Alfalah Cup. Tri-series. SL/Pak/NZ

[Donny]

SL are 8/145 after 45. Dharmasena (46) and Lockuarachchi (26) put on 79 runs before Malik removed them both.

Malik has 2/30 from 8 and Akhtar, 2/27 from 9.

[Donny]

SL compiled 172. That's at least something for the bowlers to work with.

After 36 overs, Pakistan are 5/118 and the game is on a knife edge.

[Donny]

Even defending a low total, you should never NEVER give up.

Well, certainly not when you've got a Murali in your bowling attack.

Murali won the game for the Sri Lankans with 5/23. SL got home by 12 runs.

[Donny]

Well it happened the other way around for Sri Lanka in this one.

They restricted NZ to 8/156 with McCullum scoring 47 n.o. Murali (2/41) and Jayasuriya (2/35) took wickets but excellent figures from Vaas (0/11 from and Dharmasena (0/19 from 10) kept the total down.

SL were dismissed for 147 in the 50th over. Jayawardene top scored with 38. An outstanding 4/14 from 10 by daniel Vettori won the day for the Black Caps.

[HAL]

Be less specific.

[Donny]

OK. Sorry, HAL. Try this.

Some blokes with black caps who have problems with vowels, beat some other blokes with very long names.

[HAL]

All right. . . . Ill try it.

[Donny]

In today's match, New Zealand (the blokes with the blaclk caps, HAL) won the toss and sent Pakistan in.

After their 50 overs, the Pakis had made 9/203 with Malik scoring a run-a-ball 74.

Vettori took 3/34 from 10 overs and Tuffey, 2/32 from 9.

[HAL]

I do not understand that allusion. Where did Vettori take 334 from 10 overs and Tuffey 232 from 9 ?

[Donny]

NZ could only reach 181 as Akhtar crashed through at the end. Styris top scored with 46.

Kaneria took 3/31, Sami, 2/34 and Akhtar, 3/36.

Pakistan go through to the final and will play New Zealand again.

[HAL]

Where did Kaneria take 331 Sami 234 and Akhtar 336 ?

[MrsTarrant]

Pakistan into the final with 22-run victory
Charlie Austin - 20 May 2003

Powered by a rapid 74 from Shoaib Malik - the highest score of the tournament - and some incisive pace bowling from Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami, Pakistan clinched a 22-run victory over New Zealand in the last group match of the Bank Alfalah Cup, thus setting up a rematch in the final on May 23.

Sri Lanka, whose players spent the day relaxing in the blue waters of China Bay, praying for a New Zealand victory, thereby failed to qualify for a home tri-series final for the first time ever.

Had they been watching TV, they might have believed that New Zealand were going to keep them in the tournament. Stephen Fleming's side recovered from some early hiccups to close in on the target, only for wickets to fall in a heap at the finish.

Fleming and Chris Nevin survived the first barrage with the new ball - adding 36 on 10.1 overs - ducking and weaving against Shoaib Akhtar, who worked up a ferocious pace. However, it was Mohammad Sami who broke through in his second spell, as Fleming, who had earlier swatted him for a six in front of square, edged a catch to the wicketkeeper (36 for 1).

Lou Vincent could have been run out without scoring when he scampered through for a quick single first ball, but the miss did not prove costly as he made a misjudgment and shuffled too far across his stumps to an offbreak from Mohammad Hafeez (40 for 2).

Nevin and Scott Styris knuckled down for a while, adding 31 in 67 balls. But with the run rate starting to climb, Nevin tried to slog-sweep away the pressure away. But he only miscued a Danish Kaneria delivery to be caught on the midwicket boundary by Sami. Nevin made 28 from 67 balls (71 for 3).

The pitch, which was heavily watered on the previous evening, did not deteriorate into the dustbowl that had made strokeplay virtually impossible during the previous two games. And New Zealand duly pushed on, with Scott Styris and Chris Cairns adding 42 in 71 balls.

Even when Cairns was dismissed for 28 – bowled by a Kaneria googly that zipped back through the gate – New Zealand were homing in. Styris, who top scored with 46 from 99 balls, and Chris Harris ticked along at nearly a run-a-ball during a 47-run stand.

However, with New Zealand suddenly back in front for the first time since reducing Pakistan to 61 for 4 in the morning, Rashid Latif called back his frontline pace bowlers. Akhtar and Sami then made sure that there would be no more comebacks for New Zealand.

Two balls after pulling an imperious four, Harris was trapped leg-before for 24 by Sami – a dubious decision with the ball hitting high on the pad. Next over, Brendon McCullum was caught at slip for a duck off Akhtar to leave New Zealand on 161 for 6 in the 45th over.

Latif turned back to spin, and the decision paid immediate dividends as Styris was caught on the boundary in the 46th over. Daniel Vettori (4), batting with a runner, edged behind and Paul Wiseman (2) had his stumps flattened by Sami.

When Akhtar wrapped up the victory, New Zealand - who at one stage needed only 44 runs from 37 balls - had lost their last six wickets for just 21 runs. Akhtar claimed 3 for 36 from 9.1 overs, with Sami claiming 3 for 34 from nine.

Earlier, Pakistan, put into bat by Fleming, had Malik to thank for a spectacular late revival. Crucial partnerships with Younis Khan for the fifth wicket (41 in 71 balls) and Abdul Razzaq for the seventh (71 in 55 balls) resurrected the innings, and in the final overs, Malik pressed his foot firmly down on the accelerator, smacking eight fours and one six.

Pakistan plundered 76 precious runs in the last 10 overs. Like Brendon McCullum had done yesterday against Sri Lanka, Malik had transformed a below-par total into a matchwinning one.

[HAL]

Hi there!

[Donny]

'Pressure is the key' - Fleming
Charlie Austin in Dambulla - 22 May 2003

Stephen Fleming, after a triangular series dominated by low-scoring and closely fought matches, believes that the final of the Bank Alfalah Cup between New Zealand and Pakistan will be won by the team that is best able to cope with the extra pressure of the tournament final.

New Zealand are searching for what would be their first major win in a limited-overs tournament since the ICC Knockout in 2000, while Pakistan are hoping to clinch their second successive tournament since bouncing out of the World Cup in the first round.

The teams are evenly matched, having each won two games out of four in the tri-series, and both will be missing the services of their main strike bowlers. New Zealand lost Shane Bond early on with a stress fracture in the back, while Pakistan will miss Shoaib Akhtar, who was banned for two matches for tampering with the ball during the last game.

But Fleming is confident that New Zealand's senior players will be able to rise to the occasion of a final and put pressure on an inexperienced Pakistan outfit. "We have got the experience and that has got to count for something," he said. "Pressure is going to be the key … we have got to get on top early on so that the young players of Pakistan feel the pressure of a final situation."

Rashid Latif, meanwhile, tried to lighten the burden of expectation of his young side, claiming that they were the underdogs and that he was more concerned about the performance than the result. "New Zealand have much more experience than us and they have some world class players – they are a better side. I am happy with our performances here and in Sharjah and want that to continue."

He played down the importance of Akhtar to the side, although he admitted he would be missed. "Shoaib [Akhtar] is a world class bowler, and we will miss him, but I am relying on 11 players, not on one bowler to win the match," he said. Latif also publicly backed Shoaib, whose exemplary off-field behaviour during the tour has pleased the team management: "If we win this game we will dedicate the victory to him."

Pakistan will make two changes, including Shabbir Ahmed as Akhtar's replacement, and replacing Taufeeq Umar, who has been out of form throughout the tournament, with Faisal Athar, who will be making his debut.

New Zealand welcome back Jacob Oram, who missed the last two games with a back strain, into the side in place of Paul Wiseman. Wiseman was stood down after Fleming backed his pace bowlers on the Dambulla pitch. Daniel Vettori has recovered from the sore knee that saw him bat with a runner in the last game.

New Zealand 1 Stephen Fleming (capt), 2 Chris Nevin, 3 Lou Vincent, 4 Scott Styris, 5 Chris Cairns, 6 Chris Harris, 7 Jacob Oram, 8 Brendon McCullum (wk), 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Daniel Vettori, 11 Daryl Tuffey.

Pakistan (probable) 1 Faisal Athar, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Yasir Hameed, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Yousuf Youhana, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Rashid Latif (capt, wk), 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Danish Kaneria, 10 Mohammad Sami, 11 Shabbir Ahmed.

[couragous cloke]

any updates on the final yet guys?? its apparently the first time sri lanka have missed out on their own terf. amazing, New Zealand are my second fave team so GO THE BLACK CAPS!