India win thriller

First one-day international, Karachi: India 349-7 (50 overs) beat Pakistan 344-8 (50 overs) beat by five runs

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India kept their nerve in the final over to pull off a record-breaking one-day win over Pakistan in Karachi.

They scraped home by five runs after a batting feast which saw Inzamam-ul-Haq make 122 for Pakistan after India had piled up 349-7 in their 50 overs.

The home side needed nine off the last over but Ashish Nehra kept them to three singles and dismissed Moin Khan as they finished on 344-8.

The match aggregate of 693 runs was a one-day international record.

Virender Sehwag set the tone for India's innings with a six and 14 fours in his 79 off 57 balls and Rahul Dravid made a more orthodox 99, only to be denied a century by Shoaib Akhtar.

But the fact that the Pakistan A team had chased down a target of 336 to beat India on Thursday offered a glimmer of hope for the home side.

The loss of two early wickets did not dent their confidence and a stand of 135 between Inzamam and Yousuf Youhana lifted the spirits of the home fans.

The second half of the Pakistan innings was played out against a wall of noise as India's first full tour since 1989 was given the sort of start the organisers could only have conjured up in their wildest dreams.

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Youhana hit fours sixes in his 67-ball innings before attempting one lofted drive too many and substitute fielder Irfan Pathan took the catch on the boundary edge.

Inzamam, sprinting like a man possessed in stark contrast to the lazy runner who has so often brought about the downfall of team-mates, progressed to his ninth one-day hundred with some superb placements.

He collected two sixes and 12 fours before feathering a catch to wicket-keeper Rahul Dravid off Murali Kartik with the score on 278.

Younis Khan (46) and Abdul Razzaq (27) maintained the momentum and Pakistan looked slight favourites at the start of the 49th over.

But Shoaib Malik succumbed to a rush of blood as Mohammad Kaif took a brilliant catch, hanging onto the ball despite a near collision with team-mate Hemang Badani.

It all came down to Pakistan needing a six off the final ball to win, and Moin Khan could only slice of extra cover as the Indian team breathed a collective sigh of relief.

INDIA'S HIGHST ODI SCORES 376-2 v New Zealand Hyderabad 1999 373-6 v Sri Lanka Taunton 1999 353-5 v New Zealand Hyderabad 2003 351-3 v Kenya Paarl 2001 349-7 v Pakistan Karachi 2004

The match began with disappoinment for travelling supporters as Sachin Tendulkar fell to Shoaib for 28, having been caught off a no-ball from the paceman in the third over.

Sehwag more than made up for his mentor's departure with a series of audacious strokes, aided by some undisciplined Pakistan bowling.

They gave away 20 no-balls and 10 wides during India's innings and Razzaq (0-83) and Mohammad Sami (1-72) came in for the heaviest punishment.

Sehwag was finally out-foxed by medium-pacer Naved-ul-Hasan, who bowled him with a slow yorker, leaving Dravid to take on the leaing role in his more orthodox, but equally effective style.

His innings was a model of economy and efficiency and he was all set for a deserved hundred when he dragged a ball from Shoaib into his stumps, prompting a spontaneous swipe of frustration with his bat.

India, however, had just enough runs in the bank, a total they have exceeded on only four occasions.

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Pakistan: Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Yousuf Youhana, Inzamam-ul-Haq (captain), Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik, Moin Khan, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan.

India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Murli Kartik, Hemang Badani, Zaheer Khan, Laxmipathy Balaji, Ashish Nehra.