavilion for 3, Ahmed causing the damage again. The lanky 6' 7" inch bowler started in a very wayward manner but once he got his line he was deadly. He extracted good pace and swing from the wicket.

The Indians were tottering at 37 for the loss of three top-order wickets, and but for a 68-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, the innings might have ended even quicker.

Ganguly looked tentative at the start but then played some well-timed drives through the off-side to score 39 off 41 balls. He was eventually dismissed by Razzaq, who claimed his first wicket of the series. 

Dravid and Yuvraj Singh then tried to consolidate the innings with a 34-run partnership. The going was slow as the batsman tried to counter the swing and seam movement. The partnership was broken by off-spinner Shoaib Malik. He got a delivery to bounce and turn even as Dravid set up for the sweep shot. The Indian vice-captain was unlucky to be dismissed for 33 after having concentrated for 86 balls.

At this point, India lost Mohammad Kaif too. There was a real danger of the Indian innings folding up in quick time, but Yuvraj Singh showed once again why he is so highly regarded.

He rotated the strike well and scored in the company of lower-order batsman Powar (14 off 18 balls), Pathan (16 off 21 balls) and L Balaji (21 off 12 balls). The new-found maturity of this left-hand batsman eventually saw India post a respectable total.

Yuvraj received a lot of help from Balaji, who carried on from where he left off in the Rawalpindi ODI. The Tamil Nadu medium-pacer attacked Sami and Akhtar with a relish that frustrated both the Pakistani fast bowlers. A four off his legs and a six over long-on off Sami were shots that would have done a top-order batsman proud.

At the end of the 40th over, India were just 190 for the loss of seven wickets. But for the flurry of runs in the last five overs, which realised 54 for the visitors, Pakistan might have faced a much easier target.

At the start of the day, Inzamam had said, "I would like to have a target of around 250." His wish was granted.

Pakistan innings:

The Indian bowlers came up with a fighting effort in a bid to defend a meager total, but were thwarted by Hameed and Razzaq.

Pathan, left out of the first two games, began the first over superbly. He got the ball to move both ways at decent pace and troubled the batsmen in general. 

Hameed was lucky to survive a close lbw shout in Pathan's first over, when the ball pitched in line with the off stump and straightened to strike Hameed's pads in front of the stumps.

But success did not elude Irfan for long. Before the start of the Pakistan innings, the Indian team management would have recognized the threat posed by Shahid Afridi. The Pakistan opener scores so quickly that a total like India's could be demolished very quickly. Afridi tried to hit across the line the first ball of Irfan's second over and was clean bowled. The ball pitched on the off-stump and moved off the seam to crash into his middle stump. 

Irfan struck again just four overs later. Yousuf Youhana (2) followed a widish delivery and the resultant edge flew straight to VVS Laxman, who made no mistake.

Hameed, at the other end, continued to strike the ball with style and power. It was enough to convince his home crowd of his talent and give them their money's worth. 

Younis Khan took a different approach from his partner. He attacked the bowlers with gusto. Three consecutive fours in Pathan's sixth over saw the bowler being taken out of the attack. 

But just when it looked like Pakistan was beginning to run away with the game, Younis Khan's luck turned on him. The right-hander backed up too far and Balaji deflected a straight drive onto the stumps. 

Zaheer Khan came on as the first-change bowler, a clear indication of his bad form and the confidence Ganguly has in him. But he struck almost immediately to claim the wicket of Shoaib Malik (2).

Pakistan were 67 for 4 at the end of 15 overs.

Skipper Inzamam-ul Haq batted two positions lower than usual after complaining of acidity while fielding.

Hameed and Inzamam proceeded to play perfectly, to the requirement of the team. By this time the moisture in the air had evaporated and the ball ceased to do much.

Hameed continued to dominate the bowlers. He pulled and drove Zaheer, cut Ganguly and kept taking singles to keep the scoreboard ticking. The pressure almost never built up on Pakistan. The home team was cruising to an easy victory. 

At the end of 30 overs, Pakistan were 146 for 4.

Ganguly desperately needed a wicket and Tendulkar answered his prayers. A well-disguised googly fooled Inzamam completely. The umpire gave him out almost immediately, but a close look at the television replay suggested that the ball hit Inzamam well outside the off-stump. 

Razzaq, who was in next, gave Hameed good support. But just when the latter looked set for a century, he was dismissed by Pathan. A slower delivery deceived the batsman as he tried to drive the ball on the up, but looped it straight to Yuvraj at point.

Pakistan were 173 for the loss of six wickets, 72 runs from victory. Another wicket could well have consigned the home team to an unlikely defeat. But Razzaq and Moin Khan played impressively. Both batsmen took their time to get going but once they did, there was little doubt about the result of the match.

Razzaq, dropped by Tendulkar off his own bowling in the 42nd over when on 17, scored a brilliant match-clinching 53 off just 52 balls while Moin Khan rotated the strike well to score 22 off 34 balls. The duo put on an unbeaten 74-run partnership to guide Pakistan to victory.

Pakistan won the match by four wickets and now lead the five-match series 2-1.

For the first time in the series, it was an even contest between bat and ball after the 300-plus totals recorded in the first two games.
 


 
2nd. ODI
Pakistan back in reckoning with win 16/03/2004
The fierce Pakistan bowling attack led by Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhter who was playing his 100th one-day international at home ground thrashed India to win the second game by 12 runs to level the series by 1-1 here at the Rawalpindi Stadium on Tuesday. 
India strived to chase the mammoth target of 330 with the help of Star batsman Sachin Tendulkar who scored a scintillating 37th century (141 off 135balls) but failed to finish well once again as he is famous for this bad habit. The Pakistani bowlers packed the entire Indian batting line up in 48.4 overs when Muhammad Sami bowled injured Ashish Nehra at a total score of 317 runs. 
Except Tendulkar no other batsman could empress much and only Rahul Dravid (36) and Sehwag (26) crossed the figure of 20 runs. Shoaib Akhtar claimed three wickets conceding 49 runs in nine overs while Sami got the same number of wickets in 9.4 overs for 41 runs. Shahid Afridi was the man who succeeded both with the bat and ball. Besides scoring 80 runs that provided the base to Pakistan's mammoth total, he also took two wickets for 57 runs in eight overs. 
Earlier, Pakistan elected to bat first after winning the toss and managed a defendable target of 330 runs to win for India after a collapse in middle order batting. Pakistani openers provided a solid start by setting up opening partnership of 138 runs in 18.2 overs. Hard hitting batsman Shahid Khan Afridi blasted 80 runs to stage his come back and entertained the Pindi crowd that came crossing all the hurdles to watch an interesting encounters among archrivals. Yasir Hamid gave him good help on the other hands and scored 86 runs. 
Afridi made his way in the playing XI as both the teams made two changes each for this crucial game. Afridi replaced the failed opener of first game Imran Farhat While Shabir was the other change for Pakistan who was selected in place of Rana Navid-ul-Hasan. Inida given a chance to Romesh Powar (18not out) for debut who replaced Murali Kartick while VVS Laxman was selected against the place of Hemang Badani. 
Shahid Afridi was one of superstars those were thrown out of national squad in March 2003 after debacle in South Africa world cup. However he was recalled before the Indian series in 22 probables after performing well with bat and ball in South African league where he played club cricket after getting out of Pakistan team. 
Afridi did not leave any chance to hit a boundary or six and gave a totally changed look in his inning by proving himself a cool and responsible batsman. At the same tiome he hit some brilliant shots and used his feet and arms whenever wanted to throw the ball over or through the rope. He hit four sixes and ten boundaries in his 58 balls inning and stayed at wicket for 95 minutes. He was bowled by Yuvraj Singh while playing an across shot on the first ball of 19th over when Singh replaced Sehwag who conceded 17 runs in two overs of his first spell. 
Yasir Hameed smashed 86 runs in 108 balls inning and hit nine boundaries and a six to achieve this landmark. He started his inning slowly and provided full chance to Afridi for playing big shots however later he used his abilities to maintain the run rate when Yousaf Youhana came to help him on other end after the departure of Stylish Afridi. 
Hameed was well on his way to complete his century however a confuse moment sent him out of ground when he changed his decision to take a run after calling skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq for a sharp single. Inzamam replying his call ran to batting end but Hameed in the next moment was reluctant to take the single however he had to ran towards bowling end after Inzamam reached the batting end. However Nehra was too quick to upset the stumps and Hameed had to be satisfied on just 86 runs. 
Pakistan lost some quick wickets in the middle of innings and Yousaf Youhana, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Moin Khan departed in short intervals. Pakistan was 138 for 1 after departure of Afridi in 19th over and 191 for 2 in 29th over when Youhana was bowled by Youvraj. Later Nehra came in and struck on two delivries by packing up the innings of skipper Inzamam and Moin Khan on consecutive deliveries. He hit the leg stump of Inzamam-ul-Haq who made 29 runs and then Moin Khan on the consecutive delivries. He had a chance of hattric but Shoaib Malik played confidently his Yorker. 
Abdul Razaq and Shoaib Malik arranged some fire in the last overs and made 31 and 30 runs off 18 and 28 balls. 
Nehra was the most successful bowler of Indian inning by claiming3 wickets conceding 44 runs in allotted 10 overs. Yuvraj Singh got two for 41 in 10 overs while Balaji, Zaheer Khan and Sehwag remain wicket less conceding 47, 72 and 41 runs in 6, 7 and 10 overs respectively. 
SCOREBOARD 
PAKISTAN: 
Yasir Hameed run out 86 
Shahid Afridi b Yuvraj 80 
Yousuf Youhana b Yuvraj 24 
Inzamam-ul Haq b Nehra 29 
Younis Khan c Dravid b Nehra 28 
Moin Khan lbw b Nehra 0 
Shoaib Malik not out 30 
Abdul Razzaq not out 31 
EXTRAS: (lb6, nb1, w14) 21 
TOTAL: (for six wkts) 329 
Fall of wickets: 1-138, 2-191, 3-225, 4-249, 5-249, 6-284 
Did not bat: Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed 
BOWLING: 
Balaji 6-0-47-0
Zaheer 7-0-72-0
Nehra 10-0-44-3
Sehwag 5-0-39-0
Yuvraj 10-1-41-2
Powar 6-0-35-0
Tendulkar 6-0-45-0 
Overs: 50 
INDIA: 
V. Sehwag b Shoaib Akhtar 26 
S. Tendulkar c Razzaq b Shoaib Malik 141 
V. Laxman lbw b Mohammad Sami 4 
S. Ganguly st Moin b Shahid Afridi 15 
R. Dravid b Mohammad Sami 36 
Y. Singh c Shabbir b Shahid Afridi 19 
M. Kaif c Malik b Shoaib Akhtar 7 
R. Powar not out 18 
Z. Khan lbw b Shoaib Akhtar 0 
L. Balaji run out 14 
A. Nehra b Mohammad Sami 0 
EXTRAS: (b3, lb21, nb7, w6) 37 
TOTAL: 317 
Fall of wickets: 1-56, 2-71, 3-140, 4-245, 5-260, 6-282, 7-284, 8-284, 9-314 
BOWLING: 
Shoaib Akhtar 9-1-49-3
Shabbir Ahmed 9-0-65-0
Mohammad Sami 9.4-1-41-3
Shoaib Malik 10-0-59-1
Shahid Afridi 8-0-57-2
Abdul Razzaq 3-0-22-0 
Overs: 48.4 
Pakistan won by 12 runs 
Man-of-the-match: Sachin Tendulkar (IND) 
Toss: Pakistan 
Umpires: Simon Taufel (AUS), Asad Rauf (PAK) 
Tv umpire: Zamir Haider (PAK) 
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI) 
Remaining matches: Peshawar (March 19) and Lahore (March 21 and 24) 

 
India  V Pakistan
1st. ODI
India win thriller in Karachi 13/03/2004
India scored a thrilling five-run victory over Pakistan in the first one-day international at the National Stadium here on Saturday. The last ball decided the match in which a world record 693 runs were scored. India’s left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra kept his cool as he sent down the last delivery, and Moin Khan, who needed to hit a six to win the match for Pakistan, had a wild swipe only for Zaheer Khan to hold on to the ball and silence the home crowd. Pakistan finished on 344-8. The loss of two early wickets did not dent Pakistan’s confidence and a stand of 135 between Inzamam and Yousuf Youhana gave a glimmer of hope to the fans. Inzamam scored his ninth one-day hundred with some superb placements. He collected two sixes and 12 fours before feathering a catch to wicket-keeper Rahul Dravid off Murali Kartik with the score on 278. 

Youhana hit fours sixes in his 67-ball innings before attempting one lofted drive too many and substitute fielder Irfan Pathan took the catch on the boundary edge. Younis Khan (46) and Abdul Razzaq (27) maintained the momentum and Pakistan looked slight favourites at the start of the 49th over. But Shoaib Malik succumbed to a rush of blood as Mohammad Kaif took a brilliant catch, hanging onto the ball despite a near collision with team-mate Hemang Badani. 

Earlier, Pakistan added to their woes by sending down 20 no-balls and 10 wides, giving India five extra overs to bat. India smashed 349 runs for the loss of seven wickets after being put in to bat. In the process they eclipsed their highest total of 316 for 6 against Pakistan, recorded in Dhaka in 1998. Virender Sehwag played a brilliant innings with a six and 14 fours in his 79 off 57 balls and Rahul Dravid made 99. All of Pakistan’s frontline bowlers came in for severe punishment with Razzaq the most expensive, going for 83 runs from nine overs. Muhammad Sami picked up two late wickets as India managed just 25 runs in the last five overs, but Pakistan needed to score their second highest total in one-day internationals to overhaul India. 

We’re not finishing well, says Inzamam
India  V Pakistan

KARACHI: Pakistan captain Inzamamul Haq, whose 122 brought Pakistan close to what would have been an extraordinary victory against India on Saturday, said his team had to learn how to finish matches. 

Pakistan lost their second successive match with fewer than 10 runs needed in the final over, following their four-run defeat by New Zealand at Wellington earlier this year. “I think we have to work on this aspect. We’re not finishing well,” Inzamam told reporters. 

The 34-year-old struck 12 fours and two sixes in his 102-ball knock. Pakistan finished on 344 for eight in reply to India’s 350 for seven, which included 38 extras. “I’m disappointed with the way we bowled. We conceded just too many extras,” he said. “We came back well in the second half. We were almost there and we should’ve won. But I’m happy the match went off well in front off a well behaved crowd.” 

Inzamam said Saturday’s knock was one of his best. “I would’ve considered this hundred my most memorable one if we’d won the match. But in the end it didn’t count for anything.” 

India skipper Saurav Ganguly praised his bowlers and fielders for keeping their nerve in the end but said the match had been too close for comfort. “Only one team should have won after we scored 350 runs on this pitch. We gave way too many runs in the field,” he said. 

Ganguly said Mohammad Kaif’s catch to dismiss Shoaib Malik with seven balls to spare was the turning point of the match. “The bowlers brought us back into the match. But Kaif’s catch to dismiss Shoaib Malik turned the game in our favour.” 

The 23-year-old Kaif pulled off a spectacular tumbling catch, running in from the deep and managing to grab the ball after avoiding a collision with the charging Hemang Badani
India erupts with joy 

NEW DELHI: Cricket fans spilled over into India’s streets and danced to drumbeats Saturday to celebrate their team’s win over arch-rival Pakistan in the opening one-day match of the historic series. 

Roads which had been deserted throughout the day as people were glued to their television sets came alive in spontaneous rejoicing as soon as the last ball was bowled in the Pakistani port city of Karachi. 

Firecracker bursts mingled with shouts of “Long live India” and “Hip Hip Hurray” as traffic had to stop on many Indian city roads to give way to the joyful crowds. “It was a tight game and luckily we scraped through to a victory. We cannot forget the memory of (Pakistani batsman) Javed Miandad’s last ball six win in 1986 in Sharjah over India,” said Dilip Goyal, a cricket fan in New Delhi. 

India beat Pakistan by five runs in a high-scoring thriller on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match limited-overs series. Pakistani batsman Moin Khan could not hit the last ball for six.

Large television screens were set up in restaurants and there was a carnival atmosphere because of the match, the Indian team’s first full Test tour of Pakistan since 1989. People rushed out of the pubs and restaurants, yelling in joy. “As usual the India-Pakistan match was full of hard skips until the last bowl,” said Santosh Mangaonkar, a Bombay advertising professional, who called the match a “virtual replica” of the 1986 Sharjah confrontation. “We as spectators wondered whether Sharjah would be repeated today, but it didn’t happen, and it’s a pleasure to beat Pakistan on Pakistani soil after a long, long time,” he said
 KARACHI: Rival captains Sourav Ganguly and Inzamamul Haq were unanimous in declaring cricket the winner after India pulled off a sensational five-run win over Pakistan here Saturday. 

In a dramatic run feast befitting the resumption of cricketing ties between the two rival nations, Pakistan made 344-8 in reply to India’s 349-7. 

“It is difficult to remember a better one-dayer,” Ganguly told a news conference after the match at the National stadium in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi. “It is good to start the series with a win but it was too close for comfort. 
India  V Pakistan

Highest aggregate match run totals in one-day history 

KARACHI: Highest aggregate match run totals in one-day international history following India’s five-run victory over Pakistan in their opening one-dayer on Saturday (tabulated under aggregate total, overs, match, venue and year): 

693-15 (100) India (349-7) v Pak (344-8) Karachi - 2004

664-19 (99.4) S.Lanka (349-9) v Pak (315) Singapore - 1995/96

662-17 (99.3) W.Indies(333-7) v S.Lanka (329) Sharjah - 1995/96

660-19 (99.5) Pak (371-9) v S.Lanka (289) Nairobi - 1996/97

656-10 (99.1) S.Africa (326-3) v Aust (330-7) Port Elizabeth - 2001/02

655-19 (97) N Zealand (349-9) v India (306) Rajkot - 1999/00

652-12 (100) S Lanka (398-5) v Kenya (254-7) Kandy - 1995/96

651-13 (99.3) England (325-5) v India (326-8) Lord’s - 2002

650-15 (100) Aust (349-6) v N Zealand (301-9) Christchurch - 1999/00

649-9 (97.4) W Indies (324-4) v India (325-5) Ahmedabad - 2002/03

India  V Pakistan
The colours of the day were most definitely green and white. The stadium has never been so festive, nor has the atmosphere been so friendly and there were scores of young men and women singing and cheering and generally having a wonderful time

Historical Facts - World Cup Records
Indian Team
Sourav Ganguly (captain) ,Rahul Dravid (vice-captain) ,Virender Sehwag 
Sachin Tendulkar ,Yuvraj Singh ,V V S Laxman ,Hemang Badani 
Mohammad Kaif ,Parthiv Patel ,Zaheer Khan ,Irfan Pathan 
Ashish Nehra ,Laxmipathy Balaji ,Murali Kartik ,Romesh Powar 
India  V Pakistan
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on 
Wednesday presented Indian captain Sourav Ganguly with a bat while 
also conveying his best wishes for the Pakistan series beginning on Saturday.
Vajpayee's good wishes read: 
"Khel hi nahi, dil bhi jitye. Meri shubkamana apke saath" 
(Besides the game, also win hearts. My best wishes are with you). 
Rajiv Gandhi family, other VIPs arrive to watch ODI 

Karachi—The family of Rajiv Gandhi flew in here on Friday from New Delhi as one of the several hundred VIPs arriving here to watch the first ODI between Pakistan and India after 14 years at National Stadium.

Paryanika and Rahul Gandhi arrived through a PIA flight and would be at National Stadium today to watch the match, said Shahryar Khan, Chairman PCB while talking to newsmen at a press briefing at Governor House.

He said Paryanika is being accompanied by her husband besides 15-20 other VIPs who have arrived here from India.

Shahryar Khan said the Chairman Indian Cricket Board Jagmohan Dalmia has also arrived while Ehsan Mani, Chairman ICC was also due.

He said that some important people from business, trade and industry have also come to watch the matches here and at other playing centres.—
Pakistan has put such tight security in place for Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly that even the meals served to him get a special 'pre-check'.

The Indian team was checked into a five-star hotel in Lahore which routinely hosts top foreign dignitaries. The hotel has security in place to keep an eye on everything being served to VIPs. Yet, for Ganguly, it received special orders to have a food taster check everything being served to him.

One of the hotel employees confirmed this arrangement: "It is true we have received special instructions about that. We get even more careful when a visitor comes to see the Indian captain."

Even an Indian journalist who wanted to meet Ganguly was roped in to do a taste test of the tea and cookies being served to the skipper. 

India  V Pakistan
India’s captain Sourav Ganguly (centre) makes his way to
a bus under tight security after the Indian cricket team arrives at 
Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore on Wednesday

 
Rules
Profiles
Classic Old Gallery
Test Records
Quiz
Cricket Ground
Cricket Tips & Techniques
BCCI
ICC
Kapil Dev player of century
DDCA
Schedules
Historical Facts - 
World Cup Records
Should be Life-
Time ban:- Rajesh Chopra
Scorecard 2003
World Cup Records
liveindia.com is not responsible for any wrong information under this site
webmaster Rajesh Chopra Welcome to
Rajesh Chopra's
Guest Book 
and comments Please
live India
Copyright © 1998-2001 Live India Internet Services! All rights reserved

Legal Information
All rights reserved. No part of this publication and other sites of under liveindia.com 
may be transmitted or reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission 
from the publisher Live India Internet Services or 
Rajesh Chopra, 433, Kohat, Pitampura Delhi-110034.India.or
L.C.Premium Cables, 1826, Amar Nath 2nd Building, Bhagirath Palace Delhi - 110006, India.
Liveindia.com or Mr.Rajesh Chopra is not responsible for any wrong information under this site,
For confirmation of any information it is recommended that you can reconfirm from yours end.