http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972’s instructions – Cricket News Update
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/United-Arab-Emirates-c3033 (UAE)
on Sunday, November 20, 2011.
The Men in Green were in deep trouble at one stage of their innings, losing five wickets for just 71 runs on the board.
This was the time when Afridi joined skipper Misbah at the crease and the pair looked to steady the ship.
Unfortunately, the latter misjudged a run and had to take a dejected walk back to the pavilion after being run-out for the second consecutive match in the series.
Due to this, Afridi came under immense pressure, as he had a greater responsibility on his shoulders now.
Things kept on getting bad for the home team, as wicketkeeper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sarfraz-Ahmed-c88818 was also dismissed after scoring just 10 runs.
At that stage, Pakistan had 120 runs on the board with seven wickets down and the tail was exposed.
However, Misbah sent a message for the veteran all-rounder to bat until the end of the innings and take the score past 200.
According to Afridi, “I got the message from my skipper that I should carry on and play the full [50] overs. He informed that if we can score around 225 runs it will be very good on this pitch. I tried my best at my end and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Saeed-Ajmal-c87859 too did a great job.”
Pakistan could not have managed to reach 200 without the fighting knock from Ajmal, who contributed 20 runs to the total. He was involved in a solid 61-run stand for the eighth wicket with Afridi, which turned out to be the turning point of the match.
The aggressive Pathan made most of the resistance from Ajmal at the other end and finished with a superb innings of 75 runs.
Commenting on his match winning knock, the 31-year-old added, “I know there are a lot of expectations from me and I too understand how my batting could help the team. I am acting exactly according to the demand as I made my comeback with an aim and a goal.”
Pakistan have an unassailable lead of 3-1 in the ODI series and will look to clinch the final match in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, November 23.
Tags: