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Pakistan claims decisive third ODI
A maiden unbeaten century from Hamish Marshall was not enough to deny Pakistan a 51-run win in their third ODI.
A maiden unbeaten century from New Zealand rookie Hamish Marshall was not enough to deny Pakistan a 51-run win in their third one-day international Wednesday.
All of Pakistan's top order batsmen had a hand in compiling a massive total of 314 for seven, while the Black Caps played out innings to finish at 263 for seven.
Pakistan won the high-scoring first ODI by three wickets before demolishing New Zealand by 124 runs in the second match. Marshall, a 24-year-old right-handed batsman from Auckland, completed his century in the last over to remain unbeaten on 101 off 109 balls and hit seven fours and two sixes.
Chris Harris, playing his first game of the series, and Marshall were involved in a 101-run partnership off 121 balls but never looked like beating the Pakistan target. Harris made 46 off 62 balls before paceman Mohammad Sami returned and took three wickets.
Sami bowled Harris and Shabbir Ahmed took a well judged catch to end captain Chris Cairns' short innings of nine runs before Brendon McCullum was trapped leg before wicket. Sami, who took a career-best 5-10 in the second game, finished with three for 22.
Marshall, one of the seven new faces in the squad, scored a half century in his debut one-day international at Lahore. Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar, back in the squad after serving a ban of one test and two one-day internationals because of using abusive language in test match against South Africa, joined fellow paceman Mohammad Sami to pin down the Kiwis in their initial overs.
Akhtar removed Craig Cumming (10) in his second over and Richard Jones (23) fell to Abdul Razzaq as New Zealand lost both openers inside first the 15 overs.
Earlier, opening batsmen Imran Farhat (91) and Yasir Hameed (63) raised a solid opening stand of 142 off 185 balls. They were followed by Yousuf Youhana's brisk 64 off 53 balls and Razzaq's impressive 34 off 16 deliveries which included 23 runs in medium fast Michael Mason's 10th over.
New Zealand medium fast bowler Matthew Walker took four wickets - three off four deliveries in the last over of the innings - to finish with four for 49.
New Zealand, which needed to beat Pakistan in this game to keep its hopes alive in the five-match series, never looked to trouble the Pakistan batsmen.
Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq won the toss in his 300th international and elected to bat. Hameed and Farhat kept the scoreboard ticking with more than five runs an over despite a thick layer of fog. Hameed was eventually caught by Craig Cumming at long-on in the 31st over, Hamish Marshall caught Farhat in the 38th over.
Inzamam made 25 before he was bowled by Chris Cairns, while Razzaq and Youhana needed just 18 deliveries to score 53 for the fourth wicket as Pakistan added 113 runs in the last 10 overs.
Inzamam became the seventh international player after countryman Wasim Akram, Australian Steve Waugh, Sri Lanka's Aravinda de Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya and Indian batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin, who all have played over 300 one-day internationals.
Pakistan, leading the series 3-0, will play the last two games of the five-match series at Rawalpindi on coming Friday and Sunday.
