SPORTS SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 2016 Afridi stifles New Zealand as Pakistan win by 16

WELLINGTON: Pakistan outsmarted New Zealand by stifling their feared barrage to win the opening by 16 runs at Eden Park in Auckland yesterday. One-time bad boy Mohammad Amir may have been the centre of attention in his comeback game, but it was Shahid Afridi’s astute captaincy and the miserly by Imad Wasim that made the differ- ence. With no warm up game to acclimatize, Pakistan were rather run shy at the top and tail of their innings but still managed 171-8. But apart from a quickfire 46 off 27 by , and a stubborn 70 by Kane Williamson, New Zealand had no answer to the Pakistan attack and were all out on the last ball of their innings for 155. When Munro was at the crease New Zealand raced to 89-1 in 10 overs, a slightly better run rate than Pakistan managed at the same stage. But his dismissal started a dramatic collapse in which five fell for 19 runs. Afridi bowled a two- maiden to finish with two for 26 to go with three catches while Imad Wasim took one for 18 off his four overs with nine of those runs coming in one . Wahab Riaz took two wickets in the final over to finish with three for 34, and Amir marked his return to international crick- et after a five-year ban for spot-fixing with one for 31. New Zealand pin a lot of their scoring hopes on opener Martin Guptill, who bludgeoned the attack in recent weeks, but only faced three balls before he was run out for two. New Zealand had quickly lost patience with the tight Pakistan field settings and accurate bowling and Williamson’s eagerness for a quick single in the second over cost Guptill his wicket. Williamson batted through until the final over but without being able to dictate the pace of the game and his 70 coming off 60 deliveries. Mohammad Hafeez set up the Pakistan : ’s Steven Smith looks to drive during the one-day international cricket match innings with 61 off 47 but the real damage for Pakistan came between India and Australia in Brisbane yesterday. - AFP in a brief cameo by man-of-the-match Afridi in which he belt- ed 23 off eight deliveries. He particularly distorted Matt Henry’s figures, clouting 20 Australia beat India by 7 wickets runs off four balls. Umar Akmal’s 24 off 14 and Imad’s 18 off nine also helped boost Pakistan to a target the ultimately Takes 2-0 series lead proved too much for New Zealand. Adam Milne was the most successful of the New Zealand bowlers with four for 37 while BRISBANE: George Bailey scored 78 ened. firmly to fine leg and paid for a momen- Mitchell Santner took two for 14. The second match in the from 58 balls to steer Australia over Sharma was only the third batsman tary hesitation in taking a single. But three-match series is in Hamilton tomorrow. — AFP India by seven wickets in the second after England’s Graham Hick and his fel- Sharma was unlucky when he was run limited-overs international and a 2-0 low Indian VVS Laxman to score back- out at the non-striker’s end after James lead in the five-match series yesterday. to-back one-day international centuries Faulkner deflected Rahane’s straight In a near repeat of the series opener at against Australia in Australia. He also drive onto the stumps. Australia’s reply , where Australia won by five wick- became the first Indian batsman to was more aggressive in the second ets, India won the toss and batted and score four ODI centuries on Australian match, with (71) and Shaun scored 124 in a total of soil, overtaking Laxman’s three. While in Marsh (71) sharing a 145-run opening 308-8. Perth India looked to be aggressive and stand. Sharma made 171 in Perth, force the scoring early on, Sharma guid- , who scored 149 in where India posted 309-3, and shared a ed a more careful policy on Friday as the Perth, scored at almost a run-a-ball to second-wicket stand of 207 with Virat tourists tried to maintain wickets to post 46 before leaving Bailey, who also Kohli. The pair again provided the impe- allow a late surge in the run chase. But scored a in Perth, to combine tus for India’s innings, putting on 135 for the Indian innings was cut short by with to guide the the second wicket in Brisbane. Ajinkya unfortunate run outs. Australians home. The third match is at Rahane then made 89 as India set Kohli, on 59, was the victim of a good the Cricket Ground tomor- Australia a testing target as rain threat- piece of fielding when he hit the ball row. — AP SCOREBOARD BRISBANE, Australia: Scoreboard yesterday from the second one-day cricket international between Australia and India at Ground: India (3w), Glenn Maxwell 6-0-33-0, James Faulkner 10-0-64-2. Rohit Sharma run out 124 c Wade b Paris 6 Australia run out 59 Aaron Finch c Rahane b Jadeja 71 c Smith b Faulkner 89 c Kohli b 71 MSDhoni c Maxwell b Boland 11 Steve Smith b Yadav 46 c Paris b Faulkner 6 George Bailey not out 76 run out 5 Glenn Maxwell not out 26 c Boland b Hastings 1 Extras (7lb, 11w, 1nb) 19 not out 0 Total: (for 3 wickets ) 309 Extras (7w) 7 Overs: 49 Total (for eight wickets) 308 Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-134, 3-255, 4-276, 5-298, 6-302, 7-306, Fall of wickets: 1-145, 2-166, 3-244. 8-308. Bowling: Barinder Sran 9-1-51-0 (1w,1nb), Ishant Sharma 10- AUCKLAND: Shahid Afridi of Pakistan celebrates the wick- Did not bat: Barinder Sran, Ishant Sharma. 0-60-1 (8w), Umesh Yadav 10-0-74-1 (2w), Ravindra Jadeja 9- et of New Zealand’s Luke Ronchi during the second 20/20 Bowling: Joel Paris 8-0-40-1 (1w), 8-1-61-0 0-50-1, Ravi Ashwin 10-0-60-0, Virat Kohli 1-0-7-0. cricket match between New Zealand and Pakistan at Eden (1w), John Hastings 8-0-46-1 (2w), 10-0-64-1 Result: Australia won by 7 wickets, leads five-match series 2-0. Park. — AFP