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Friday, January 16, 1998 Published at 12:01 GMT
Sport
Pakistan victory sets up thrilling final
![image: [ India captain Mohammad Azharuddin was the team's top scorer on 66 ]](/olmedia/45000/images/_47934_moham300.jpg)
India captain Mohammad Azharuddin was the team's top scorer on 66
Pakistan beat arch-rivals India by six wickets to square the
three-match Independence Cup finals in Dhaka.
Cheered by a boisterous holiday crowd of 45,000, including Pakistani Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif, Rashid Latif's men hit top form to avenge two successive
defeats by the Indians.
Left-arm spinner Mohammad Hussain, playing his first match in the tournament,
grabbed four for 33 as India were bundled out for 189 after electing to bat.
Left-handed opener Saeed Anwar then cracked 51 off 40 balls to lift Pakistan
to 105 for one by the 14th over, before Inzamam-ul-Haq hit a run-a-ball 40 to
finish the match with 18.3 overs to spare.
Pakistan had further cause for celebration when off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq
crossed the milestone of 150 one-day wickets in only his 78th match by taking
three for 36.
The emphatic victory sets up what should be a rousing decider on Sunday to the
three-nation tournament organised to celebrate the silver jubilee of
Bangladesh's creation as an independent state.
"This is just the right tonic to boost us," said a delighted Latif, who has
been without leading Pakistan pacemen Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in his first tournament in charge.
"We are known to fight back when the chips are down and today was no
different. The boys really put in their best and we're confident of taking the
title on Sunday," he said.
India captain Mohammad Azharuddin, who was his side's leading batsman with 66,
attributed the defeat to a lacklustre batting display.
"Just 189 on the board was clearly not enough," he said. "I was hoping to
wrap up the finals today, but it did not turn out that way. Now we have a tough
task in hand. There will be no more chances after this."
Scorecard
India innings
Extras (lb-3, nb-3, w-5) 11
Total (all out in 49.5 overs) 189
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-82, 3-96, 4-116, 5-124, 6-151, 7-167, 8-182, 9-184, 10-189
Pakistan bowling
Aaqib Javed 10-0-49-2, Azhar Mahmood 7-1-28-1, Saqlain Mushtaq 9.5-0-36-3, Mohammad Hussain 10-1-33-4, Shahid Afridi 10-2-21-0, Manzoor Akhtar 3-0-19-0.
Pakistan innings
Extras (lb-2, nb-2, w-1) 5
Total (for three wickets in 31.3 overs) 193
Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-105, 3-123, 4-189
India bowling
Javagal Srinath 7-1-38-1, Debashis Mohanty 2-0-26-0, Harvinder Singh 5-0-33-1, Sairaj Bahutule 5-0-53-0, Robin Singh 9-3-24-2,
