Peshawar, Mar 19: Opener Yasir Hameed, playing the first limited-over match at his home ground, struck an attractive 98 as Pakistan beat India by four wickets in the third tie of the five-match series at the Arbab Niaz stadium here today.
Replying to India`s score of 244 for nine wickets, Pakistan scored 247 for six to cruise to their victory target in 47.2 overs and take a 2-1 lead in the Samsung Cup series.
After Inzamam-ul Haq won the toss and invited India to bat first, Pakistan seamer Shabbir Ahmed ripped through the Indian top order before a late fightback spurred by Yuvraj Singh (65) carried India to a moderate total on this small ground.
Pakistan too were put on the back foot by the early dismissals of Shahid Afridi, Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik with the newly-inducted Irfan Pathan striking twice with the new ball.

A 91-run fifth-wicket partnership between man of the match Hameed and Inzamam, however, saw Pakistan to the threshold of safety before Moin Khan and Abdur Razzaq combined to put the issue beyond doubt.
Pathan struck in the second over itself when Afridi, who scored an attacking 58-ball 80 in the Rawalpindi game, played all over and across a full length delivery that scattered his stumps.

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The in-form Youhana had a rare failure when he drove at a delivery angled wide outside the off stump from Pathan only to edge straight to V V S Laxman in the slips for 2 two from 11 balls.
An indisposed Inzamam dropped himself down the order, promoting local lad Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik in the order but both batsmen fell cheaply. Khan was unlucky to be run out off a straight drive from Hameed that flicked bowler l Balaji`s hands before hitting the stumps at the bowler`s end.

Khan was settling in having hit three sparkling boundaries off Pathan, the first a pull shot followed by two drives, one into the cover region and the next to the mid-off fence. His 18 came from just 16 balls. Shoaib Malik too did not last very long. Having faced nine balls, he drove loosely at a Zaheer Khan ball in the Baroda seamer`s very first over and Virender Sehwag at first slip took a good catch low to his left.
Just as Pakistan looked to be cruising to victory, Sachin Tendulkar trapped Inzamam leg before with a googly for 28 from 40 balls with one four and one six and Pathan then came back to remove Hameed.

The 24-year-old right-hander had put the Indian attack to the sword but was deprived off a well-deserved century when he drove Pathan uppishly into Yuvraj Singh`s hands at point. His 98 came from 116 balls and included 14 boundaries. The score at that time read 173 for 6 in 34.5 overs. However, Razzaq and Moin Khan dashed any hopes of a victory that the Indians harboured as they went after the bowling. They thrashed the Indian attack all over the ground and soon the hosts crossed the 200-run mark.

The two were involved in a rollicking 74-run seventh-wicket unbeaten partnership to see Pakistan through with 16 balls to spare.

Bureau Report