Something strange in Haris' neighbourhood

The news of Haris Sohail's unfortunate run-in with what the batsman believed to be ghosts, in Christchurch, has now traveled around the globe, even making a splash in the USA. True or not, it will now be a tale he will find tough to live down, as the Westpac Stadium DJ proved. Sohail played well for his 23, but when he was dismissed in the 24th over, he walked back to the dressing room to the theme song from the Ghostbusters film.

Younis Khan failed to make a significant the two warm-up matches, and when he slashed Kyle Mills in the air to third man in the seventh over, he thought he was out for 1. Younis was on his way back to the dressing room when he heard the umpires asking him to wait. Replays found Mills had not landed his foot behind the line, and a no-ball and a run was awarded, and the wicket reversed. A free-hit was also given, but though Ahmed Shehzad received a knee-high full toss, he chose to just bunt it into the legside.

Brendon and Nathan McCullum played countless games of indoor cricket growing up, and in the 25th over, produced a piece of fielding that might have been more at home on a cricket court than a field. Tearing after a ball Haris had hit between mid on and midwicket, Brendon caught up to it just outside the 30-yard circle, and employed a reverse-scoop, as he dove over the ball. Brendon was sending the ball behind him, but his brother, who had been at midwicket, was in the perfect position to catch the ball and return it to the keeper. Most teams would have conceded at least two for that shot, but the McCullums only gave away a single.

Never one to suffer a run-rate below four an over, Shahid Afridi came in at 127 for 6 and thumped his first ball over cover for four. He continued to aim big swipes at virtually every ball, and perhaps it was seeing Afridi play with such a cavalier spirit, that inspired Misbah-ul-Haq to do the same. Misbah had been 58 from 86 balls and needed only to turn the strike over to Afridi at the other end, but in the 42nd over, he tried to smash a full Grant Elliott ball over the deep midwicket rope, and picked out the fielder there instead.