Pak veterans square series

Pakistan Veterans make it one-all
December 21

Ijaz Ahmed continued his run of good form with an unbeaten 69, helping Pakistan Veterans romp to a six-wicket victory over the India Veterans in the second limited-overs game of the three-match NTPC Goodwill Veterans series on Sunday.

Things didn't look too rosy for the Pakistan Veterans at one stage, with the score reading 60 for 4, after the Indian Veterans made early inroads into the batting line-up. But a 134-run partnership fifth-wicket between Ijaz and Mansoor Akhtar (58*) ensured the victory at Karnail Singh Stadium, New Delhi.

Earlier, Vivek Razdan played the lead role with the bat, scoring 53 off 49 balls with four fours and three sixes, as India Veterans scored 191 for six. In the end, it just wasn't enough, and now the series is down to the wire.

India Veterans win by 12 runs
December 19

India Veterans rode on the back of a good spell by Vivek Razdan (3 for 23) to beat the Pakistan veterans by 12 runs in the first limited-overs match of the NTPC Indo-Pak Goodwill series in Jalandhar on Friday.

Chasing 175 in 30 overs, the Pakistan Veterans got off to a terrible start, losing three wickets for 31 runs, before Aamer Malik (30) and Ijaz Ahmed (40) put up 73 runs for the fourth wicket. Surinder Khanna (2/33), who also opened the batting for the India Veterans, turned his arm over to break the partnership, and claimed both batsmen.

Razdan then returned to wipe out the tail, and with it, the Pakistan fightback.

The India Veterans got off to a thundering start, as Khanna (23) and Atul Wassan (28) slammed 42 runs in only 29 balls. But the beginning was not taken advantage of, and the team lost wickets in a flurry to find itself at 68 for 3. However, Gursharan Singh put his hand up to do the job, scoring 55, and was involved in two vital partnerships with Bhaskar Pillay and Vijay Yadav to take India Veterans to 175.