The feline mewment

Zimbabwe would have been somewhat pumped after Hamilton Masakadza and Graeme Cremer revived their innings to post 175. Their fielders walked out with energy and enthusiasm to defend the score and dispersed all over the field as the Afghanistan openers walked out. But just as Neville Madziva ran in to deliver the first ball, he had to pull out because a cat was spotted on the field. It was soon spotted on the camera too, and shortly sprang across the field, not too far from the pitch, and stationed itself in the deep to get a better view of the two wickets Madziva got off consecutive deliveries in the first over.

Brett Lee would have probably hummed a song if he watched Masakadza bat in Sharjah on Saturday evening. Masakadza had resurrected Zimbabwe's innings with his 30th ODI fifty and was looking to stretch the team score when he struck his third six of the innings in the 48th over. He had been pouncing on the short balls along with Cremer, but when he got a long hop from Mohammad Nabi, he rocked back and hammered the ball that landed on the roof of the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Lee's rock band would be proud.

Sikandar Raza was the fifth Zimbabwe batsmen to be dismissed. Peter Moor was lbw when he didn't move his feet. Chamu Chibhabha poked at one away from his body for an edge. Richmond Mutumbami played an unnecessary sweep and Elton Chigumbura missed one when he unleashed a rash shot. But Raza got the best ball of them all when Mirwais Ashraf landed one just outside off and seamed the ball in beautifully to find the gap between bat and pad as Raza's feet hardly moved. While most of the others before him gave their wickets away, Raza could probably say his muqaddar (destiny or fate in Urdu) did not help him at all.

Virender Sehwag was known to sing while batting, fielders do all sorts of bustling while talking to commentators in the Big Bash League, but singing while sitting outside the boundary…who does that? When Afghanistan were well and truly in the game and had nearly taken all ten Zimbabwe wickets, the TV broadcast showed Afghanistan's head coach Inzamam-ul-Haq singing all by himself, sitting alone in the dressing room. Afghanistan's grip on the match at that time was such that Inzamam could have afforded to croon a soothing song that went with his gentle-giant image, even as the DJ at the ground played Pitbull's "Let it rain over me."