Opener Salman Butt hit a punishing century and Shoaib Malik a quickfire 90 to help Pakistan score a dramatic seven-run win under special bad-light rules against India in Peshawar on Monday.
Pakistan, chasing 329 to win, were 311-7 in 47 overs before the light stopped play with the home team ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis scoring system, which establishes a result when a one-day match is not completed.
Butt and Malik had put Pakistan on track for a comfortable win before the home team lost five wickets for 67 runs in a sensational collapse that also included captain Inzamam-ul Haq’s rare dismissal for obstructing the field.
Inzamam tried to keep a throw away from hitting the stumps with the bat after making 16. Australian umpire Simon Taufel adjudged Inzamam out as the Pakistan captain was also out of his crease.
Younis Khan (18) and Naved-ul Hasan (11) were at the crease when umpires stopped play due to bad light and declared Pakistan winners to the huge applause of a packed 15 000-strong crowd.
Pakistan, who won the preceding Test series 1-0, were given a solid 50-run start by Butt and Kamran Akmal (25) before Sri Sreesanth provided India the breakthrough.
Butt and Malik ran rampant during their 151-run second-wicket stand, which came off 142 balls and nearly battered the Indian bowlers into submission.
Butt completed his third one-day century with a single, but gave a simple catch to Indian skipper Rahul Dravid off left-armer Murali Kartik in the next over.
Malik, who missed Pakistan’s 341-run win in the third Test due to his father’s death, hit Ajit Agarkar for three consecutive boundaries and three sixes off Kartik before he was caught off a miscued pull of Zaheer.
Malik’s 67-ball knock had nine fours and three sixes.
Pakistan lost crowd favourite Shahid Afridi (17) and Mohammad Yousuf (17) quickly before Inzamam’s dismissal nearly turned the match on its head.
Earlier, Tendulkar smashed 10 boundaries and a six in his 113-ball knock and added 94 for the second wicket with Pathan (65), 126 for the third wicket with Mahendra Dhoni (68) and 60 for the fourth with Yuvraj Singh (39).
India, sent into bat by Pakistan, lost Virender Sehwag in the second over before Tendulkar and Pathan revived the innings.
Pathan miscued a hook off Naved-ul Hasan and was caught by substitute Imran Farhat before Tendulkar paced up the innings alongside Dhoni.
Dhoni hit 11 boundaries and a six during his rapid 53-ball knock before he miscued a drive off Asif and was smartly caught at point by a diving Malik.
Tendulkar, who was bowled by a Naved no-ball on 20, also completed 14 000 one-day runs when his score reached 91. It was Tendulkar’s 359th one-day match.
He completed his hundred with a single off Arshad before being trapped leg before wicket the next ball, and his fall triggered a collapse in which the tourists lost their last six wickets in the space of just 23 runs to be bowled out in 49,4 overs.
Naved bagged 4-62 while Asif took 3-30.
The remaining matches will be played at Rawalpindi (February 11), Lahore (February 13), Multan (February 16) and Karachi (February 19). — Sapa-AFP