Colombo, March 3: After minnows Ireland created the first big upset of the 2011 ICC World Cup by defeating England, Canada came tantalisingly close to achieving the same against Pakistan in a day/night game here at Colombo. Captain Shahid Afridi helped Pakistan quell the unexpected challenge - he took five wickets in a match that saw Canada fold for 138 after having bowled Pakistan out for 184.
Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first. Their batsmen struggled from the beginning and with the score at 67 for four, it appeared that the side would be dismissed for an ignominious under-150 score. However, a 73-run partnership between Umar Akmal (48) and Misbah-ul-Haq (37) saved them from that embarrassment. But the fall of Akmal’s wicket at 140 began another slide and Pakistan were bowled out for a mere 184 runs in 43 overs. For Canada, medium-pacer Harvir Baidwan took three wickets to lead their bowling attack.
Canada began their run chase with the hope of emulating the Irish effort against England, but that hope was short-lived. The Canadian batsmen looked completely helpless in front of a quality Pakistan bowling attack. Umar Gul and Abdul Razzaq took a wicket each to begin the Canadian downfall while Afridi’s five-wicket haul, his second of the 2011 World Cup, brought an early end to the Canadian innings with the score at 138. Afridi is now the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 14 scalps to his credit. Jimmy Hansra’s knock of 43 runs was the only noteworthy contribution in the Canadian innings.
With three wins out of three, Pakistan remain at the top of Group A while Canada, without a win in any of their three games, are placed only above Kenya in the same group.
Brief scores: Pakistan 184 all out in 43 overs (Umar Akmal 48, Misbah-ul-Haq 37, Harvir Baidwan 3/35) beat Canada 138 all out in 42.5 overs (Jimmy Hansra 43, Shahid Afridi 5/23) by 46 runs
Man-of-the-Match: Shahid Afridi for his five-wicket haul and valuable 20-run knock that helped Pakistan fend off a strong challenge from Canada.
