New Zealand rolled over by Afridi

Abu Dhabi: Shahid Afridi shone with bat and ball to steer Pakistan to an emphatic 138-run victory against New Zealand in the first One-day International in Abu Dhabi for a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Buzz up!
Afridi smashed 70 off 50 balls and then claimed two wickets.

Electing to bat first, Pakistan recovered from an awful start to pile up 287 for nine in their stipulated fifty overs.

At one stage Pakistan were in trouble at 75/4, But Latif (64) and Afridi added 101 for the fifth wicket and resurrected the Pak innings.

Later, Kamran Akmal chipped in with an unbeaten 67, including four sixes, to lead Pakistan to an imposing total.

In reply, New Zealand lost wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out for 149 in 39.2 overs. The only resistance came from Aaron Redmond (52) and Daniel Vettori (38). New Zealand lost their last five wickets for just 10 runs within five overs.

The second game in the three-match series is also in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

The three-match ODI series was relocated to Abu Dhabi after New Zealand refused to tour Pakistan over security fears.


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Zaheer sparkles on comeback

Zaheer Khan was the cynosure of all eyes at the Sector 16 Cricket Stadium here on Tuesday.

Considering the man was making a comeback after a prolonged shoulder injury, his performance was the highlight of the day. At stumps his figures read 3 for 45, proving that he was not only fit but in fine form.

He along with fellow pacer Ajit Agarkar (4 for 41) helped Mumbai keep Punjab down to 242 for 9 on the first day.

Punjab skipper Ankur Kakkar won the toss and elected to bat on a good batting surface. Asked to bowl on a flat track, the visiting bowlers stuck to the task and kept Punjab batsmen under check right throughout the day.

On a day, which was dominated by the Mumbai bowlers, Ravi Inder Singh's knock of 104 (17x4; 1x6) was the only saving grace for Punjab.

Earlier, the hosts were pegged down when the Zaheer Khan got rid of opener Sunny Sohal with scoreboard reading just 12 runs. Sohal was caught behind by Vinayak Samant for two runs.

The next man, Uday Kaul, along with Ravi Inder Singh put up 68 runs for the second wicket, highest of the innings, before the former was sent packing by Agarkar on 28 runs.

Taruwar Kohli failed to make any impression. He fell victim to Zaheer.

Having tasted success, Zaheer started breathing fire and got rid of Pankaj Dharmani, who scored just 9 runs, and left the home team reeling at 120 for 4 in 41.6 overs. Agarkar bowled with purpose. The seasoned bowler trapped Punjab skipper Ankur Kakkar in front of the wicket. Batting well with the lower order he completed his well-deserved century with a fine boundary on the off side.