Pakistan comprehensively beat India by a resounding 159 runs in the sixth and final one-dayer blighted by crowd trouble at the Ferozeshah Kotla Ground in New Delhi on Sunday to pocket the series by four matches to two. In what turned out to be, a superlative all-round display by Pakistan, who rattled up a debilitating 303 for eight wickets in their quota of overs after skipper Inzamamul Haq decided to bat on a strip that was bound to get slower and slower as the day progressed. In turn, India were blitzed out for a lowly 144 in only 37 overs.
Shoaib Malik top-scored with 72, to slam his third half-century of the series, and Inzamam piled up a run-a-ball 68 as Pakistan set India a daunting chase.
Inzamam shared in a 91-run fifth wicket partnership with his vice captain Younis Khan (40) off just 78 balls. Youhana (50) and Malik steadied the innings with an 85-run stand for the third wicket.
Afridi, who blasted the second-fastest century off 45 balls in the last match at Kanpur on Friday, was again in a destructive mood as he struck one six and six fours in an entertaining cameo 23-ball 44.
Missiles and water bottles were hurled on to the pitch as India slid to defeat after being reduced to 94 for six. Play resumed after 15 minutes with riot police moving into the stands where the trouble had erupted. But India had all but succumbed to defeat before the throwing incident.
Pakistan, who had lost the first two matches, completed the flurry with their fourth win in row.
By any stretch of imagination, it was a disappointing end to John Wright's five-year stint as India coach as his players were paled into insignificance to provide him with a fitting last hurrah.
Malik, who scored 75 and 65 in the third and fourth game, once again bristled with fine form as he hit eight fours in his 14th half-century before being bowled by Agarkar.
Pakistan scored 91 in the last 10 overs, largely thanks to Inzamam who eventually fell to a poor decision in the final over when Indian umpire Arani wrongly ruled he was caught behind when the ball missed his bat completely.
India sustained two early blows when they began their reply. Sehwag who was caught off a no ball and survived an lbw shout before scoring was out when he slashed paceman Naved Rana to slip. Tendulkar was then bowled by paceman Rao Iftikhar, his fourth single digit score in the series.
Dravid, dropped second ball by Iftikhar on his follow through, was run out to a direct hit by Youhana attempting a single before the innings went into a slump.
In-form stand-in captain Rahul Dravid was run out for 19 to leave his team at the pit's edge at 64 for three after a brilliant pick up and throw from Yousuf Youhana at mid-on.
India's running between the wickets continued to let them down when Yuvraj Singh became the second victim after a mix-up with Mahendra Dhoni. Youhana was once again instrumental in sending him back with another direct-hit.
By all accounts it was just reward for Youhand, who was given run out by third umpire K. Hariharan of India when TV replays clearly shoewed he had more than made his ground.
Inzamamul Haq and his young warriors, written off by all and sundry at the start of the tour managed to have the last laugh as they succeeded in silencing all their critics loud, plain and clear.
India's batting problems began early when they lost hard-hitting openers Virender Sehwag for 21 and Sachin Tendulkar for nine.
Sehwag was caught by Afridi in the slips off medium-pacer Rana Navedul Hasan, while Tendulkar was bowled by Iftikhar Anjum off an inside-edge.
India suffered a big blow when in-form stand-in captain Rahul Dravid was run out for 19 to leave his team at the pit's edge at 64 for three after a brilliant pick up and throw from Yousuf Youhana at mid-on.
India's running between the wickets continued to let them down when Yuvraj Singh became the second victim after a mix-up with Mahendra Dhoni. Youhana was once again instrumental in sending him back with another direct-hit. By all accounts it was just reward for Youhand, who was given run out by third umpire K. Hariharan of India when TV replays clearly shoewed he had more than made his ground.
FIFTH TUSSLE: Shahid Afridi blasted the second fastest century in limited-overs internationals to thunder Pakistan to an outstanding five-wicket victory over India at Kanpur on Friday to thereby provide his country with an unassailable 3-2 lead I the best of six series.
The 25-year-old dashing opener batsman slammed 10 boundaries and nine towering sixes in a magnificent 102 off 46 deliveries as Pakistan posted 252 for five in only 42.1 overs to overhaul India's 249 six in their quota of overs.
Afridi, who holds the world record in the shorter version of the game by smashing a hundred in 37 balls, notched up a 20-ball half century, the seventh fastest in one-day internationals, put on 131 for the first wicket with Salman Butt, (21).
The Peshawar-born Afridi who was later adjudged the man-of-the-match drove off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for a straight four to post his fourth century before defending the next ball only to play it on to his stumps. But by then he had laid the foundation for Pakistan's win, as they needed just 119 more runs from a more than confortable 35.4 overs.
When Afridi hoisted his sixth six he had completed a record 200 sixes in one-dayers.
Afridi began his assault by piling into Laxshimipathy Balaji for two consecutive sixes as 23 runs came from the innings third over.
Anil Kumble replaced Balaji but the leg-spinner suffered the same fate. Afridi hit Kumble's first two deliveries for sixes, the follower that with a massive six over long on to post another 23 runs in the spinners opening over.
Left-arm Seamer Zaheer Khan was next to be treated with utler disdain Afridi heaved him for two sixes.
Even though, Afridi and Butt fell in successive overs, the latter trapped plumb in front of the wicket by Kumble, it was insignificant as it had come pretty late for India.
Afridi century, equalled West Indian Brian Lara's 45-ball ton against Bangladesh at Dhaka in 1999.
At the outset, Rahul Dravid captain India in the absence of Sourav Ganguly, struck a painstaking (36) and shared a 135 run stand with Mohammad Kaif (78) after Rana Navedul Hasan had picked up the prized scalps of Sachin Tendulkar (one) Virender Sehwag (five) and Mahendra Dhoni (11) Dravid and Kaif surprised their previous highest fifth wicket partnership against Pakistan at Karachi last year. Kaif struck his 11th one-day fifty before falling in the 43rd over while Dravid was run out in the penultimate ball of the inning.
The victory for Pakistan was the third on the trot after suffering defeat in the series first two matches.
FOURTH ENCOUNTER: In a contest of fluctuating fortunes at Ahmedabad on Tuesday (Apr-12) the game went all the way down to the wire before skipper Inzamamul Haq slammed the final delivery for a four to ensure a Pakistani victory and seal the series at two matches apiece.
The cover drive off Sachin Tendulkar before 48,000 shell-shocked Indians at the Moteral Stadium handed Pakistan a three-wicket win.
Tendulkar wound up on the losing side despite hitting up 123 to take his one-day tally of world record centuries to 38.
Pakistan's brilliant effort to get pass India imposing 315 for six was the fourth highest successful chase in one-day internationals history and secured back to back victories for the visitors.
Inzamam provided the fitting climax after Shahid Afridi cracked 40 off 23 balls Salman Butt (48) and Shoaib Malik (65) flayed the Indian attack despite the daunting target.
Shoaib Malik added 81 for the third wicket with Abdul Razzak (44) and 70 for the fourth with Inzamam to hike Pakistan to 253 for three in the 39 over.
India hit back with a bag of four quick wickets to reduce Pakistan to 295 for seven and set up a nerve wracking finale.
Pakistan need three runs in the last over to win, were restricted to just two runs in five balls before Inzamam beat the in-field to signal victory with a 59 ball 60.
Earlier, Tendulkar hit 12 boundaries and six in a 127-ball stay at the wicket and Yuvraj Singh was not out with 35 off 26 balls that contained five fours. Tendulkar added 129 off 135 balls with Mahendra Dhoni (47) for the second wicket after putting for the first wicket with Virendar Sehwag (29).
Dhoni got his 47 off 65 balls, studded with four fours and a six.
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