Butt It Could Have Been...

The first one-dayer ended in an anti-climax here today after Pakistan were declared winners on the basis ofthe Duckworth-Lewis system just when the match was poised for a nail-biting finish.

India probably had to pay the price for a slow over-rate and their inability to bat out the 50 overs as their seemingly big total of 328 in49.4 proved inadequate in the end.

With the Pakistani duo of Younis Khan and Rana Naved-ul Hasan complaining of bad light as play spilled over beyond the scheduled close, the umpires decided to stop play, the hosts being 311 for seven in 47 overs at that stage.

The Duckworth/Lewis system was applied and Pakistan were declared winners by seven runs, giving them a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

The match could have gone either way with the home team needing 18 runs in as many balls with three wickets in hand before the game came to an abrupt end.

The result put paid to India's aspirations to start off their one-day campaign on a positive note after Sachin Tendulkar had hit a fine 100 off 113 balls to return to form and steer India to a challenging score on a batting-friendly track at the Arbab Niaz Stadium.

Young opener Salman Butt notched up his second ODI century and Shoaib Malik hit 90 to lay the platform for Pakistan's run chase before a few quick dismissals threw the game wide open.

Pakistan were set a stiff asking rate of 6.58, thanks to Tendulkar's 39th century and aggressive knocks by Mahendra Singh Dhoni (68 off 53 balls) and Irfan Pathan (65 off 65).

But the hosts seemed to make a mockery of the target, with the Indian bowlers being carted around by man-of-match Butt and Malik after the two joined forces at 50 for one.

The partnership of 151 in 23.4 overs between Butt and Malik paved the way for Pakistan's victory despite losing a cluster of three wickets in 32 balls later on.

There was enough in the tank for the visitors to pull through even after the duo's departure in the space of 17 balls followed by the quick dismissals of Shahid Afridi, Mohammed Yousuf, captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and Abdul Razzaq between the 37th and 45th overs.

The Pakistan captain was declared out in a rare manner -- for obstructing the field as he stopped with his bat a throw from mid-off fielder Suresh Raina to the non-striker's end while trying to reach the crease, when only 40 were needed in as many balls.

The hosts began their run-chase briskly with left hander Butt stroking the ball superbly to notch up his third century (101 in 111 balls with 15 forus).

Butt put on 50 in only 8 overs with Kamran Akmal, who opened the innings and then added 151 runs for the second wicket with Malik, who cracked a superb 90 in only 67 balls studded with 9 fours and three sixes, all off left arm slow bowler Murali Kartik.

Akmal departed after making 25 in 24 balls, slicing a drive off S Sreesanth straight to substitute fielder Gautam Gambhir at point but thereafter India did not taste success till the second wicket pair of Butt and Malik carried the score past 200.

Captain Rahul Dravid preferred to use Irfan Pathan in a straight ten-over spell and the bowler, though unable to beat the batsmen, kept things down especially in his last fiveovers.

The advent of Zaheer Khan for Sreesanth, after the latter's 5-over spell for 34, helped India cut the run-rate down somewhat but still Pakistan were comfortably placed by raising the 100 in the 18th over.

Ajit Agarkar came on after the first 20 overs were gone through and Pakistan were just marginally behind run-a-ball. He bowled tidily initially before being hit for runs.

Murali Kartik was carted for two sixes over long on by Malik, the ball landing in the media enclosure on both occasions. Later he was smashed over the straight field for a third six by the Pakistani all-rounder.

After 30 overs, the hosts needed 150 runs for a win but the requirement came down to a more comfortable 99 runs in the last 15overs.

Butt struck three fours off Kartik in the 32nd over of the innings before falling while trying for a cover-driven fourth four, caught by Dravid at short extra cover.

Shahid Afridi came to bat to the appreciative roar of the jam-packed stands, and should have been caught in the deep by Zaheer when on 5, but the fielder dropped him at long on off Kartik. 

Zaheer made some amends by getting rid of the dangerous looking Malik through a catch at short mid wicket for 90.

The loss of these two wickets in the space of four overs, plus that of Afridi and Mohammed Yousuf, both for 17, raised India's victory hopes that got boosted with the fall of Inzamam-ulHaq and Abdul Razzaq.

Earlier, Tendulkar roared back to form with a sheet-anchor innings.

Under severe pressure due to a form slump that saw him make only 63 runs in his last three Test innings,Tendulkar played himself in and then stroked his way to the fifth century against Pakistan in his 359th match. .

He fell leg before to Arshad Khan, trying a reverse sweep, off the very next ball after reaching his century. He faced 113 balls and hit ten fours and a swing over mid-wicket off Arshad for a six.

The champion batsman, whose last big innings in one-dayers was his knock against Sri Lanka at Nagpur where he made 93, batted with a lot of determination, besides playing theanchor's role to perfection. His first 50 came in 66 balls.

Tendulkar, whose last ODI century was also against Pakistan at Ahmedabad last April, also featured in two big partnerships with young guns Pathan andMahendra Dhoni and completed a world record 14,000 runs in the process.

He added 94 runs for the second wicket with Pathan (65 in 65 balls with 12 fours and a six) and 126 runs for the third wicket with Dhoni (68 in 53 balls with 11 fours and a six) to pull India around from 5 for one.

PTI