Unusual dismissals and successful run-chases

* Inzamam-ul-Haq became only the third batsman and the second Pakistani to be dismissed obstructing the field in the annals of ODI cricket. Almost eighteen years ago on November 20, 1987, during the second game of the three match series against England at Karachi, Rameez Raja had the double agony of being dismissed on 99 and that too by obstructing the field. On the final ball of the match Pakistan required an impossible 25 runs and Raja was unbeaten on 98. He set off for two runs after pushing the last ball of the day to mid-wicket but while completing his second run he deliberately stopped the ball with his bat, thus preventing wicket-keeper Bruce French, who had rolled the ball in an attempt to break the wicket at the bowler's end, from running him out. Interestingly, Raja completed a hat-trick of unusual dismissals against England in 1987. First he was incorrectly given run out when walking for a catch off a no-ball in a Benson & Hedges Challenge Cup mach at Perth, and then run out without facing a ball at The Oval in a Texaco Trophy game in May, before becoming the first batsman on the planet to be given out obstructing the fielder in ODIs six months later. The second batsman after Rameez was, India’s Mohinder Amarnath who did so against Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad on October 22, 1989. After playing defensively to Sri Lankan pace bowler Kapila Wijegunawardene, Amarnath stepped out of the crease to take a run but seeing the bowler charging down the track, kicked the ball in order to prevent the bowler from running him out. He was given out by Pakistani umpire Khizer Hayat.

* The match aggregate of 639 runs was sixth occasion when 600 runs or more in an ODI on Pakistan soil were registered. Pakistan also registered its sixth 300 (or plus) score while batting second in a one-day international. It was their third such performance against India and the fourth by any side overall. See Table 1, 2, & 3.

* Sachin Tendulkar became he first batsman in ODI cricket to post 14000 runs. He also extended his world his world record number of centuries to 39 after his superb innings at Peshawar. Table 5, 6 & 7 gives statistical analysis of Sachin’s ODI batting career.Click to see the tables