Morgan ton provides England series victory

By Gemma Wright

The series finale of any big television drama will pull out all the stops. There will be heroes, villains, stand out individual stories, and a glut of sub plots to entertain. The climax to this fascinating summer of cricket was no different. Injury, illness, pantomime booing, and some outstanding performances delighted the gratifyingly full crowd at the Rose Bowl.

Just two days ago, ticket sales for this game were poor. Pakistan coming back to level the series from 2-0 down, and the heightening atmosphere between the teams that boiled over at Lord’s on Monday, led to a rush of sales and a tense and atmospheric series finale.

England clinched this series thanks, once again, to some exceptional individual performances. Deserved man of the match Eoin Morgan, hit a timely 107 unbeaten to steady a desperate England ship, wobbling on 59-3 when he arrived at the crease. His fourth one day century, and second at the Rose Bowl this year, took his team to 256-6. At 47-3, England would have bitten off any hand that offered them such a total.

After winning a crucial toss and electing to bat, the loss of Davies with England on 31 brought Trott to the crease to a chorus of boos from the Pakistan fans, responding to the altercation between the England no. 3 and Riaz in the nets at Lord’s on Monday. It wasn’t long before he walked off to more boos, bowled for 3 by Shoaib Akhtar, who maintained his pace and line, despite being in obvious discomfort from his side strain.

Things went from bad to worse for England when Ian Bell picked up a groin injury whilst batting, and required the assistance of a runner. He was later replaced in the field by Bopara. Collingwood, struggling for form in recent times, was forced to retire hurt on 5 with a migraine. Whatever he was given to ease the pain brought about the grateful return of Collingwood of old, however. He resumed at the crease 50 minutes later for a 95 run partnership with Morgan, and posted 47, his highest score of the series by a long way. Later, in the field, he took a trademark diving catch to dismiss Hafeez, and followed it up with an tricky caught and bowled to dismiss Umar Akmal.

Pakistan’s reply had got off to a flyer, the boundaries coming frequently. By the tenth over, Pakistan were 57-0, and waltzing towards their target. A maiden over from Anderson quelled the scoring, and two quick wickets from Broad in the 13^th all but stopped it altogether. From 63-1, Pakistan crumbled to 135 all out.

After the initial deluge of runs, England bowled well. Swann and Broad, who both missed out on hat tricks, took 3 wickets apiece. Once again, Swann took a wicket in his first over. His third dismissal, that of Afridi with Pakistan on 104-6 in the 28^th, removed all hope for the visitors of reaching their target.

Luke Wright, in the side for Michael Yardy who missed out due to illness, claimed the wicket of Kamran Akmal, lbw for 41, although even the deaf man at the back of the stands heard the inside edge. Inevitably, the England win brought debate about the decision being the turning point of the game. Afridi was reluctant to comment on the decision directly, but pointedly noted that “one decision can change the whole game.”

All that was left to complete the day’s entertainment was a run out, and Pakistan obliged with two for the 8^th and 9^th wicket. Morgan completed his memorable day with a direct hit from the edge of the circle to see off Saeed Ajmal. Moments later he took the winning catch to dismiss Akhtar, and England had completed a comprehensive victory to end the tumultuous Pakistan tour.

It goes without saying that this win meant a lot to England. Not only did it complete six out of six series wins this summer, but Strauss admitted they had a point to prove. “We were feeling comfy and cosy at 2-0 up, and it was a shock to the system to suddenly be 2-2. We had to make sure we had exactly the right mindset coming out today to win.”

Strauss was adamant that the recent controversy should not be forgotten now that the series is over. “The ICC need to take a firm lead from here, and leave no stone unturned. It’s a big challenge for them. It would too be easy to say the series is over, let’s let everything calm down.”

He echoed Ian Bell’s earlier comments regarding the furore of the last few weeks. “What has happened recently has brought us closer together, standing us in good stead for the winter. Going to Australia is a big challenge. The winter ahead is one of the biggest any cricketer will face.”

Much of this summer has been spent looking forward to the Ashes. Each Test match, each individual performance was discussed in the context of this winter. It is only recent negative events surrounding the game that have really focussed minds on the current cricket.

Rightly or wrongly, the cheating controversy in the game brought renewed interest and a different edge to this series, which could have petered out at the end of a long tour for Pakistan. Remember, they played Australia here in a neutral series before playing England. With more to play for than just a series win, this game meant more the the players and fans alike.

With Pakistan on their way home, and England announcing their Ashes squad on Thursday at the Brit Oval, attention will now undoubtedly shift from the spot fixing and re-focus on the tour down under. However, it’s seems fitting that cricket fans who have put up with so much negativity around their sport in recent weeks were treated to an eventful, entertaining, and drama-filled game of cricket to end their summer.

Pakistan level the series against a begrudging England

by Gemma Wright at Lords

Much like a rollercoaster, this Pakistan tour has been full of twists and turns, highs and lows, and has a left a slightly sick feeling in the stomachs of those along for the ride. Today was no exception. Having been almost written out of the series when 2-0 down, Pakistan have climbed their way back up to level with England, and the final downward run is in sight.

England had “strong misgivings” about taking part in this game, after claims from Ijaz Butt that they had thrown the 3^rd ODI at the Brit Oval on Friday. The ECB will take legal action against the chairman of the PCB, who made the unfounded allegations after the ICC started a formal investigation into the Pakistan win.

Frustrations between the sides spilled over before a ball had even been bowled.  An altercation between Jonathan Trott and Wahab Riaz in the Nursery End nets had to be split up by Graham Gooch, and almost delayed the toss. It is still unclear what the cause was, but I know where my money is(!).

If these distractions proved kryptonite for England, it was pure spinach for Pakistan.

Winning the toss and choosing to bat, Akmal and Hafeez took the tourists to 62 before Akmal top edged a simple catch to square leg, in now familiar fashion. Hafeez saw Shafiq and Yousuf fall cheaply at the other end whilst progressing to 64, before Swann claimed his 3^rd wicket, and Pakistan were wobbling on 137-4. 

When Shahid Afridi came to the crease with his side 155-5, he reminded the crowd why they love to watch him. His rapid 37 from 22 included two sixes and three fours. He was, however, merely the warm up act for the main event; Abdul Razzaq. Power hitting his way to an unbeaten 44 from 20 balls, his remarkable cameo brought 40 runs off the last 2 overs, from Bresnan and Anderson, including seven fours and a six. It proved the difference between the sides.

The England response was led from the front by Strauss. His 68 made him the world’s second highest ODI run scorer this year. That’s one way to answer his limited-overs critics. In his last 13 one day appearances for England, he has made seven half centuries and two centuries. It does beg the question why, just eight days ago at Headingley, Pringle et al left him out of their ‘fantasy’ squad for the impending World Cup early next year?

England were coasting to their target of 266 when the first wicket of Davies fell on 113. And then it all fell apart. Ajmal and Akhtar took apart the middle order, leaving the tail for Umar Gul, who finished with 4-32. Any trace of hope for England disappeared with the wicket of Morgan, leaving England 211-8, and needing 55 runs from 33 balls.

Pakistan were unrecognisable in the field. Not perfect, but far from their shoddy performances earlier in the summer. Pakistan have turned their team around once again, and in the most desperate of situations. Having looked dejected and despondent during the T20 series in Cardiff, they have come back to challenge England for one series win on this tour.

It sets up an interesting finish to the series, the tour, and the summer for both teams at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday. And whilst the result will no doubt be dwarfed by the controversy surrounding the sport, it may at least encourage a few extra fans to attend. Ticket sales for the final game are reportedly so poor that prayer tents may be set up to encourage Pakistani fans to attend.

England cricketers were forced to play this game, and they never looked happy about it. The niggles were evident throughout. Strauss’s words afterwards echoed the fact that the off pitch drama’s are overshadowing the game itself.

“It has been a long, arduous and difficult 24 hours, and at the back end of it all to lose a game of cricket is pretty disappointing.

“ There was a lot of raw emotion [about the accusations from Butt] and not much time to let it subside”, Strauss went on to say. “But when it did subside, we decided it was the best option to play this game. I have to give a lot of credit to the way my players carried themselves today.”

With regards to the accusations against himself and his teammates, Strauss was clear and absolute. “We are absolutely outraged, we refute them completely and are disturbed by them, there is no proof.”

When asked if he had felt the need to ask any of his players if there were any truth in the accusations, the anger at being asked such a thing was evident in his voice; “I did not need to ask that question.”

The rollercoaster of allegations and arguments continues, but without being very fun or fair.

Pakistan finally put up a fight at Durham

By Gemma Wright

On the day that three of their players flew home, the rest of the Pakistan team finally showed up for a game. In their best performance since the spot-fixing scandal broke during the final Test at Lords, Pakistan gave England a run for their money in the first ODI. In front of a much improved crowd from the poorly attended T20 games in Cardiff, Pakistan fought to the final ball attempting to chase Englands’ 274 from 41 overs, after rain reduced the game.

His team’s performance should give Afridi some encouragement. Whilst they didn’t get the victory he has said they so desperately need to lift team spirit, they came pretty close. There are many positives that he can take from this game.

Saeed Ajmal bowled superbly, with figures of 4-58 from his nine overs. Pakistan’s performance in the field was much improved too. However, it was not all good news. Mohammad Irfan, the 7’1” left armer, bought in for the one day series, had a day to forget. After his first over went for 15, he managed just another 4.3 overs before cramp got the better of him and he left the field wicket-less. Afridi remained confident that he is “a very talented guy who will adjust himself as soon as possible”.

After being inserted, Strauss and Davies made a good start for England. Timing the ball well, they shot to 78 from the first 11 overs before the England captain was bowled trying to sweep Ajmal. Davies did his position as limited overs keeper/batsman no harm, top scoring with a superb 87, having been dropped on 21 by Afridi. Everyone, except perhaps Craig Kieswetter, will have enjoyed that performance.

Jonathan Trott has once again proved his worth with his 69 well paced from 78 balls. He has now well and truly established himself as England’s number three.  With a swift 35 at the end from Bopara, England looked strong with the bat. With players such as Ian Bell, Kieswetter, and Luke Wright waiting in the wings, there will be some tough selection decisions ahead for Strauss and Flower.

Collingwood remains the worry in this line up. He started well, smashing Umar Gul over long on for six, and taking out a wheelchair bound spectator in the process. But the batting powerplay quickly bought about his wicket for 14, and left him lacking in the runs column once again.

England may have issues developing in the field too. Whilst standards remain generally high, there have been fielding errors over the past week that could be much more severely punished this winter than they have been against Pakistan.

James Anderson, who missed out in the T20’s at Cardiff, was the pick of the bowlers for England. Michael Yardy remains one of Englands’ most reliable bowlers, keeping the run rate down. His position in the one day side is surely now established.

It was always going to be a tough call, chasing 275 to win. But the Pakistan batsman put in a much more dedicated performance than in Cardiff to keep within touching distance of the run rate. But in the end it was not enough, and regular wickets kept victory just out of reach.

Kamran Akmal, after a poor tour, has finally found the right end of his bat, hitting 53 from 61 balls. He caused early friction in the field, exchanging words with Trott and Broad. Englands’ and particularly Broads’ tendency towards this kind of behaviour in the field had quietned down since Broad was punished for his behaviour at the Edgbaston Test. It is something that England need to keep an eye on.

England complete series win in front of dismal audience at Cardiff

By Gemma Wright

It comes to something when crowd noise has to be piped into the ground during an international T20. But that is what happened at the Swalec Stadium during the second and final match in this series. An embarrassingly poor crowd witnessed England skittle out Pakistan for 89, their lowest ever T20 total by 34 runs.

But it would be a shame if this game were only remembered for a flat atmosphere and dismal Pakistan performance.

England were very impressive. Their performance with the ball was disciplined, organised and, best of all, predictably good. Broad bowled with pace and hostility, Yardy – whose four-over spell cost just 10 – was typically mean, while Bresnan earned the man of the match award for his three for 10 in 22 balls.

By contrast, however, Pakistan were awful. Their captain, Shahid Afridi conceded that his side had  played “very bad, immature cricket.” He also admitted that the three suspended players were part of the first 11 that he had in his mind before coming over to captain the limited-overs side.

England did not have things all their own way in reply. Kieswetter ran himself out after a bright start, while Bopara failed to take his chance and Collingwood’s run-drought continues. His 21 here was his highest score in 11 T20 innings and it was again left to Yardy and Morgan to see England home. They have now equalled the record for the most successive wins – 7 – in international T20 cricket.

Tougher challenges await, however. Pakistan are in chaos at present.

On the positive side, England’s bowling attack is looking strong, and with a player of Jimmy Anderson’s class on the bench, it says a lot about those on the pitch. Collingwood is pleased at how well his bowlers work together, and the way they have adapted to the change in the pitch here.

Once again, it seems the action on the pitch is of far less importance or significance than what is happening around it. It is a desperate situation when the World T20 champions play last years’ champions in England’s second T20 since their win in the Caribbean to a meagre audience of 5,821. It cannot even be argued that Pakistan fans have lost faith in their team, as it was not a predominantly English audience. With ticket prices starting at £30 for the ‘cheap’ seats, that works out at £10 per hour of cricket.

After the game, Collingwood commented that there is an overkill of international cricket. “I’ve been saying that for ten years. But you get on with it. We’re are not going to complain at the minute because we are going through some good times, but that will not always be the case.”

Haider provides hope for Pakistan

By Gemma Wright

It’s not often that a guy given out first ball in both innings goes on to make a half-century. Zulqarnain Haider, on debut, did just that, however, ensuring that England could face a tricky few hours on the fourth day at Edgbaston. On this pitch, against Pakistan’s attack, victory is far from assured.

If Pakistan do win, they will owe a large debt to Haider. After his first ball dismissal in the first innings, his heart must have sunk when he saw the umpire raise his finger to his first ball in the second.

Wisely, however, Haider asked for a review and subsequently won a reprieve. Had the decision not been overturned, Pakistan would have been six down and still 97 runs behind. The game would surely have been over before tea.

As it was, however, Haider seized his opportunity. First with Amir, who resisted 117 balls for his 16 runs, and then Ajmal, who counter-attacked in his 79-ball half-century, Haider showed the patience, application and skill that Pakistan have so sorely missed this series. His 88 is Pakistan’s highest score of the series so far, while his 115-run partnership for the eighth-wicket with Ajmal is their highest of the series. Their fortitude should be an example to their top-order colleagues.

Barring miracles, England will still win this Test. But their performance on the third day was not entirely convincing. It suggested that, on flatter pitches and against more resilient opponents, their attack may still struggle for penetration. They have been flattered by playing against opponents as brittle as Bangladesh and Pakistan and must remember that tougher challenges lie ahead. Had Pakistan held all their chances, England would surely be struggling.

Stuart Broad was particularly disappointing. While he bowled respectably, his petulance is becoming unattractive. At one stage he hurled the ball, quite unnecessarily, into Haider’s chest, while he also moaned excessively after a referral decision went against him. In the age of TV replays, there can be no excuse for such behaviour. Broad really needs to curb such tendencies. He’s too good a cricketer to taint his reputation with such antics. He has already been charged by the match referee and will be very, very lucky if he escapes censure. No Englishman has ever faced suspension by the ICC; Broad may well be the first.

At least Graeme Swann was impressive. Utilising a dry pitch expertly, he found a prodigious amount of turn and finished with his best figures in Tests. He struck, once again, in his first over, with a delivery that he later rated “the best ball I’ve ever bowled.” Pitching outside Farhat’s leg-stump, it turned sharply to hit the top of off. The delivery that bowled Ali, pitching outside off and turning sharply through the gate, lost little by comparison. At one stage, Swann delivered 67 consecutive dot balls and only Haider’s long reach and utter devotion to survival above run-scoring helped Pakistan resist.

Gradually, however, Haider became more expansive. Somehow putting the plight of his father, who has been in a coma in Pakistan suffering from hepatitis, to one side, he produced some sparkling drives off front and back foot and looked on course for a maiden century until he mis-timed a drive to mid-off. His obvious delight upon reaching 50 was charming.

Afterwards, Pakistan captain Salman Butt expressed his disappointment at Broad’s behaviour. “It’s just frustration,” he said. “It’s not good to see people throwing balls intentionally at others and not even apologising properly.”

England should still win. Steve Rouse, the Edgbaston groundsman, felt the use of the heavy roller before the Pakistan innings had deadened the pitch and that batting would probably be more straightforward as a result. But the turn will remain and Pakistan’s seam attack – shorn of the injured Umar Gul – will remain a handful.

Either way, at least the series has become a little competitive. For Pakistan, the spectators and an England team that need to be tested more ahead of the Ashes, that can only be a good thing.

*Tickets for the fourth day will be priced at £20 for adults but will be free for Under 16s. Anyone who has purchased a full priced ticket will be offered either a free ticket for day 1 of the npower Test match next summer against India or the chance to bring 2 guests free on the fourth day of this game. Book online at www.edgbaston.com and use the ‘Ticket Fast’ option to print your ticket at home to save queuing.

KP benefits from Pakistan profligacy

By Gemma Wright

Do you remember the game of table cricket? The fielders could only claim a catch if it landed directly in the pouch between their feet. Even then, the ball would bobble out given the slightest opportunity.
So it is with Pakistan. Their fielding was so shocking parents shielded their children’s eyes so as not to be permanently scarred by the horror of what they saw. By the end of the day, even coach Waqar Younis could be seen laughing ruefully on the balcony as yet another sitter was put down.
Pietersen was the chief beneficiary of these outrageous mistakes. Struggling for form at the moment, at least half a dozen chances in his innings were refused by Pakistan, and the visitors made poor referral decisions with several lbw shouts.

There were glimpses of the Pietersen of old. He took successive boundaries off Ajmal, cutting once behind square before launching a
ferocious straight drive back past the bowler, and produced one classic flick through mid-wicket off Aamer.

Mostly, however, this innings was a horrible struggle. It was as if a Pietersen impostor had taken his place and to see him surviving missed
chance after missed chance was like watching a drowning man thrashing for a lifeline. He is a man crying out to play more cricket.
He battled, though. He’s batted for longer than anyone else in the game and, by contributing 80 in such a low-scoring encounter on a

pitch he rated as “really hard”, he should have answered some questions about his commitment. It’s now 23 innings since his last Test century (at Port of Spain exactly 17 months ago) and, against any other team, he would have been out five times here before reaching 50.
Controversy had surrounded Pietersen in the first session, as he stepped away from the crease just as bowler Asif let go of the ball. Although it had been called dead ball, Pietersen still hit it and, ironically, it was caught. It was deemed not out, but Pakistan were underwhelmed with the decision. He later apologised for any misunderstanding caused, but cited Trott, the non-striker, walking into his eye line as the reason for backing off. Pietersen finally went, misjudging Ajmal’s doosra and falling to a return catch.

KP’s dismissal precipitated a collapse. England lost seven for 46 from that point, with Ajmal claiming his first five-wicket haul in Tests. His last four wickets came for the addition of just two runs in 26 balls. Had all the chances been taken off his bowling, he might have taken 38 wickets. In the end he resorted to taking two of his own catches to ensure they stuck.

It is, perhaps, worth noting the dismissal of Eoin Morgan. There is a theory that he struggles against the short ball and that angled across him. He did nothing to disprove that later theory when he felt for one angled across him and was caught behind.He still has much to prove.

Starting their second innings with a deficit of 179 runs, Pakistan struggled against England’s quick bowlers. Anderson soon removed Butt with a good ball to swinging away from the left-hander. Butt’s shot, playing slightly across the line, did him few favours. England rarely drop those catches.

Pakistan ended the day on 19 for 1, still needing another 160 runs to make England bat again. Even if they do, a hamstring injury to Gul is likely to rule him out of the remainder of the match. Unless the weather intervenes, it’s most unlikely that this game will crawl into a fourth day.

Afterwards , Butt dismissed the fielding performance as “one of those days”.
“Nothing went out way,” he said. “It wasn’t one or two people [dropping chances], it was everybody. [In the end] you just have to
laugh about it. They were catches guys should take with one eye closed.”

Actually, plenty went Pakistan’s way. Their bowlers kept finding the edge and the ball kept going to hand.
Butt does his cause a grave disservice if he diminishes the extent of the problem. Pakistan are not just unlucky. They are poorly prepared.

They have been consistently poor in the field for some time and their attitude to fielding practise is that of a reluctant schoolboy faced
with a detention. It’s not coincidence. They simply have to work harder. One drop, by Amin in the gully off Aamer when KP had 36, was as bad as this ground can ever have witnessed.

Pakistan sink to new low

Were this series a boxing bout, the referee would have stopped it by now. Had it been a horse race, Pakistan would have fallen at the first. And had it been anything to do with swimming, Pakistan would surely have drowned.
As it is, just one day into the second Test of a four-match series, and Pakistan are being embarrassed. Less than a week after registering their lowest Test score against England (80 at Trent Bridge), they set a grim new record: bowled out in under 40 overs for just 72.

There are some mitigating factors. Pakistan are in a rebuilding phase and their young batsmen – four of their top seven can muster just 15 Tests between them – have precious little experience in such bowler friendly conditions.

Nor can the last 12-months have been easy. The team has been torn apart by off-field issues and the lack of stability – and the flooding – in their homeland can hardly have helped.

England’s bowlers deserve credit, too. In these conditions, Jimmy Anderson is a masterful performer and the movement he gained here – at will and in both directions – would have tested any batsmen. Stuart Broad has also made huge strides this summer and produced a performance of maturity and skill. Instead of straining for pace, both men were content to allow the conditions to help them and remain patient. It wasn’t as if Pakistan’s batsmen made them wait for long.

And that’s the problem. For though Pakistan do have some reasons to feel hard done-by, a total of 72 is hardly excusable. Particularly after winning the toss.

Their batsmen lacked application and technique. Despite having arrived in England over a month ago, they are still pushing, prodding and thrashing at the moving ball as if they are on subcontinent pitches. This contest resembles amateurs against professionals.

Farhat and Butt were both drawn into pushing at deliveries angled across them, Shoaib Malik was brilliantly caught by the impressive Matt Prior after driving at a fine outswinger, before Azhar Ali, petrified at pushing at an outswinger, was trapped by one that nipped back. Umar Akmal was punished for not moving his feet and pinned in front, while Zulqarnain Haider looked out of his depth as he edged a good length ball. Umar Amin flashed optimistically and was well caught at third slip.

There can be few excuses for their fielding, either. They missed between four or five chances (depending on how harshly you want to judge them) in the 34.2 overs of England’s reply, providing their deserving bowlers with very little chance of clawing their way back into the game. Imran Farhat’s drop at first slip, off Mo Asif, when Jonathan Trott had just eight, was a shocker and suffice it to say that the performance of debutant Zulqarnain Haider, who followed his first ball dismissal with an untidy display behind the stumps, suggests the search for a reliable wicket-keeper goes on.

Where do Pakistan go from here? There aren’t any quick fixes. So they have to show patience with this group of players. They have shown they have ability – it is, remember, only a couple of Tests since they defeated Australia – and they will improve. Perhaps the likes of Mohammad Yousuf might add steel to the middle-order, but it’s asking a great deal for a man who hasn’t played cricket for months to come into this side and precipitate an immediate improvement. He’s not an alchemist.

Besides, England have a few concerns of their own. Alastair Cook, who was fooled by a slower ball bouncer and miscued a pull to slip, looks horribly uncomfortable with anything on or outside off stump – which is quite a problem for an opening batsmen – while Kevin Pietersen is pushing for the ball without confidence. He has been dropped twice already. Andrew Strauss edged a good one that swung back at him sharply.

On a larger scale, the ECB must be concerned about the attendance at Edgbaston. After the debacle of Leeds, where Pakistan supporters stayed away in their droves, just 10,000 attended the first day here. A similar number are expected on the second day, but much fewer from there on. It means Warwickshire will fall somewhere below budget (they were anticipating sales of around 45,000 over the course of the game).

It would nice to think that lessons might be learned. Ticket prices here (£60 for adults and between £10 and £20 for under-16s) are patently too high and Pakistan supporters were again very thin on the ground.  But, with the whole of the English game desperately scrabbling for every last pound in order to pay-off their eye-watering debts, it will take a major re-think before anything changes.

The ECB are currently close to securing the right to host next year’s Pakistan v India series; it is to be hoped Indian supporters show more interest in the fortunes of their Test side.

Afridi-inspired Pakistan storm to ICC World Twenty20 final

Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul were the heroes as Pakistan beat favourites South Africa in the first ICC World Twenty20 semi-final at Trent Bridge.

Pakistan (149/4) beat South Africa (142/5) by seven runs before a raucous, largely Pakistani crowd. For the tournament favourites South Africa, it was their first real test of the whole event. This was the fourth time the Saffers have been knocked out in a world event semi-final since re-admission.

Each side took the initiative by turn in in an epic, tense game. Having won the toss and batted, Pakistan raced from the blocks, with another brutal cameo from Kamran Akmal (23 off 12) setting the pace. Pakistan were 47/1 after the Powerplay and after Afridi, who again came in at No 3, had hit Botha for four consecutive boundaries in the 11th over, Pakistan were 86/2.

Yet Pakistan managed just three more boundaries in the rest of the innings, as South Africa appeared to seize back the initiative. With Afridi (56 off 34) hoisting the first ball of the 13th over, from J-P Duminy, to AB de Villiers and the Pakistan middle-order coming off second best against Dale Steyn (1/28) and Wayne Parnell’s (1/26) death bowling. Parnell, apparently able to bowl yorkers at will, bowled his last two overs, to Younis Khan and Abdul Razzaq, for just ten runs.

Despite Jacques Kallis’ 64 off 54, South Africa were stalled by two key wickets from Afridi (2/16), who bowled Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers in consecutive overs to leave the Saffers 50/3.

By the time, star bowler Umar Gul came on to bowl the 14th over, South Africa already needed 77 off 42 balls. After taking several balls to tune his radar, it was another brilliant display from Gul, whose control and ability to bowl yorkers excelled even Parnell’s. His three overs went for 19.

With the big-hitting Albie Morkel sat on the bench while Kallis and Duminy slipped further behind the run-rate – Morkel only made it into the middle for the 18th over – South Africa seemed to have misjudged the run chase.

The only concern for Pakistan fans seemed to be Younis’ miscalculation in bringing on left-arm spinner Fawad Alam for an over that went for 15. It was a weird decision that left Umar Gul unable to complete his allocation of overs and meant that teenager Mohammad Umeer bowled the final over.

By then, though, South Africa needed 23 off six balls and even a six from JP Duminy (44 off 39) could not get them close enough.