The second match of the ICL 20s World Series saw the formidable ICL Pakistani team take on ICL World XI at the Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday.
With a galaxy of international stalwarts in both sides, high quality cricket was expected. However, it turned out to be a one-sided contest, the Pakistanis going on to score a comprehensive nine-wicket victory.
Chris Cairns won the toss and elected to bat. World XI opened with a new combination, Elliott and Vincent. The world side raced to 29 for no loss after three over. But then Inzamam brought on his most economical bowler, Shahid Nazir, in the fifth over and he responded immediately with the wicket of Elliott for 14.
At the end of the fifth over World XI were well-placed at 41-1. But some controlled bowling by Nazir and Arshad Khan choked the scoring rate, restricting the total to only 46-2 in the eighth over.
Shahid, who was taking off straight from his stupendous form at the Edelweiss 20s Challenge, accounted for his second scalp of the match in the form of Damien Martyn's wicket. At the half-way mark of their innings, ICL World XI were in trouble at 57-3. The fall of wickets at regular intervals had the world side in serious trouble at 80-5 by the 14th over.
Razzaq came back for a second spell in the 17th over and worked his magic immediately, sending back the dangerous Vincent and Hall off consecutive delivers to leave the ICL World innings in total disarray at 112-7. With no real momentum, the World innings finally folded at a modest 130-9 in the allotted 20 overs.
In reply, the Pakistani side got off to a good start with both Nazir and Razzaq playing shots all around the park and taking the Pakistani total to 30 for no loss at the end of the first three overs. A fluid partnership between the two in-form openers took the Pakistanis to 50 in the seventh over.
At the half-way mark of their innings, ICL Pakistan were comfortably placed at 66 for no loss. Nazir brought up his third ICL fifty off 50 balls in the 14th over; it was studded with six boundaries and a six.
The openers brought up their century partnership in the 15th over, coasting comfortably towards the target.
With five overs to go, the Pakistanis needed only 27 runs off 30 balls, at less than six runs per over, with all their 10 wickets intact.
It finally took part-time bowler Mathew Elliott to break the stupendous partnership of 119 with the wicket of Nazir, who fell after a well-made 69.
In the end ICL Pakistani easily got past the modest target of 131, with nine wickets still in hand.
Scorecard
ICL World XI
MTG Elliott c Abdula Razzq b Shahid Nazir 14
IJ Harvey c Naved-ul-Hasan b Arshad Khan 21
DR Martyn b Shahid Nazir 4
RP Arnold (not out) 23
CL Cairns c Humayun Farhat b Arshad Khan 17
M S Atapattu st Humayun Farhat b Arshad Khan 5
L Vincent c Humayun Farhat b Abdul Razzaq 26
A J Hall lbw b Abdul Razzaq 0
J J Van der Wath b Naved-ul-Hasan 0
U D U Chandana b Naved-ul-Hasan 6
Extras: (b-1, lb-6, w-7) 14
Total: (for nine wickets in 20 overs) 130
Fall of wickets: 1-41, 2-46, 3-47, 4-68, 5-80, 6-112, 7-112, 8-113, 9-130.
Bowling: Abdul Razzaq 4-0-29-2, ShabbirAhmed 4-0-37-0, Shahid Nazir 4-0-12-0,Naved-ul-Hasan 4-0-21-2, Arshad Khan 4-0-24-3.
ICL Pakistan XI
Imran Nazir c & b Elliott 68
Abdul Razzaq (not out) 54
Imran Farhat (not out) 1
Extras: (lb-3, w-4, nb-1) 8
Total: (for one wicket in 17.3 overs) 131
Fall of wickets: 1-119
Bowling: JJ Van der Wath 3-0-25-0, M S Kasprowicz 4-0-37-0, AJ Hall 3-0-19-0, IJ Harvey 3-0-21-0, UDU Chandana 3.3-0-19-0, MTG Elliott 1-0-7-1.