It was scarcely-scriptable and only when Razzaq hit his tenth six in the last over, slogging Albie Morkel over midwicket to climax an unimaginable orgy of power-hitting, was a Pakistan win even worth contemplating; until then he had played to a backdrop of impending, imminent doom. To even get to that point needing 14 was a feat because for 99 overs Pakistan looked a distant second best; a solid, now-to-be-forgotten century from Colin Ingram, hands from Hashim Amla and JP Duminy and the continuing refusal of Pakistan’s top order to turn up, the distinct story till then.

Shahid Afridi and Fawad Alam had tried gamely to make something of the disaster of 70 for 4 in the 19th over. The spinners were on, Afridi was around so inevitably some fun was had. When Afridi went in the 30th, the score at 136, still the best they could hope for was an honourable scrap.

Razzaq began quietly, expressive as a stone, and even a dance-down six off Robin Peterson four overs after Afridi left felt decorative. Alam, meanwhile, was getting bogged down by his own inability to clear a field. But South Africa relaxed, the pair stuck at it. Alam suddenly got going and Razzaq smoked a couple more sixes. By the 40th over, at 200 for 5, theoretically it looked possible — in this age of Twenty20 at least — even if, in reality, it didn’t feel gettable.

But for once, Pakistan timed their Powerplay right and when Johan Botha was taken for 11 in the very first, a little tension crept in. Only a little though, for Alam went soon, Morne Morkel bowled two fine overs, there was the inevitable run-out and even though Razzaq had reached his fifty, it was done and dusted.

The 47th over, bowled poorly by Charles Langeveldt, was pivotal. Razzaq launched a sequence of length balls for three sixes in his favourite areas — flat-batted over extra cover, high over long-on and down the ground. Eighteen runs but no expression. Wahab Riaz’s run-out off the last ball was merely collateral damage as 53 from 24 became 33 from 18.

Razzaq had decided at the fall of Alam that if the match was to be won, it would be by him alone, so with the tail in, several singles were turned down. With 25 needed from 12, Langeveldt was lofted down the ground and then pulled with cartoonish violence to midwicket. By the time Razzaq had taken the 14 needed off the last over he had scored 63 of the last 65, effectively from the 45th over onwards. Six sixes came in the last four overs, and only at the very end, after crashing a drive through point, did he let his emotions out, dropping his bat and trying to run but not knowing where to go.

That put to shade all that went before it. South Africa’s real work had been done with the bat and Ingram’s second ODI century was a real old-school effort. The start was edgy, even if it contained a classy punch through midwicket. But once he jumped down the track and lofted Razzaq down the ground, nerves were shed.

Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium or Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNS), is a cricket ground in the Mirpur Thana district of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It holds 35,000 people and was built in 2006. At first, it was named “Mirpur Stadium”, but the Bangladeshi government later renamed it as “Shere-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium.”

The Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium, named after AK Fazlul Haque, one of the country’s most renowned leaders and freedom fighters in the 1940s, is situated about 10 kilometres outside the centre of Dhaka. The move from the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka to Mirpur was met with much resistance, but the BCB had decided they needed a stadium dedicated exclusively to cricket, and carried on despite criticism.

The most striking feature of the ground is the drainage facility which is probably the best in the subcontinent. The ground was originally built for football and athletics and was hence rectangular in shape. To bring it back to a shape suited for cricket, a lot of demolition had to be done,and also the athletics tracks had to be dug up.About three feet of soil was excavated to remove all the red clay. PVC pipes were fit in before filling it up with rock chips and sand and then grass. The slope is nice and even, a difference of 29 inches from the wicket to the boundary.

The ground hosted its first Test when Bangladesh played India in May 2007; a timely start was made possible because of the efficient drainage after heavy overnight showers. The wicket was pretty flat and slow. The stadium is being renovated ahead of the 2011 ICC world cup.

EDEN GARDENS:

Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata, India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Indian Premier League’s Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a Test and One Day International ground. It is the largest cricket stadium in India considering seating capacity.

R. Premadasa Stadium :

R. Premadasa Stadium is a cricket stadium situated on Khettarama Road, Maligawatta, Colombo, Sri Lanka. The stadium was, prior to June 1994, known as the Khettarama Cricket Stadium and is today one of the main venues in which the Sri Lankan cricket team play.

Over two million people were displaced in the worst-ever floods in Pakistan.

Jean-Paul Duminy hit an elegant 41 while Colin Ingram remained unbeaten with 46 as South Africa reached the target after losing three early wickets for 26.

The two left-handers shared a solid 66-run partnership for the fourth wicket after paceman Shoaib Akhtar gave Pakistan some hope with the quick wickets of opener Loots Bosman and AB de Villiers in the third over.

Ingram hit two towering sixes and four boundaries during his 38-ball knock.

Duminy hit five boundaries as the two dominated the Pakistan bowling which initially looked threatening.

Botha said he was happy to lead the series.

“It was a clinical performance and I am happy at the way the young guns stepped in after we lost three early wickets especially Ingram and Duminy,” said Botha.

Duminy, who also took two beautiful catches, was declared man-of-the-match.

Earlier, Tsotsobe and off-spinner Botha bowled tightly to derail Pakistan, who won the toss and batted on a flat pitch.

Misbahul Haq, recalled after being axed following the World Twenty20 in May this year, topscored with 27 with a six and two boundaries.

Skipper Shahid Afridi hit a rapid seven-ball 25 before he became one of Botha’s three victims.

Pakistan had raced to 16 in the second over before Tsotsobe removed openers Imran Farhat (10) and Shahzaib Hasan (nine) in the sixth.

Botha then removed Moha-mmad Hafeez (13), Afridi and Abdul Razzaq (four) to end Pakistan’s hopes of reaching a respectable total.

Pakistan coach Waqar Younus was disappointed over the poor batting.

“We scored 25-30 runs less than we expected,” said Waqar, whose team lost the last six wickets for a mere 35 runs.

“We need to bat with strategy in the next game.”

This is Pakistan’s home series shifted to United Arab Emirates due to security fears.

The two teams meet in the second Twenty20 here on Wednesday.

They then play the first two one-day internationals and the second Test in Abu Dhabi. Dubai will stage the last three one-day and the first Test.

England, set 127 to win in the first of two matches scheduled for Cardiff, were struggling on 62 for five at the halfway stage with Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi taking two cheap wickets with his brisk wrist spin.

However, Eoin Morgan was badly dropped at short fine-leg on 13 by Shoaib Akhtar attempting a reverse sweep and England eventually reached their target with 17 balls to spare.

After Paul Collingwood had asked Pakistan to bat following a 30-minute rain delay, England’s premier bowler Graeme Swann showed his versatility in all forms of the game with two for 14 from his four overs. Pakistan scored from only 10 of the off-spinner’s deliveries.

Michael Yardy was almost as parsimonious from the other end, taking one for 21 with his flat left-armers.A late burst of 38 runs from 29 balls between Umar Akmal (35 not out) and Afridi (16 not out), who was dropped twice, took Pakistan to 126 for four. It was the first time they had failed to hit a six in a T20 match.

Shoaib Akhtar, 35 last month, recaptured the searing pace of his youth, albeit in the knowledge that he only needed to bowl a total of 24 deliveries with an opening-wicket maiden.

Although England faltered midway, losing four consecutive wickets from the last ball of an over, their target was always too small.

Their total owed much to Trott’s well-made 77 not out during an innings where most of the England top-order failed to cope with the swinging ball.Trott found a useful ally in Stuart Broad (46 not out).

England’s eighth-wicket pair had so far added an unbroken 83, with Broad, who bats left-handed, driving stylishly through the offside and hooking Aamer for six.

Left-arm quick Aamer transformed England’s overnight 39 for one into 47 for five with a dramatic spell of four wickets for no runs in eight balls.

That haul saw him rip through England’s middle-order, with Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan — the Nos 4, 5 and 6 respectively — all dismissed by Aamer for nought.

England were 97 for five at lunch but soon afterwards they were 102 for seven as Aamer took two wickets for no runs in three balls.

Matt Prior, who helped Trott add 55 for the sixth wicket was caught behind by Kamran Akmal for 22 and Graeme Swann well held low in the gully by Azhar Ali for the fourth duck of the innings.

Nevertheless, Trott retained his composure to compile a 90-ball fifty with seven fours.

Pakistan, looking to square the series at 2-2 after victory at The Oval last week, did not have long to wait for a breakthrough on Friday after bad weather meant only 12.3 overs were possible on Thursday.

Aamer squared up Oval centurion Alastair Cook off Friday’s third ball and the left-handed opener was caught behind for 10.

Cook, dropped on one, was 10 not out and Jonathan Trott eight not out with England 2-1 up in this series after Pakistan’s four-wicket win across London at The Oval last week.

It was no surprise when Pakistan captain Salman Butt opted to field first in after winning the toss in the kind of overcast conditions that have troubled batsmen on both sides all series.

Poor catching has hampered Pakistan throughout this series and their 18th dropped effort in four Tests — a remarkable and damning statistic by international standards — was one of their worst.

England were on seven in the third over, when Cook was drawn into a defensive edge outside off-stump by left-arm quick Mohammad Aamer only for third slip Umar Akmal to drop the seemingly straightforward two-handed chance, much to the teenage bowler’s evident and understandable disgust.

Next ball Cook added to Aamer’s frustrations by edging him unconvincingly through the slip cordon for four.

Pakistan thought they had Cook caught behind off Aamer for nine, with England on 25.

Billy Bowden eventually gave Cook only for the Essex batsman, fresh from a century at The Oval to refer the decision.

Bowden, after replays indicated Cook had missed the ball, reversed his original verdict.

But Pakistan had the wicket their new-ball pair deserved when Mohammad Asif produced a superb full-length delivery that swung in a touch to bowl left-hander Strauss for 13 and leave England 31 for one in the 12th over.

Strauss has now gone over a year without a Test century and he may only have one more chance to end that run, should England bat again at Lord’s, before England begin their defence of the Ashes in Australia starting in November.

Although the Lord’s floodlights were on, Bowden and fellow New Zealand umpire Tony Hill halted the match midway through the 13th over after it appeared players were having difficulty seeing the red ball out of the otherwise dark background.

Earlier, the Indian bowlers put in a disciplined bowling performance to restrict the Lankans to 170.

Paceman Praveen Kumar (2-20) rocked Sri Lanka’s top order when he bowled Upul Tharanga with the first ball of the match and then trapped former captain Mahela Jayawardene leg-before in his fourth over.

Left-arm spinners Pragyan Ojha (3-36) and Ravindra Jadeja (2-34) also kept pressure as India never allowed the hosts to build a big partnership in the day-night match in Dambulla.

Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan top-scored with a fighting 45 in Sri Lanka’s disappointing batting performance after the hosts elected to bat.

Dilshan was the fifth man to be dismissed, sweeping Ojha to Rohit Sharma at mid-wicket after hitting five fours in his 62-ball knock.

Sri Lanka, struggling at 103-7 in the 32nd over, managed to cross the 150-mark, thanks to gutsy knocks from Suraj Randiv (43) and Nuwan Kulasekara (22). Randiv hit four boundaries in his 61-ball knock.

Fast bowler Ishant Sharma took 2-32.

SCORES IN BRIEF
SRI LANKA: 170 all out (Dilshan 45, Mathews 15, Kapugedera 10, Randiv 43, Kulasekara 22; Praveen 2-20, Ishant 2-32, Ojha 3-36, Jadeja 2-34)

INDIA: 171 for 4 (Karthik 10, Sehwag 99 not out, Raina 21, Dhoni 23 not out; Mathews 2-32, Fernando 2-33)

Result: India won by six wickets.

Man-of-the-match: Virender Sehwag.

New Zealand were indebted to skipper Ross Taylor (95) and all-rounder Scott Styris (89), who put on a record 190 for the fourth wicket to help their team set a stiff target.India virtually lost the match in the opening 12 overs when they were reduced to 50-4, with Tuffey taking three wickets and Kyle Mills one.

Tuffey also had a hand in the run-out of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who could make only two to leave his team tottering at 53-5 in the 14th over.Ravindra Jadeja (20), Virender Sehwag (19) and Dinesh Karthik (14) were the only batsmen to reach double-figures in India’s dismal batting performance against New Zealand’s pace.

Fast bowlers Mills and Jacob Oram bagged two wickets each.New Zealand were earlier struggling at 28-3 after winning the toss before Taylor and Styris came to their rescue with their big stand.

Their partnership was New Zealand’s best for the fourth wicket in one-day internationals, the previous highest being 168 between Lee Germon and Chris Harris against Australia in the 1996 World Cup quarter-final at Chennai.

Taylor looked set to complete his fourth one-day hundred when he was trapped leg-before by left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra, who was the most successful bowler with 4-47.The New Zealand captain hit one six and eight fours in his 113-ball knock.

India paceman Praveen Kumar did the early damage when he had opener Martin Guptill caught behind for 11 and then bowled debutant Kane Williamson for no score in his lively opening spell.

Nehra was the other wicket-taker in the initial overs, having opener Peter Ingram caught behind for 12.India then had to wait for more than 31 overs to get another wicket as Taylor and Styris applied themselves remarkably well to boost the innings.

Styris was bowled by left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha immediately after hoisting the bowler for a straight six. He also completed 4,000 one-day runs during his 95-ball knock.

“We had a few butterflies because we knew we had to work hard for a Test match win. It was a timely reminder for us we have to work for a Test match win. All credit to Pakistan.”

England had made just seven when Alastair Cook was clean bowled by left-arm quick Mohammad Aamer after a full length delivery kept low.England could then have been 17 for two when off-spinner Saaed Ajmal, with only his third ball, induced an edge from Strauss, playing a forcing shot, on 10.

But debutant wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider, brought in after Kamran Akmal missed several chances and bagged a pair in Pakistan’s 354-run first Test defeat at Trent Bridge, could not hold the tough catch with England then on 17 for one.

Zulqarnain then failed to hold a simpler chance off a defensive edge from Strauss, on 38, with Ajmal again the unlucky bowler.Strauss, was on 43 when Mohammad Asif, running back at mid-off, failed to hold a skyer off Shoaib Malik but England were almost home.Trott went to his second fifty of the match with a cover-driven four off Malik that levelled the scores before Strauss’s inside-edged single off Ajmal ended the match.

Pakistan were earlier dismissed for 296, after resuming on 291 for nine, with Asif (14) caught in the gully by Kevin Pietersen off Stuart Broad.Umar Gul, batting with a runner, was 13 not out. But Gul’s hamstring injury meant the paceman was unable to bowl.Zulqarnain, in on a king pair, top-scored with 88.It represented a remarkable recovery after Pakistan made just 72 — their lowest score against England — in the first innings.

England off-spinner Graeme Swann took a Test-best six wickets for 65 runs in Pakistan’s second innings and was named man-of-the-match.Pakistan were all but beaten in this match on Friday when, for the second innings in a row, they were bowled out for a record low score against England after they made 80 at Trent Bridge.Not since the 19th Century had a team been bowled out for 72 or fewer in their first innings and still won a Test.

Pakistan captain Salman Butt opted to bat first in overcast conditions ideally suited to England’s seamers. James Anderson (four for 20) and Stuart Broad (four for 38) cashed in as Pakistan again struggled against the swinging ball.

England then made 251, thanks mainly to a third-wicket stand of 133 between South Africa-born batsmen Pietersen (80) and Trott (55).
Ajmal, recalled in place of leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, took five for 82.But Pakistan were once more left lamenting their poor fielding after dropping six catches.

They collapsed to 82 for five in their second innings.But Zulqarnain and Ajmal, whose 50 meant he returned Test-best figures with both bat and ball in the same match, added 115 for the eighth wicket as blue skies reduced England’s swing threat.

Test-best six wickets for 65 runs in Pakistan’s second innings and was named man-of-the-match.Pakistan were all but beaten in this match on Friday when, for the second innings in a row, they were bowled out for a record low score against England after they made 80 at Trent Bridge.

Not since the 19th Century had a team been bowled out for 72 or fewer in their first innings and still won a Test.Pakistan captain Salman Butt opted to bat first in overcast conditions ideally suited to England’s seamers. James Anderson (four for 20) and Stuart Broad (four for 38) cashed in as Pakistan again struggled against the swinging ball.

England then made 251, thanks mainly to a third-wicket stand of 133 between South Africa-born batsmen Pietersen (80) and Trott (55).
Ajmal, recalled in place of leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, took five for 82.But Pakistan were once more left lamenting their poor fielding after dropping six catches.They collapsed to 82 for five in their second innings.

But Zulqarnain and Ajmal, whose 50 meant he returned Test-best figures with both bat and ball in the same match, added 115 for the eighth wicket as blue skies reduced England’s swing threat.

Andrew Strauss, the England captain, who’d started the reply with a first-ball boundary, was 24 not out and fellow left-handed opener Alastair Cook 17 not out, after having an lbw verdict overturned by the Decision Review System (DRS).Pakistan, as happened at Trent Bridge, were again found wanting against accurate swing bowling in helpful, overcast conditions.

Umar Amin (23), Umar Akmal (17) and Mohammad Aamer (12) were the only batsmen to make double-figure scores in an innings featuring five noughts.But for a seventh-wicket stand of 27 between Amin and Aamer, Pakistan may well have been dismissed for under their record low score of 53 against Australia at Sharjah in 2002.As it was, they were all out inside 40 overs in under three hours.
Anderson had been Pakistan’s chief tormentor at Trent Bridge with a career-best 11 for 71.

And he produced several near-unplayable deliveries after Pakistan captain Salman Butt won the toss and batted.But it was Broad, on the ground where a fortnight ago he took a first-class career-best eight for 52 for Nottinghamshire against Warwickshire, who began a collapse that saw Pakistan 37 for six at lunch.

Imran Farhat completed a 24-ball nought when he edged a good length Broad delivery, angled across the left-hander, through to wicketkeeper Matt Prior.And fellow left-handed opener Butt attempting a rare attacking shot, edged a drive off Finn to Graeme Swann at second slip.Butt spent nearly an hour at the crease for seven runs.

Umar Akmal clipped Anderson off his pads and whipped Broad legside for an audacious six.But Pakistan saw Azhar Ali lbw to a Broad inswinger for a 32-ball nought.Umar Akmal was also lbw to Broad but replays suggested the ball had pitched outside off-stump. However, Pakistan chose not to refer South African umpire Marais Erasmus’s verdict.

Wicketkeeper Zulaqarnain Haider made a first ball nought on his Test debut, caught behind off Broad, after Pakistan dropped Kamran Akmal, who made two ducks and missed several chances at Trent Bridge.

Amin, dropped on 10 by Graeme Swann, batted for over an hour and struck three fours before he was caught by third slip Paul Collingwood off Anderson.Umar Gul, who made a Test-best 65 not out at Trent Bridge, fell for nought as Anderson took Pakistan’s final three wickets for one run in 10 balls.

SCORES IN BRIEF
PAKISTAN: First innings 72 all out (Butt 7, Akmal 17, Amin 23, Aamer 12; Anderson 4-20, Broad 4-38, Finn 2-10)

ENGLAND: First innings 43 for no loss (Strauss 24 not out, Cook 17 not out)