Pakistan scrapes up a win over Kenya

Rashid Latif finished it with a flourish, with nearly 17 overs to spare to get Pakistan off to a winning start in the PSO Tri-nation at the Nairobi Gymkhana cricket ground. But it was far from a convincing win, as six wickets were lost in overhauling a smallish target of 134.

With the match against Australia scheduled for the morrow, Pakistan would have to raise their game in all departments by more than a few notches to maintain their winning sequence against the world champions.

Pakistan had its heroes in Latif and Younis Khan while batting and Abdul Razzaq, adjudged Man of the Match, and Wasim Akram in bowling. The Kenyans were restricted to a manageable total, and though the batting wobbled, Pakistan in the end made it with breath to spare.

Rashid Latif's little cameo, unconquered 28 runs, off 23 deliveries, 3 fours, 2 sixes, and a limping Inzamam-ul-Haq (unbeaten 14, off 31 balls, 3 fours) delivered the victory in style. Latif clouted leg-spinner Collins Obuya for a four and two sixes, in that order in the mid-wicket region, to clinch it. But one wonders whether it may have been a different result had the target been larger and bowling a little more incisive.

Pakistan started badly, losing Saeed Anwar in the very first over, caught by David Obuya behind the stumps off an inside edge to give Martin Suji his first wicket with naught on the board. Imran Nazir and Shahid Afridi had a little stand of 22 off just 15 deliveries. The two seemed to have stuck into the Kenyan attack when Nazir (13, 9 balls, 2 fours) misread the line of a slower delivery by Thomas Odoya and was clean bowled.

Once again, the much-talented Nazir had promised a lot, hitting two glorious fours, only to disappoint his many fans.

As Younis Khan, promoted to No 4 in place of Inzamam-ul-Haq, opted to be extremely sedate, Afridi continued to bat the only way he knows - in his customary cavalier style. Having started off clubbing the first delivery he received from Martin Suji to extra cover for four; he hit Odoyo to mid-wicket and after losing Nazir he whipped Suji again to square-leg boundary.

In the last over prior to lunch, Afridi would have perished had David Obuya not lunged at a simple chance; the 'keeper only had to allow the ball to travel to first slip to give Odoya his second wicket. To rub it in, Afridi sent Odoya over long-off for a six to be 20 (17 balls, 3 fours, 1 six) as Pakistan went to lunch at 35 for 2.

After lunch, Afridi again smote Odoyo for a six over long-on; next over he got out trying to repeat the stroke to Suji, the miscued heave ending in Odoyo's hands at third man.

Younis and Azhar Mahmood tried to stabilise things, by trying to play themselves in and as Suji (10 overs, 3 maidens, 22 runs for two wickets) and Odoyo gave little away, only five runs off eight overs. And then Younis opened up with a four to deep fine leg and another three to long-on, but Azhar was run out by a distance trying a sharp single. Razzaq didn't stay for long. Younis (36, 75 balls, 6 fours) by now was going for his strokes, but he essayed a cross-batted sweep on the first delivery of Collins Obuya and though he was stretching well forward umpire Aleem Dar still thought that he was out leg before.

Six for 97, and Pakistan must have thought that misery from Morocco was still following them. But Inzamam and Rashid made sure that there weren't any further hiccups.

Earlier, Razzaq, Akram had overcome Kenya
With the exception of Abdul Razzaq, none from Pakistan's much-vaunted pace attack bowled anywhere near their reputed capability. Yet it packed enough of a punch to shoot out Kenya for a paltry 133 in 30.3 overs, showing how far out of their depth they were in the big league.

In the mayhem of tumbling wickets at each side of a courageous stand for the fifth wicket, Kennedy Obuya (36, 72 balls, 5 fours, 1 six) and Hitesh Modi (34, 36 balls, 8 fours) defied the Pakistani bowlers. Putting on 71 in 10 overs and a bit, taking boundaries off the entire frontline attack, Obuya and Modi took the fight to Pakistan after Wasim Akram (3 for 30 off 7 overs) and Waqar Younis (1 for 29 off 7 overs) had reduced them to 30 for four in overcast conditions after the Pakistan captain won the toss and inserted Keyna in.

That partnership turned out to be the only redeeming feature of the innings, as Tony Suji (17, off 26 deliveries, 3 fours) was the only other batsman to get into double figures. That is other than extras, which accounted for a whopping 30 runs.

But that partnership was too good to last. A clearly rusty and a bit tubby Shoaib Akhtar mostly bowled short and wide, that is when he didn't bowl a fuller length. And opener Obuya and Modi, who had already retrieved the situation somewhat by taking boundaries off Akram and Younis, took full advantage of this stuff. Obuya hit Akhtar's first ball over point for a four, and then sent Razzaq's over mid-wicket for a six. But it was Modi who really tore into Akhtar, guiding, driving and pulling him for five fours in the next two overs. The last of the boundaries raised Kenya's hundred in 18.4 overs, a staggering recovery after the quadruple early shocks. What is more, when Akhtar tried to stare Modi down, it was the latter who gave him lip!

But Akhtar had his revenge. A vicious one from him struck Modi on the index finger, and though the batsman bravely tried to soldier on, he had to leave the field retired hurt. That was the turning point, and with Razzaq getting amongst the wickets, the end of the innings was nigh.

Kennedy Obuya had pulled him to mid-wicket for a six and drove him to long-off for four in the first two overs, but it was a measure of Razzaq's tenacity that he struck four blows in the space of 13 balls for the addition of a mere three runs to make it curtains for Kenya. David Obuya was his first victim, guiding the ball to second slip after gamely surviving five deliveries. Next over was wicket maiden, as Collins Obuya edged one and Rashid Latif took an acrobatic catch in front of second slip. Kennedy Obuya had seen six wickets fall at the other end, and it seemed that he might carry his bat. But with a fastish inswinger Razzaq castled him, middle stump knocked back and leg stump cartwheeling. Modi came out to try and rescue what was already a lost cause, and survived just two deliveries before guiding one smack into Latif's very safe pair of gloves.

But Razzaq was denied the five-for as Martin Suji was run-out by substitute Shoaib Malik and Azhar Mahmood, who bowled a neat little spell of 3.3 overs for a mere four runs, knocked Joseph Angara's middle stump out of the ground.

As they day began, Younis opted to bowl after winning his first toss in five games. The conditions, overcast with some moisture in the wicket, were ideal for pace and swing bowling. But Akram and Younis, the two most successful bowlers in limited-overs cricket ever, both sprayed the ball around. Akram was absolutely out of rhythm and bowled a surfeit of wides and no-balls. But once Waqar had gotten the breakthrough, trapping Ravindu Shah leg before, Akram kept producing wicket-taking deliveries amid a rather generous sprinkling of wides and no-balls to have Steve Tikolo and Thomas Odoyo leg before and clean bowling Maurice Odumbe with a most remarkable inswinger.

Pakistan definitely was anything but at its sharpest, and perhaps lucky to not to meet Australia in the first game. The Kenyan total indeed is a paltry one, and though the Pakistanis normally do not fancy chasing even modest totals, with depth in batting, they were likely to canter to 134.