Feb 15, 2015
15:35(IST)
Over 27: Pakistan 119/5 (Misbah 12, Afridi 11)
Afridi is not going to hang around. Rocks back and pulls Jadeja into the crowd over midwicket. The thing is even a rapid fire 50 from Afridi isnt going to be enough. He needs to be there until the end. Four singles make it 10 from the over.
15:34(IST)
Over 26: Pakistan 109/5 (Misbah 10, Afridi 3)
Umesh greets Afridi with sharp bouncer that forces the batsman to take quick evasive action. The rest of the over consists of one dot ball and four singles.
The required run-rate is now 8 and over. If Pakistan had all 10 wickets in hand, would be an extended T20 game. But they do not.
15:30(IST)
15:29(IST)
Over 25: Pakistan 105/5 (Misbah 8, Afridi 1)
OUT! Dhoni confidently calls for a review when Jadeja goes past Akmals forward defense. Snicko shows nothing but the slow motion replay suggests there may have been a faint nick. The commentators expect the decision to remain not out but surprisingly, without Snicko, the third umpire overturns the decision.
Umar Akmal c Dhoni b Jadeja 0 (4b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
Pakistan 105 for 5 and this game is over unless Afridi goes beserk and emulates AB de Villiers.
15:22(IST)
Umar Akmal is the new batsman. Can Misbah hold this chase together?
15:22(IST)
15:20(IST)
OUT! Umesh has two in the over. Sohaib Maqsood flashes at awide one outside off and Raina takes a sharp overhead catch at slip. Pakistan not looking like breaking their World Cup duck against India in this game.
Sohaib Maqsood c Raina b Yadav 0 (2b 0x4 0x6)
Just like that Pakistan are 102 for 4 and Umesh has two wickets with poor deliveries.
15:18(IST)
OUT! Umesh has the breakthrough. Or rather Jadeja has the breakthrough. Short and wide and Shehzad absolutely creams a square cut but hits it straight to Jadeja at point, who juggles the ball before holding on at this second attempt. That was hit hard but Jadeja kept his head when he batted the ball up on the first attempt.
Ahmed Shehzad c Jadeja b Yadav 47 (73b 5x4 0x6)
Pakistan 102 for 3 after 23.2 overs and the set batsman is gone.
15:13(IST)
Over 22: Pakistan 98/1 (Shehzad 46, Misbah 3)
Umesh is back. And back successfully. Misbah takes a single from the first ball but five dots follow. Shehzad enough has an unsuccessful slash at a slower ball outside off that beat him for bounce. The final delivery is smashed down the ground and Umesh does brilliantly to stop it. Exhales with relief as he takes his cap from the umpire.
Shehzad batting himself back into a hole. Dhonis field placings have made it very difficult for him to pierce the field and takes ones and twos.
15:09(IST)
Preview
Adelaide: The India-Pakistan rivalry goes way beyond the boundaries of the cricket field, with the geopolitical overtones transcending the World Cup.
Regardless of any diplomatic posturing, the packed stadium and a television audience expected to be in the hundreds of millions, the only thing that really matters to India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni in his first match as defending World Cup champion and to veteran Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq is the competition points.
Pool B gets under way with a match at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday that many players and supporters of both countries consider just as important as the final.
India has won all five of the previous head-to-head World Cup matches since 1992, when Pakistan rebounded to go on and win the title.
Dhoni, despite a team that hasn't won a competitive match in two months in Australia, is confident of extending the streak against Pakistan to 6-0. Misbah believes he has the team to break the drought. Both expect the Adelaide match to set the tone for the tournament.
"Starting with Pakistan ... it will be a high-voltage game," Dhoni said. "It's one of the most prized games when it comes to the ODI format.
"It's a perfect scenario to start, and the guys, they've got enough experience in the conditions, so I think it will be a good one."
The 40-year-old Misbah has only played at one World Cup, scoring a half-century in the semifinal loss to India in 2011 and averaging almost 50 in his eight innings. He doesn't think his team carries any scars from previous Cup defeats.
"Obviously India-Pakistan is always all about pressure," said Misbah, who has won seven of the 16 limited-overs internationals he has played against India. "The best thing we can do is just enjoy the game, enjoy the atmosphere, go there, play your game, be positive."
Taking advantage of the so-called "cricket diplomacy" opportunities this week, India announced it was sending its top foreign ministry official to Pakistan to resume talks after a six-month hiatus.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted Friday he spoke with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif and offered to further strengthen ties. Sharif welcomed a proposed visit by a senior Indian official "to discuss all issues of common interest."
Misbah said the secret to success would be to ignore all the fuss on and off the field.
"I think it is the way to go that you just don't take anything into the ground when you are playing against India," he said. "You don't have to worry about what's happening outside, what's going on in the countries. I think you need to focus (entirely) on your game."
India greats Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid have spoken about the importance of the game and its elevated status at the World Cup.
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq described it as being "like a final before the final, not only for fans but also for both teams," adding that India was under pressure to maintain its record against Pakistan and Misbah was under pressure to change history.
He suggested the outcome could come down to the toss of a coin, noting that India had won the toss in four of the previous five World Cup encounters.
"I can't find a suitable word to describe what goes wrong when we chase against India, but it's more like a mental blockage of players on which I'm sure Pakistan team management will be working on," he said.
Neither team enters in winning form. While India's winless run in Australia has been well documented, Pakistan lost a recent ODI series in New Zealand.
Both teams have also struggled with injuries, with India losing paceman Ishant Sharma and Pakistan without Mohammad Hafeez and Junaid Khan due to injuries.
Pakistan opener Ahmed Shezhad hurt his right arm during a practice session on Friday, but he was cleared of serious injury.
Dhoni said India had no injuries to report and was confident of turning around their form in Australia, simply because they're now familiar with the conditions.
"It's not really about stats. As far as the preparation in the dressing room is concerned, it looks just fantastic," he said. "And all to the fact that when we play Pakistan there's definitely more intensity on the field. It will be a perfect scenario for everyone to raise their level of performance."
AP
Source: http://www.firstpost.com/sports/world-cup-india-vs-pakistan-live-india-bat-first-dhoni-picks-three-fast-bowlers-2099305.html
