Younis Khan hit a century as an under-strength Pakistan beat India by eight wickets on Wednesday to revive their hopes of reaching the Asia Cup final.
Younis hit an unbeaten 123 off 117 balls and stand-in captain Misbah-ul-Haq scored an undefeated 70 off 62 deliveries, enabling Pakistan to reach the 309-run target in 45.3 overs for the loss of two wickets.
Earlier, Pakistan’s second-choice bowlers restricted India to 308-7 from their 50 overs on a flat batting wicket, with fast bowler Rao Iftikhar taking 3-51.
Younis hit 11 fours and a six and, together with Misbah, shared a match-winning 144-run unbeaten third-wicket stand off 123 deliveries.
Playing in his 174th one-day international, Younis also became the ninth Pakistani batsmen to score 5 000 runs when he pulled leg-spinner Piyush Chawla for a boundary and reached 37.
The result left both teams with four points in the Super Four stage, requiring India to beat defending champions Sri Lanka on Thursday to assure themselves of qualifying for the final.
Pakistan, who lost to India by six wickets in the group stage, face Bangladesh in their finale on Friday.
Pakistan played without captain Shoaib Malik, who was diagnosed with dehydration and failed a fitness test before the toss.
Nasir Jamshed replaced Malik at the top of the order and started Pakistan quickly along with Salman Butt, as both left-handers combined for a first-wicket stand of 65 off 49 deliveries.
Jamshed hit paceman Praveen Kumar for three boundaries, while Butt hit three successive fours in Ishant Sharma’s first over.
Butt (36 off 31 balls) was run out while attempting a needless second run. Jamshed (53 off 43 balls) hit nine fours but had to leave the field in he 19th over with leg cramps due to severe humidity, with Pakistan on 121-1.
Chawla bowled Mohammad Yousuf (21) with a delivery that spun back sharply off the bowler’s rough, and Misbah and Younis quashed any remaining hopes for India.
Earlier, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who won the toss and elected to bat, made 76 off 96 balls while Rohit Sharma scored 58 off 71 balls — combining for 112 for the fifth wicket.
Wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed took a running catch to dismiss Dhoni in the 49th over, and Sharma mistimed a pull shot and was caught in the deep.
Left-arm paceman Sohail Tanvir conceded 87 runs off his 10 overs — the highest ever by a Pakistan bowler in a one-day international against India — but took the wicket of Dhoni.
Virender Sehwag scored 49 off 33 balls and Gautam Gambhir made 35 off 32 balls for India before Pakistan’s bowlers claimed three wickets in space of three runs.
Shahid Afridi held on to Gambhir’s fierce drive in the covers off Iftikhar before paceman Abdur Rauf — one of the three Pakistan replacements for the match — took the wickets of Sehwag and Suresh Raina in one over.
Yuvraj Singh (37) hit four boundaries before he edged Iftikhar behind as India slumped to 129-4 in the 19th over.
Newcomer off-spinner Saeed Ajmal (1-47) claimed the wicket of Yusuf Pathan (0) in his last of 10 overs.
Pathan — playing his first match of the tournament after recovering from a side strain — hit an unbeaten 38 off 25 deliveries to take four-time Asia Cup winners India past the 300-run mark. — Sapa-AP