Amir heroics go in vain as Kohli seals India’s win

By our correspondents

February 28, 2016

Pakistani batting line-up falls like tenpins in opening Asia Cup match

KARACHI: When Pakistan crashed to 83 against a lively Indian pace battery, it seemed like game over for the green-shirts at a packed Shere-Bangla Stadium in Dhaka on Saturday.

But pacer Mohammad Amir (3-18) had other ideas.

The left-armer almost single-handedly floored India but a superb 49 by Virat Kohli took his team to a five-wicket triumph with 27 balls to spare in a tense Asian Cup Twenty20 encounter.

The Indians were down to their knees when Amir began with a hostile spell of unplayable swing bowling to take three wickets in quick succession. India were three down for just eight in the third over and almost received a fatal blow when it seemed that Amir had scalped Kohli but the Indian maestro was lucky to survive what was a serious appeal for LBW.

Kohli and Yuvraj Singh (14 not out off 32 balls) accumulated 68 runs for the fourth wicket to take the game away from Pakistan. Mohammad Sami (2-16) did take two wickets of Kohli and Hardik Pandya in the 15th over but it was already game over for Pakistan by then.

For Pakistan, the biggest disappointment in the bowling department was their otherwise aggressive pacer Wahab Riaz. The stage was set for the left-armer after Amir’s onslaught but he was unable to impress much and went wicketless, giving away 31 runs off 3.3 overs. Such figures in a low-scoring encounter were really below-par. Mohammad Irfan bowled better but was unable to break the Kohli-Yuvraj partnership.

Kohli was the star of the match for India with his 51-ball 49 that included seven hits to the fence.

Earlier, after put into bat on a lively track Pakistan crumbled to 83 all out in 17.3 overs - their lowest ever score in T20Is after batting first.

Dhoni’s decision to bowl first was fully justified as the opening pair of Mohammad Hafeez and Sharjeel Khan lasted four deliveries with Ashish Nehra removing the former as he went for a non-existent cut to be out caught-behind for 4. The ball was short of length, had the bounce but the width was missing.

Jasprit Bumrah then bowled a testing second over to debutant Khurram Manzoor for a maiden. Dhoni’s ploy of keeping a wide slip worked when Sharjeel went after a wide Bumrah delivery to be caught there by Ajinkya Rahane for 7 in the fourth over. By the end of Powerplay overs, Pakistan had lost three wickets, to be placed at a precarious 32-3.

Precarious turned into a full blown crisis when all-rounder Pandya’s introduction in the sixth over resulted in the biggest blow to Pakistan’s hopes. He induced an edge off the bat of Shoaib Malik (4) that was taken by Dhoni, leaving Pakistan at 35/4. Yuvraj Singh then removed Umar Akmal (3) and skipper Shahid Afridi (2) ran himself out while going for a second run when an alert Jadeja let loose a lightning throw from the deep catching him well short of the crease. Pakistan were gasping for breath and in the danger of being bowled out for their lowest T20I total.

Somehow, they scraped past the 50-run mark in the 11th over but then Jadeja got into the act, trapping Wahab Riaz (4) and then cramping Sarfraz Khan for space, cleaning him up for 25 - the highest of the Pakistan innings. Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Amir stayed long enough to take the score beyond 74 runs - Pakistan’s lowest T20I total before Pandya returned to shut the doors on the innings, removing both tail-enders off successive deliveries. Score Board

India won toss

Pakistan

M Hafeez c Dhoni b Nehra 4

Sharjeel Khan c Rahane b Bumrah 7

Khurram Manzoor run out 10

Shoaib Malik c Dhoni b Pandya 4

Umar Akmal lbw b Yuvraj Singh 3

†Sarfraz Ahmed b Jadeja 25

*Shahid Afridi run out 2

Wahab Riaz lbw b Jadeja 4

M Sami c Raina b Pandya 8

M Amir b Pandya 1