in a day of reverse sweeps Misbah decides to finish things off with one, changes guard and plays a lap sweep past short third man
Afghanistan vs Pakistan, Only ODI at Sharjah, Feb 10 2012 - Match Result
The presentation is on. Afridi is the Man of the Match: "Good practice for the upcoming games. Dressing room atmosphere is perfect."
Nawroz Mangal (he's got the help of an interperter): "Performance was satisfactory. Unfortunately our batting wasn't great. If we play consistently against teams like Pakistan we will get better and do well in the World Cup qualifiers. I would like to thank the PCB and I would like the ICC to present us with more opportunities."
Misbah: "Happy to see the spirit of the Afghan team. They way they started, I was a bit surprised. When they played T20 in Pakistan they were exciting. We got in Shoaib Malik because he's another spin option and also a lower-order batter."
Thanks for your company today. There's the first ODI against England that begins on Monday. Look forward to seeing you then. Cheers!
End of match: Afghanistan may have been beaten comprehensively by seven wickets, but far from disgraced. In fact they were quite sprightly in the field even when the game was firmly with Pakistan. Hopefully this will be the start of many more games against the Full Members ie, the big teams. And Pakistan should continue to assist them in whichever way. Iqbal Sikander, the former Pakistan legspinner, is now their coach.
Pakistan pretty much played full strength today, though public opinion would say that they would be better off experimenting with a new guy like Hammad Azam instead of Shoaib Malik.
short and he swivels and pulls hard but finds deep square leg
steers it straight to cover point
slower ball again and he opts not to bash it away, pushes it to the off side
slower ball down the leg side and wide called
he makes room to slam it past the off side but it's a slower ball and he just pats it away
bowls it shorter and he opens the face and steers it to third man
the field is up and Younis wants to get this done with, pitched up and swinging in and he stays at the crease and scoops it over mid-on
Shapoor was lucky to get his head out of the way! Misbah smacked a low full toss straight back towards the bowler, Shapoor just about evaded it and the ball went scorching to long-on
squeezes it in front of point
powers it down the ground but mid-off's deep enough to run across and stop it
straight six! Misbah stands at the crease and lofts through the line, Nabi does really well to even attempt a one-handed catch at the edge of the rope and he nearly cleans up an attendant near the sightscreen
Misbah sizes to blast that out of the ground but then changes his mind and defends as it was a slower delivery
fullish delivery on the off stump and he thuds it down the track, Shapoor's boot gets in the way
This is the final Powerplay
Omar: "I think Misbah should have sent Umar and Shoaib instead of himself and Younis. They didn't play the tests and are out of batting practice. But I still think this is the best line-up for the 1st ODI against England."
drives off the front foot but can't beat mid-off
pushes a full delivery back to the bowler
gets across and pushes a full delivery to sweeper cover
keeps a touch low again, he pushes it down to cover point
full outside the off stump and he punches it down to long-off
flatter delivery and he punches it down to sweeper cover
Hotak returns for a new spell
Sharjah Cricket Stadium | |
Toss | Afghanistan, elected to bat first |
Series | |
Season | 2011/12 |
Player Of The Match | |
Match number | ODI no. 3236 |
Hours of play (local time) | 15.00 start, First Session 15.00-18.30, Interval 18.30-19.15, Second Session 19.15-22.45 |
Match days | 10 February 2012 - daynight (50-over match) |
ODI debut | |
Umpires | |
TV Umpire | |
Reserve Umpire | |
Match Referee |