The Hindu : Sport : Hong Kong batsmen cave in meekly

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Sport

Hong Kong batsmen cave in meekly

K.C. Vijaya Kumar

Pakistan begins Asia Cup campaign with a resounding 155-run win

— Photo: AFP

ON TARGET: Rao Iftikhar Anjum is delighted after castling Irfan Ahmed.

Karachi: The capitulation was slow and sure. The chase was never on as Hong Kong continued to suffer the spectre of big defeats while Pakistan won by 155 runs in the STAR Cricket Asia Cup Group ‘B’ match here at the National Stadium.

In the last edition at Colombo in 2004, Hong Kong lost to Bangladesh by 116 runs and suffered a 173-run defeat against Pakistan. And Tuesday night was no different. Chasing Pakistan’s 288, Hong Kong openers — skipper Tabarak Dar and Shkawat Ali — hung in grimly.

Unsettled

However in the seventh over, Umar Gul crunched one into Tabarak’s helmet and as he slumped with pain, rubbed his jaw and retired hurt, the slow descent to defeat had begun.

A Sohail Tanvir bouncer consumed Shkawat before Irfan Ahmed, Hussain Butt, Courtney Kruger and J.J. Atkinson probably heard ‘shiver-me-timbers’ as Sohail Tanvir, Rao Iftikhar and Shahid Afridi skewered the stumps.

Tabarak came back to bat and failed to last while a touch of black humour lingered as Zain Abbas drilled one onto Younis Khan’s helmet at silly point. Abbas suffered cramps, retired hurt and never returned while Younis felt dizzy and the two were taken out on a stretcher. Hong Kong finished with 133 in 37.2 overs.

Earlier, a 20-year-old, with roots in Multan, caused heartburn to the few spectators and the Pakistani dressing room. Left-arm spinner Nadeem Ahmed celebrated his home coming to Pakistan, snaring four wickets to help Hong Kong stifle the host’s intended gallop towards the 300-run mark.

Pakistan scored 288 for nine in 50 overs after Shoaib Malik opted to bat on a day that lacked the buzz of a big tournament launch with near-empty galleries and the absence of promotional hoardings en route to the stadium, catching the eye.

However, the adrenaline shot that a lethargic atmosphere badly needed was injected in the third delivery of the match as Salman Butt nibbled and nicked one into Atkinson’s gloves.

Early setback

Zero for one and with Shoaib and Younis at the crease, the stage was set for quick repair. Shoaib cut his way out of trouble without looking in command while Younis (67, 65b, 8x4, 1x6), easy of feet and supple in the wrists, carved the bowlers with ease. The second wicket partnership of 67 paused as the cut finally undid Shoaib with a diving Butt Hussain snapping the catch at backward point. Mohammed Yousuf promised much but fell to Nadeem, trying to pull without getting on top of the ball and ended up scooping it up for a tame dismissal.

Nadeem was on a roll as Misbah-ul-Haq played for the turn and had his pads ruffled. Nadeem then scalped Younis with the one that spun away to make a mess off Younis’s pre-meditated charge while the bails were whipped off.

Nadeem was lost in the huddle and Pakistan at 150 for six in 25.4 overs, was having a reality check. Sarfraz Ahmed’s run out did not help matters either but the tipping point was avoided and stability returned as southpaws Fawad Alam (63 n.o., 77b, 3x4) and Sohail Tanvir (59, 55b, 6x4) shared a 100-run eighth-wicket partnership that secured for Pakistan a total far beyond Hong Kong’s reach.

SCOREBOARD

Pakistan: S. Butt c Atkinson b Afzaal 0, S. Malik c Butt Hussain b Irfan 35, Y. Khan st. Atkinson b Nadeem 67, Mohd. Yousuf c Haider b Nadeem 28, Misbah lbw b Nadeem 2, F. Alam (not out) 63, S. Afridi c & b Nadeem 4, Sarfraz Ahmed (run out) 7, S. Tanvir c (sub) Roy Lamsam b Zain 59, U. Gul c Nadeem b Irfan 8, Rao Iftikhar (not out) 3; Extras (lb-2, w-10): 12; Total (for nine wkts. in 50 overs): 288.

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-67, 3-121, 4-135, 5-140, 6-150, 7-161, 8-261, 9-283.

Hong Kong bowling: Afzaal 7-0-51-1, Irfan 10-0-59-2, Zain 6-0-56-1, Nadeem 9-1-51-4, Najeeb 10-0-35-0, Munir 8-1-34-0.

Hong Kong: Tabarak Dar lbw b Afridi 24, S. Ali c (sub) Mansoor Amjad b Tanvir 8, Irfan Ahmed b Iftikhar 0, K.H. Butt b Iftikhar 4, C.K. Kruger b Tanvir 0, Zain Abbas (retired hurt) 26, J.J. Atkinson b Afridi 18, Munir Dar (run out) 14, N. Amar lbw b Younis 21, Nadeem c Misbah b Fawad 2, A. Haider (not out) 0; Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-13): 16; Total (in 37.2 overs): 133.

Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-28, 3-32, 4-45, 5-76, 6-102, 7-126, 8-133, 9-133.

Pakistan bowling: Gul 6-1-20-0, Tanvir 6-1-20-2, Iftikhar 6-1-18-2, Afridi 8-0-30-2, Shoaib 8-0-31-0, Fawad 2.2-0-8-1, Younis 1-0-3-1.

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