County Cricket: Hampshire Hammer Somerset again

Six weeks after humiliating Somerset by an innings at Southampton, Hampshire came close to repeating the feat, but this time they had to bat again – for four balls – to win by ten wickets. Keith Barker took 6-27 as all the home team’s batters failed miserably second time around.

Hampshire returned to second place behind Surrey but Essex made surprisingly short work of previous high-flyers Lancashire at Old Trafford. Dan Lawrence’s lack of a Test century may have cost him a place for England but he scored 120 against James Anderson et al. Sam Cook (4-18) was the pick of Essex bowlers in Lancashire’s first innings then Simon Harmer produced another of his marathon sessions to collect 5-87 in an innings triumph.

At Northampton, both attacks toiled with little success as the contest fizzled out into a draw. The Kent top-order, in particular, shone brightly. Zak Crawley made some timely runs before the New Zealand series but it was opening partner Ben Compton who added another 208 runs to his season’s tally, with an average of 108. 

Harry Brook’s figure of 140 is even better, and he delivered Yorkshire another quickfire half-century as his side notched a first-innings lead of 205. However, opener Adam Lyth outscored him with 145, while Joe Root was caught behind for just eight. On the fourth day, Jordan Thompson induced three early catches before Sam Hain and Will Rhodes dug in for tons to ensure Warwickshire avoided defeat. 

Middlesex and Nottinghamshire each claimed a fourth success of the summer to open up a decent margin at the top of Division Two. Against Durham, wicketkeeper John Simpson took nine catches at Lord’s and Toby Roland-Jones ten wickets, including Ben Stokes for a second-ball duck. The new England captain did, at least , take his first wickets of the Championship season despite a six-wicket loss. Nottinghamshire gave little away against neighbours Derbyshire. Dane Paterson was remarkably consistent with the ball, finishing with figures of 3-36 and 3-35 before the Notts openers Slater and Hameed cruised past the 165 target. 

Worcestershire had an even easier time at home to last-placed Leicestershire. 37-year-old Azhar Ali finally found his form, thumping 225 and forming a useful relationship with his 21 year-old ‘apprentice’ Jack Haynes, whose 127 was his third hundred in successive fixtures. Incidentally, their respective career first-class batting averages are almost identical. Seamer Matthew Waite was the best of a solid bunch of Worcester bowlers, taking 6-50 in the match. 

Proper county cricket now takes a month’s break to allow players to reset their batting and bowling skills and strategems for the Vitality Blast. Who will win this year? Impossible to tell, as ever, but I confidently predict that Somerset will NOT lift the trophy!

Team of the Week: Compton (Ken), Lyth (Yor), Azhar Ali (Wor), Haynes (Wor), Lawrence (Ess), Rhodes (War), Simpson (Mid +), Roland-Jones (Mid), Barker (Ham), S Cook (Ess), Waite (Wor)

Somerset Storm into the Final

Please forgive me but I am typing this with a stupid smile on my face. I feared the worst but Somerset rediscovered their early season form to propel them into a first List A cup final in nine years where they’ll face defending champions and Lord’s season ticket-holders Hampshire.

It feels like longer but it was only five days ago when a five-wicket victory over bottom club Surrey secured Somerset’s passage from the South division to the quarter-finals on net run rate ahead of Gloucestershire. On the same day, Middlesex also joined Hampshire in the knockouts breaking records in the process. Their 380-5 was their highest ever one-day score and Matt Holden’s 166 was another best for the county. 

The day previously, Nottinghamshire left it late to top the North table. Needing 326 to beat Northamptonshire, they were running out of time and wickets until in the last over centurion Samit Patel struck Sanderson’s opening three deliveries for 6-4-4. Worcestershire’s target was an even more challenging 351 but, with new boy Riki Wessels in typical aggressive mode – eleven sixes in an innings of 130 – they came through wit ten balls to spare. Poor Durham endured disappointment as the Headingley weather frustrated their efforts and allowed non-playing Lancashire to qualify instead.

A few days later Worcestershire found Somerset’s attack a tougher proposition altogether. 20 year-old wicketkeeper Tom Banton’s second ton of the tournament set up a formidable total of 337-8 and, with Azhar Ali’s leg-spin an unexpected weapon of mass destruction, the home side was bowled out twelve overs and 147 runs short. Middlesex also collapsed on home territory. Batting second, they tumbled to 24-5 before James Harris (117) and John Simpson (74) got them back on track against Lancashire. However, once they were dismissed in the same over, Saqib Mahmood took his fourth wicket and Graeme Onions finished things off.

This afternoon, Lancashire’s unwanted reputation as serial semi-final losers was maintained. Mahmood was again amongst the wickets but Hampshire’s experienced all-rounder Gareth Berg had earlier claimed 5-24 ripping out the Red Rose tail and was in the middle when team-mate Fuller struck the winning boundary.

At Trent Bridge, the other semi-final had long since finished. The highly-fancied Notts went the same way as Worcestershire as Somerset enjoyed a near-repeat of their quarter-final victory. Their 337 total was identical, Banton again passed 50 and Azhar Ali made a crucial contribution, this time with the bat. The press were ready with their Alex Hales headlines but his 54 runs were insufficient to prevent the Overtons and van der Merwe destroying them. As at Worcester, it was done and dusted after around 38 overs.

The final takes place in a few weeks’ time and I for one will be happy to see them take a little longer as long as Tom Abell holds the trophy aloft at close of play. Sadly he, or James Vince, will be the last to do so, as in 2020 proper cricket gets trampled underfoot by the hateful Hundred. As for May 2019, the ‘Years of Hurt’ tally has risen to eighteen but could cricket finally be coming home to Somerset?!  I hope so.

Team of the Week: Wessels (Wor), Banton (Som +), Chopra (Ess), Azhar Ali (Som), Holden (Mid), S Patel (Not), Berg (Ham), Harris (Mid), C Overton (Som), T Taylor (Lei), Mahmood (Lan)

Morkel and Archer on Target

Although bookended by some Vitality Blasts, most county players had to dust off their red-ball skills. It was an especially successful week for Surrey and Sussex.

The former continued their expensive cruise towards the Championship title by trashing Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge by an innings and 183 runs. Skipper Rory Burns took his season’s run tally to 875 with another century, aided by fellow opener Mark Stoneman’s run-a-ball 86 and Ricky Clarke’s 111, as Surrey racked up almost 600. Notts had no response as the quality attack ripped through them twice. Morne Morkel was the star performer, taking 4-60 and 5-60.

Somerset leapfrogged Notts into second place by beating Worcestershire at New Road, where it was a tale of two Alis. There was little to split them after two days, but Somerset took control in their second innings. Moeen did little with the bat but claimed eight wickets in the match. However, the visitors’ new signing Azhar Ali had the better of the two, top-scoring with 125. Seamers Jamie Overton and Davey nabbed fifteen wickets between them to end any remaining resistance. 

At Old Trafford, Yorkshire upset their neighbours by a 118-run victory. Lancashire’s Jordan Clark upset the rhythm by achieving a rare Roses hat-trick. Not a bad trio of victims, either: Root, Bairstow and Williamson, all in the world’s top twelve! However, the Red Roses capitulated and who was the star bowler? None other than Joe Root, who ended up with 4-5. Who needs Adil Rashid when your captain and top batsman can spin sides out like that?

Warwickshire’s progress towards promotion from Division Two suffered a blow when they suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Middlesex at a baking Lord’s. The ever-reliable Tim Murtagh ended with an aggregate of 7-97. Sussex narrowed the gap to seven points, bowling Glamorgan out twice for under 100. Jofra Archer’s 2018 domestic season is at last taking off, demonstrated by his return of 4-15 and 4-31, abetted by Chris Jordan.

Kent would have been right in the mix had they beaten Leicestershire at Canterbury. But they didn’t. They were taken apart by ten wickets, with Ned Eckersley catching eight behind the stumps.

In mid-table, Derbyshire dealt Northamptonshire a 39-run blow at Chesterfield. Spinner Matt Critchley finished with ten wickets, to go with 88 valuable runs. Wayne Madsen weighed in with a second-innings hundred. It was tough on Northants’ Alex Wakeley who made a century of his own, albeit in a losing cause.

In the other fixture, Gloucestershire all-rounder Ryan Higgins proved he’s not just a white-ball player by scoring 147 runs and taking six cheap wickets in a close-fought win over Durham. The latter’s New Zealand opener Tom Latham maintained his form with 192 runs, but the rest of his side were unable to build on his good starts.

Higgins also landed three wickets in Gloucester’s T20 triumph over Glamorgan. Assisted by Michael Klinger’s unbeaten 77, Gloucestershire moved to the top of the South Division, just ahead of Kent and Sussex who were thwarted by summer storms around Canterbury.

Still awaiting a first win of the campaign, Northamptonshire suffered yet another defeat, this time by Worcestershire, whose openers Martin Guptill and Joe Clarke whipped 162 in 10 overs en route for a nine-wicket victory. Lancashire just about held on to the lead in the North despite losing their second Roses clash in a few days. This time it was the six-hitting of Tom Kohler-Cadmore which inflicted the most damage.

The coming week sees a return to T20 supremacy in Britain. Some counties face three games, including Yorkshire, who must squeeze them into four days. The most interesting could be Lancashire’s trip to Worcestershire and Sussex hosting Gloucestershire as all four vie for their respective divisions’ number one spot.

Team of the Week: 

Latham (Dur), Burns (Sur), Guptill (Wor), Azhr Ali (Som), Wakely (Nor), Higgins (Glo), Clarke (Sur), Milton (Wor +), Critchley (Der), Archer (Sus), Morkel (Sur)

Champions Trophy: Pakistan Punish Poor England

Following the excitement of last Friday’s triumph of Bangladesh over New Zealand, today’s trip to Sophia Gardens resulted in one of the most one-sided contests I have witnessed first-hand!

It all started so well. For once, warm sunshine was beaming down on Cardiff, and uninterrupted play was on the cards. The crowd was a healthy mix of England and Pakistan fans and I took my seat in the little Castle Stand beneath the scoreboard anticipating a great day’s cricket and probable win by Eoin Morgan’s men. That seemed more likely upon hearing the line-ups without the name of Mohammed Amir and with Jonny Bairstow replacing Roy.

With Sarfraz Ahmed inserting the home team, the scene was set for another blistering 300+ total. In the first few overs, the gods seemed to be English, too. Bairstow and Hales must consider themselves highly fortunate to survive LBW reviews. The Yorkshireman bristled with aggression as usual, and his partnership with Joe Root promised so much. However, it delivered few boundaries.

The bowlers were switched frequently and everyone stepped up to the mark. Junaid Khan, debutant Summan Raees and Hasan Ali generally kept to a good line and length, while the trio of spinners were also in a mean mood. Nevertheless, at 128-2 just after halfway, the situation demanded the customary acceleration we have come to expect from the likes of Morgan, Buttler and Stokes.

In actuality, the run rate slowed down. Not once in the second half of the England innings did they manage more than six an over. More startling was the dearth of fours or sixes. Stokes was strangled impressively and had produced not a single boundary in his 34 when he skied an attempted hook from the lively Hasan. There were spectacular catches and a few drops but respect to the Pakistan attack for persevering throughout and restricting England to a paltry 211 all out. The pitch may have been used before but surely this wasn’t a low-200s track?

In their reply, Pakistan’s openers knew they didn’t need to go mad, yet they didn’t hold back. Mark Wood’s first over went for 10, including four leg-side wides. Fakhar Zaman was the leading strokemaker while his right-handed partner Azhar Ali was more about finding the ones and twos. This was looking an easy task. They took their stand past the century mark and looked pretty invincible until Adil Rashid lured Fakhar out of his crease and Buttler removed the bails.

Was this the moment when Morgan put his foot on the neck? Er, no. Unlike England, Pakistan merely carried on as before. Babar Azam joined the six-hitter club. Azhar Ali was out attempting a weird hook, and merely deflecting the ball down onto his stumps, which brought the usually circumspect Mohammad Hafeez to the middle. By this stage, the England supporters were definitely disgruntled. Indeed, many were trailing out in search of an early train, and I found myself alone on my row.

Ben Stokes was just as bad with the ball as the bat. 2 million dollar man?? Even Hafeez flat-batted him for a straight six, the result of a free hit because Morgan had placed too many outside the circle. In the end, the field was brought in for Hafeez but these were desperate measures. The coup de grace was applied by the same batsman, pulling another short Stokes delivery to the mid-wicket boundary with a ‘mere’ 77 balls remaining.

What a sensational result! England had been put to the sword and maybe even India must be a little nervous at meeting again the side they beat earlier in the competition. Nevertheless, Bangladesh have proved they are no pushovers and CT17 may yet yield another surprise.

Smith and Warner lead Aussies to another Pakistan Whitewash

In Test cricket, fortunes can change quickly. Last winter, Australia beat the West Indies and New Zealand before coming a cropper at home to South Africa in November. Meanwhile, Pakistan briefly topped the ICC rankings after the England tour, maintained the momentum with a 2-1 series success over the Windies in the desert but lost it all again in New Zealand.

So there was a lot at stake in the Australia-Pakistan encounters over the past month or so. Would the Aussie pacemen make the most of quick pitches or could the Pakistani veteran batsmen galvanise the tourists? The answer was neither. It was very much a series for the batsmen. In the three matches, there were ten centuries and no fewer than eight individuals averaged more than 50. With the ball, only Josh Hazelwood averaged under 25, while his 15-wicket aggregate took him past the century for his career so far.

The series caught light on the last day of the Brisbane opener. After Steve Smith declared 489 ahead, a crushing defeat for Pakistan was the likely outcome. However, Azhar Ali and Younis Khan weren’t to be cowed, then Asad Shafiq brilliantly shepherded the tail past 300, past 400,… Could a new world record be achieved? Not on this occasion, but the amazing effort took Pakistan to 450, just 39 short.

Only two sides had ever scored more in the fourth innings, and all sorts of records were broken at The Gabba. One which did hold was Australia’s long unbeaten sequence, now extended to 28.

At the MCG, Pakistan again passed 400, helped by an unbeaten 205 from opener Azhar Ali. However, David Warner’s run-a-ball 144, Steve Smith’s third consecutive Boxing Day Test century, Khawaja’s 97 and a late blast from Mitchell Starc established another handsome first innings lead. There was to be no repeat of the Gabba fightback as Starc and spinner Nathan Lyon nabbed seven cheap wickets to pull off an innings victory.

On to Sydney at the start of 2017. And what a star it was for David Warner. His century before lunch on day one was the first in Test cricket for more than 30 years, even outshining Matt Renshaw’s substantial debut hundred and Peter Handscomb’s second in three games. In response, Younis Khan’s 175 not out was his 34th three-figure score, keeping Pakistan in with a shout. A fourth day batting blitz set up another huge target and, despite a series-best 38 from skipper Misbah and a quick 72 not out from Sarfraz, it proved far too much.

And so Australia could enjoy a fourth successive 3-0 whitewash at home to Pakistan. Question marks have been raised against Misbah’s captaincy. Understandable given the series result and his own mediocre form. Nevertheless, he has been magnificent for his country in recent years. If he chooses to retire at 42, nobody would blame him. On the other hand, it would be unfair to hound him out based on one lost series in a land where they haven’t won for decades.

The Aussies can reflect proudly on a great all-round display, with runs down the order and wickets well distributed across the attack. Smith and Warner are at the top of their game, and it was an encouraging series for new boys Renshaw and Handscomb. If they can hang on to their bowlers longer than South Africa, they may yet in the next 18 months challenge India for the ceremonial mace.

Sarfraz and Imad prevent the Whitewash

Congratulations go to Pakistan for winning the fifth and final ODI, and to England for taking the series. Special plaudits should also go to the Sophia Gardens groundstaff for ensuring the match went ahead on schedule, despite the prolonged spell of rain over the preceding 24 hours.

Sun may have been in short supply during the match, too, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience from seat H28, Block 2 in front of the pavilion. Graeme Swann might find 50-over cricket boring but a game like this was far more edifying fare than a brutal beer-and-boundary-fest.

Put in by Azhar Ali, England looked in control from the start. Alex Hales and Jason Roy produced some crisp strokes before the former chipped Amir to mid-on in the fifth over. There was time for one beautifully timed pull to square leg from Joe Root before he played on. Eoin Morgan then, initially, Ben Stokes struggled but Roy kept his side on a consistent seven-an-over pace.
However, despite hauling Shoaib Malik for two sixes, the two spinners Malik and Swansea’s own Imad Wasim were putting the brakes on the England innings. There was clearly not to be another 400+ total.

Stokes showed his power by clubbing a pair of low trajectory straight sixes off third spinner Nawaz, but even the feisty all-rounder was laid low when an inside edge rearranged his ‘crown jewels’ and prompted a lengthy delay in proceedings! By 40 overs, the run rate was a tad above six an over but when Hasan and Amir retuned, the wickets fell thick and fast. The Pakistan fans on the far side of the ground were chanting Amir’s name and he responded by steaming in from the Cathedral Road end, piling the pressure onto Woakes, debutant Dawson, Willey and Jordan. Some late blows managed to squeeze England past the important 300 mark but it seemed like an opportunity missed.

Such has been Pakistan’s miserable ODI campaign, it seemed rather unlikely that they would attain the 303 target, especially as Glamorgan’s pitch is not known for its run-friendly reputation. Sharjeel scratched around for four overs but when he mistimed a ball from Chris Woakes, the arrival of Babar to join his skipper prompted an improvement.

Woakes’ fifth over went for thirteen and I wondered if we may have a real contest on here. Then when Matt Wood snaffled both batsmen in the fourteenth over, Azhar after lengthy consideration by the video umpire, it looked like business as usual. 15 overs gone: 79-3; 15 short of England at the same stage. Sarfraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik, possessor of one of the worst batting records in England of any Pakistan batsman, would have to hit the ground running. They did.

The arrival of Dawson’s spin strengthened their resolve. Sarfraz in particular got the message that he had to move his feet and attack the slow bowler. There were some massive shots which didn’t quite cross the distant boundary rope and some bold sweeps to fine leg but it was Shoaib who struck the first six, well into the main grandstand. Dawson’s first four overs had conceded 41 runs and he was taken out of the firing line.

By this time, Pakistan were ahead of England. Stokes and Wood were going for a steady six or seven an over but the fourth wicket pair still had plenty to do. I thought the tourists could do it but if the partnership was broken, they couldn’t. Dawson was reintroduced in the 38th over. What was Morgan thinking? Sarfraz prepared for a few more giant blows to reach another well-deserved century. Then the debutant tossed one up, Sarfraz saw long-on glory but didn’t get enough on it. At long-on, Hales used his height wisely and made an awkward overhead catch look easy. Two overs later, Dawson got his other man as Shoaib found Roy at long-off.

57 still needed in ten overs. On the face of it, not an impossible task. But this is Pakistan we’re talking about. The 43rd over proved to be a wicket maiden for Willey but by this time Rizwan had his eye in. Dawson conceded another ten to make his figures the worst ever by an England debutant! Morgan gamely brought the field in close but the seventh wicket pair managed to nick enough singles, twos and fours to raise the nose levels amongst the Pakistan fans. A firm drive to the long-off boundary from Jordan finished things off with more than two overs to spare.

Pakistan deserved something from the series so I was glad to see Azhar Ali and his charges have something to celebrate. I decided to stay for the presentations. Interestingly, I was one of the few non-Pakistan fans gathering close to the hastily-assembled podiums. It wasn’t only the men in green receiving the cheers. England’s non-playing Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid also garnered generous applause, their Asian heritage clearly making its mark. It was nice to see.

England may have won the series, breaking a world record along the way, and setting them up for an interesting winter and next summer’s Champions Trophy. At least Pakistan proved to themselves they are capable of chasing a 300 target outside Asia, something they had never done before. Improving their ranking of nine in 50-over cricket may prove tougher….

Pakistan pack a Punch

Pakistan have not only enjoyed an exciting series win in Sri Lanka but, largely under the radar, attained the status of number three in the ICC Test rankings. Once the home nation levelled the series at Colombo, you would be forgiven for thinking that Pakistan would have folded in the Pallekele finale. Indeed, when Angelo Mathews stuck around to extend Sri Lanka’s lead to 376, the visitors were in unknown territory in relation to their target.

But Pakistan have Younis Khan. He and Azhar Ali have been in fantastic form in the past few years. Their avalanche of runs, with the added contribution of skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, simply swept the Aussies away in the UAE last year. They then drew 1-1 with New Zealand and the centuries continued to stack up in the series victory over Bangladesh. Azhar Ali and Mohammed Hafeez both passed 200 in an innings and the opposition bowlers must have grown tired of facing them.

Nevertheless, Pakistan were struggling at 13-2 before opener Shan Masood was joined by Younis. With almost two days remaining, they could easily have dug in to grind out the runs. They didn’t, and by stumps on the fourth day, they were 230-2, both batsmen having reached three figures. Surely they couldn’t pull off Pakistan’s highest ever run chase?

Shan was stumped off Kaushal on 125 but Misbah’s arrival made no difference to the momentum. Younis Khan moved serenely on to 171 and Misbah clinched the match and the series with a six. What a game, what a series and what a load of records were achieved on that final day!

It was Younis’ seventh hundred in the past year, and the highest fourth innings score by a Pakistani in their history. He is unusual in that when he hits 50, more often than not he proceeds all the way to 100. Furthermore, only once before have two Pakistan batsmen hit hundreds in a fourth innings of a Test

So far I’ve only mentioned the batsmen, yet it was a bowler who was named Player of the Series, and deservedly so. Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz get most of the plaudits and Saeed Ajmal is twirling for Worcestershire instead of for Pakistan. So it may be a surprise that, in three matches, it was Yasir Shah who claimed an impressive 24 wickets. That included a 7-76, 6-96 and 5-78, and he not only took more wickets than anybody else, but had the lowest average and economy rate.

Still without a home series, it’s great to see Pakistan up there, with New Zealand threatening the big two, Australia and South Africa. Test cricket is not all about the Ashes and batting isn’t solely the reserve of Cook, Smith, Clarke and Root. Younis Khan deserves to be considered amongst the modern greats alongside Kallis, Ponting, Chanderpaul and Tendulkar, and Misbah as one of the leading captains.

Pakistan triumphant!

After last week's soggy defeat to Pakistan, I expected more of a fight by Australia. So what happened? They suffered a third heaviest drubbing in their entire Test history. Michael Clarke's men were beaten in every single department and the numerical margin of 356 runs tells only half the story.

I don't know how much of this was down to poor performances by the tourists but Pakistan seemed to have been playing with a new-found spirit and confidence they have so often been lacking. All that pent-up frustration was taken out on the number two side in the world in extraordinary fashion. This was epitomised by Misbah-ul-Haq. The skipper, well into his 41st year, has long had a reputation of being a solid, snore-inducing Test batsman, with s atrike rate barely above 40. So how did the spirit of a young Shahid Afridi suddenly occupy his body on the fourth day?

True, he was looking to rack up quick runs to set an impossible final innings target but he went on to equal the world record for a Test century, reaching three figures in 57 balls, including five sixes. Remember this was no makeshift bowling attack but one featuring Johnson, Starc and Siddle. With partner Azhar Ali also making 100 not out, the lead extended to a ludicrous 603! The more amazing statistic is that those two had also each scored hundreds in the first innings, a feat last achieved by a Pakistan batsman - just a week earlier! That was Younis Khan, who proceeded to follow that by striking 213 in the first innings of this match, sharing two stands of more than 180 in the process. Being dismissed second time out for a mere 46 must have seemed a miserable anticlimax were it not for the blazing antics of Misbah immediately afterwards.

But it's not batsmen who win matches on their own. Pakistan still had to take twenty wickets again but their spin attack once more made Nathan Lyon and part-timers Smith, Clarke and Maxwell look woefully inadequate on the Abu Dhabi wicket. In the match Lyon took 1-202 in 55 overs while Zulfiqar Babar finished with 7-214, Yasir Shah 5-91 and Mohammad Hafeez 3-51, while the seamers also chipped in with a few. Pakistan didn't even need their second innings fireworks as their first innings total proved more than enough to outstrip Australia's two efforts.

Chris Rogers was the only complete failure but only David Warner, Mitch Marsh and Steve Smith passed 50 at least once. Brad Haddin's winces were probably the result of his damaged shoulder but they could easily have been the response to seeing a once-formidable outfit taken to the cleaners so emphatically.

In addition to claiming a first series win over Australia for decades, Pakistan leap up to third in the ICC rankings. The Aussies remain one place ahead but a glance further down the table sees India stumbling to six, a whisker ahead of New Zealand. How quickly fortunes can change. Can Clarke and Cricket Australia comfort themselves with the notion of the World Cup being a whole new ball game? Perhaps. But if Pakistan and the mighty Misbah can bring the spirit of UAE with them Down Under next year, Saeed Ajmal or not, they could have a genuine chance of success in the 50-over tournament.

Magician Misbah pulls Victory out of the Hat!

Yesterday I wrote about two very different all-rounders, including the new super-patient Test batsman that is Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews. Today, that caution proved his side's downfall as yet again they chucked away a series they seemed sure to win following their emphatic nine-wicket win at Dubai International.

In Sharjah, Mathews won the toss and batted stolidly for almost two days for only 428-9 declared. It was like the 1970s all over again, with two Pakistan spinners twirling away for more than 50 overs apiece, each with an economy rate of barely two. Ahmed Shehzad's century helped his side post a competitive reply before Sri Lanka battened down the hatches again for an excruciating 101 overs. Declaring on the final afternoon, Angelo must have believed Pakistan wouldn't attempt what would have been for them a near-record fourth innings run chase of 302 in a maximum 59 overs. On a spinners' wicket, too. He was wrong...

The openers set off in ODI mode but at 48-2, there was still a lot to do. Azhar Ali compiled an excellent hundred, albeit containing only six boundaries. The strokes came instead from Sarfraz Ahmed and the redoubtable skipper Misbah-ul-Haq. Seamer Lakmal (Test average now over 53!) and spinner Herath came in for a pasting while Ali held firm at the other end. Sarfraz fell just short of 50 with a slightest of leg-side tickles to the 'keeper but his captain maintained the required strike rate to keep Pakistan on course. The number three was also caught behind going for a big hit just seven short of the target but Misbah proceeded to win the match and square the series with nine balls to spare.

Never before had they achieved a last-day victory with such a strike rate and only in the classic 1994 Karachi climax against Australia did they score more in the fourth innings to snatch glory from the jaws of defeat. Ali received the Man of the Match award but so much credit must go to his leader on the pitch. Misbah's second 60+ of the game broke Sri Lankan hearts and spirits, but despite his 135 and 97 in the previous fixtures, it was his opposite number who took the individual series award. Both held the shared trophy aloft afterwards.

So it was another Test series giving us an exciting finale but, let's face it, the first 4 1/2 days were poor entertainment unless you enjoy endless spin bowling and defensive batting. In the end, Pakistan's stroke players won the day, and Misbah, closing in on his 40th birthday, is playing better than ever. His belated Test career has yielded 30 half-centuries in only 80 innings. Mostly batting at six, he has fourteen not-outs to his name, boosting his average to 48.75. He has also proved an invaluable one-day batsman, despite never having reached three figures in 128 ODI innings. Alastair Cook may be jaded but the old man from Mianwali appears the picture of health and happiness.