Shahid Afridi Stars In Pakistan Win

 

Captain Shahid Afridi took five wickets as Pakistan completed a resounding 205-run World Cup Group A win over Kenya.

 

Afridi claimed 5-16 - the best figures in a World Cup by a Pakistan bowler - as his team dismissed their Group A opponents for 112 in Hambantota.

Earlier, Umar Akmal's 71 from 52 balls was complemented by Kamran Akmal (55), Younus Khan (50) and Misbah-ul-Haq (65), in a total of 317-7.

Kenya conceded 37 wides, a joint world record for one-day internationals.

That unenviable total is shared with the West Indies, who originally set the record against Pakistan in Brisbane 22 years ago.

The performance compounded yet another miserable day in the field for Jimmy Kamande's team, three days after their 10-wicket thrashing by New Zealand.

They lost their final seven wickets for only 39 runs as Afridi ran through the tail, with four Kenyan batsmen dismissed for ducks.

Only all-rounder Collins Obuya provided any resistance with a 58-ball innings of 47, one of only four batsmen to reach double figures.

The match ended in complete contrast to how it began after Afridi won the toss and elected to field first on a slow track at the brand new Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium on the south coast of Sri Lanka.



The 1992 champions were reduced to 12-2 after seven overs after losing openers Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad.

But Kamran and Younus steadied the innings with a 98-run stand, with former skipper Younus scoring his first World Cup half-century in three tournaments.

The innings was given fresh impetus courtesy of World Cup debutants Misbah, who struck a six from his first delivery, and Umar, the pair adding 118 from only 80 deliveries as Pakistan's fifth-wicket duo flayed Kenya's attack around the ground.

Umar was particularly brutal in the powerplay overs as Pakistan added 72 runs and lost only one wicket.
Kenya's mammoth run chase began steadily as openers Maurice Ouma and Seren Waters reached 37-1 before the latter was run out by a smart piece of fielding by Umar.

Ouma fell soon after and when Steve Tikolo, Kenya's most experienced player with over 3,000 one-day runs from 130 matches, was bowled by Afridi, any hopes of an unlikely upset evaporated as the leg-spinner tore through the lower order.

He trapped Tanmay Mishra, Kamanda and Thomas Odoyo leg before, before Umar Gul bowled Shem Ngoche to wrap up a confidence-boosting victory.

"We gave away a lot of extras, maybe because the guys were trying too hard," said Kamande, who saw seamer Thomas Odoyo concede 20 runs in wides in an embarrassing total of 46 extras.

"We didn't go for the score. We will try to encourage the boys: it doesn't matter, go for the score."
Pakistan face Sri Lanka in Colombo on Saturday while Kenya are next in action against the same opponents on 1 March.