Sunday, September 16, 2007

A Thriller of a Match

Date: Friday, Setember 14, 2006
Event: India vs Pakistan, Group D match in the Twenty20 World Cup
Venue: D-Block Common Room

It was well past midnight when Afridi missed the stumps and the fifty odd people in the common room erupted in joy. It had been a thrilling encounter, a game full of twists and turns culminating in a bowl-out. The basic events of the match are as follows. First Asif wrecked apart the Indian top order before Uthappa and Dhoni made some recovery and India posted a total which was well below the accepted Twenty20 standards. Second innings and it was the turn of the Indian pacers to torment the Pakistani batsmen. The pressure started mounting and the wickets started tumbling. Soon India were seemingly in control of the game.With 39 needed of 14 deliveries, Misbah-ul-Haq was joined by Arafat and they hammered the ball all around the park. Just 1 needed of the last 2 deliveries and Misbah could not get it and was run out in the process. The game ended in a tie and a bowl-out was to decide the winner. In the bowl-out India struck in all 3 attempts while Pakistan missed all three.
The Result: A 3-0 victory for India
The absorbing game was complete fun. A test of nerves for the players but complete money's worth for the specatators. The India-Pakistan clash lived up to its prime time billing and India maintained its perfect record against Pakistan in the big events (5-0 as of now). A great game.
Twenty20 World Cup: I'm lovin it.
P.S. After the crazy batting of Bangladesh against the hosts today, I still bet on them. Though wishing they bat for alittle more time.
P.P.S Heart wants India to win. And after yesterday's performance, well who knows.

1 comment:

Sreeram N said...

No doubt it was a thrilling match. We had the same feelings in F Block too after the game got over. But I guess the bowlout should have been taken a bit more seriously by both the teams in order to lend it some credence as a decider for a match. A bowlout in the knockout stages will be a real nail-biter, and I'm hoping for atleast one.