Cricket

Woken-up Abdul Razzaq hit a belligerent unbeaten hundred to help Pakistan pull off an incredible win in the second one-day international against South Africa on Sunday.

The dashing 30-year-old all-rounder hit a quickfire 109 off just 72 balls studded with ten towering sixes and seven fours to help Pakistan overhaul a daunting 288-run target with just one wicket and one delivery to spare.

Razzaq’s third one-day hundred — crossing the fifty mark for the first time since making 75 not out against England four years ago — helped Pakistan level the five-match series 1-1 at the Abu Dhabi Stadium.

South Africa won the first match by eight wickets here on Friday. The third match will be played in Dubai on Tuesday.

Razzaq, who came to the crease at 136/5, added 81 for the sixth wicket with Fawad Alam (48) to raise hopes of Pakistan win and even after Alam fell, he did not lose heart despite Pakistan needing 87 in the last ten overs.

He hit Charl Langeveldt for three sixes in 47th over before taking a six and a boundary off the same bowler in the 49th.

Pakistan needed 14 off the last over as Razzaq cut loose, hitting sixes off the second and third balls from Albie Morkel to raise his third hundred in one-day cricket, which came off just 70 balls.

He then cut through the point for boundary to bring Pakistan’s win.

Langeveldt, who completed his 100 wickets in the match, provided his team with early breakthroughs, removing opener Asad Shafiq (one) and Younis Khan for 18.

Pakistan struggled to 70/4 before Alam and skipper Shahid Afridi (49) added 66 for the fifth wicket to lift the stuttering innings. Afridi hit two sixes and three boundaries off 40 balls before passing the buck to Razzaq.

Earlier, the 25-year-old Ingram scored exactly 100 for his second century in three weeks after scoring hundred on debut at home against Zimbabwe just two weeks ago.

The left-hander put on 84 for the second wicket with opener Amla (65) and then another 86 for the third wicket with AB de Villiers (29) as Pakistan bowlers found it hard to put brakes on the South African innings.

Jean-Paul Duminy chipped in with a swift 43-ball 54.

It was Ingram who built the innings, hitting ten boundaries and a six off paceman Razzaq before he was trapped leg-before by fast bowler Wahab Riaz who replaced Umar Gul in the Pakistan squad for the only change. He faced 119 balls.

South Africa had to leave out captain Graeme Smith and all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who were both unfit.

Amla started the run feast with three boundaries in paceman Shoaib Akhtar’s first over of the match, before fellow opener Robin Peterson fell leg-before to Razzaq in the fourth over.

Ingram then took charge and in company of Amla took the score to 108.

Pakistan broke through captain Shahid Afridi who trapped Amla leg-before. The bearded opener hit eight boundaries off 62 balls.

Duminy’s knock contained three fours and a six before he fell in the last over.

When Abdul Razzaq broke his ties with the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) and was recalled to the Pakistan national team this summer, the seasoned all-rounder thought he was back in the fold.

And it seemed that Razzaq had cemented his place in the squad after his significant contribution in Pakistan’s World Twenty20 championship win in England in June.

The 29-year-old player is now left in the cold after a spate of unimpressive outings during the disastrous tour of Sri Lanka.

Razzaq was ignored for the Champions Trophy with the national selectors voting in favour of Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, another former ICL player, for a place in the 15-man touring party for South Africa.

“I’m obviously disappointed at being dropped for the Champions Trophy,” said Razzaq. “I had regained my fitness and was looking forward to play in the tournament. But I’m hopeful of making a comeback soon.”

Razzaq, who has an impressive One-day record with 4,529 runs and 250 wickets from 234 outings, will find it really tough to regain a place in the national team.

His batting has been not been impressive since his return to international cricket and in the presence of pacers like Mohammad Asif and Rana Naved, it would be difficult for Razzaq to get the selectors’ nod only on the basis of his medium-pace bowling.

However, the Lahore-based player is not intimidated.

“I’ve never avoided hard work and am willing to put in the hours in order to get back my place in the Pakistan team,” said Razzaq, who has played 46 Tests for 100 wickets and 1,946 runs.

Razzaq said he has no regrets on quitting the cash-rich ICL, in which he was among the star cricketers.

“It (ICL) is a thing of past. All I’m interested now is to focus on my career with the Pakistan team,” he said.

Razzaq was banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board along with several other compatriots after they switched allegiance to the ICL – an unofficial Twenty20 league run by one of the biggest media groups in India.

Earlier this year, he severed ties with the ICL after which the PCB pardoned and recalled him in the Pakistan team during the World Twenty20 as a replacement for injured all-rounder Yasir Arafat.

Adding to the woes of the Pakistan cricket team, which has already conceded a beyond redemption 3-0 lead against Sri Lanka, pacer Umar Gul and all-rounder Abdul Razzaq were on Wednesday ruled out of the remaining two matches of the One-day series.

Gul is suffering from an ankle injury and Razzaq has a thigh strain.

Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam said that Gul has also been ruled out of the one-off Twenty20 International but hoped Razzaq would recovering in time.

The fourth match of the series will be played on August 7 and the fifth ODI on August 9 while the T20 match will be played on August 12th in Colombo.

The Pakistan team has come in for some scathing criticism after their debacle in the Test and one-day series despite having gone to Sri Lanka with a strong side and with the T20 World Cup victory behind them.

Pakistan Cricket Board has offered central contracts to opener Imran Nazir, senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf and all-rounder Abdul Razzaq who have returned to mainstream after snapping ties with the ‘rebel’ Indian Cricket League.

The PCB has given A category central contracts to Yousuf and Razzaq while Nazir, who has been cleared recently to play for the national team again, got a C category central contract.

Nazir was pardoned by the PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt last week for his misconduct during the final of the National Twenty20 Championship in Lahore and he can now be considered for selection for the One-day series in Sri Lanka.

The board has also awarded a C category contract to new left-arm pacer Mohammad Aamer who has impressed since making his debut in the Twenty20 World Cup in England.

Nazir is expected to join Yousuf and Razzaq for the One-day series and the lone Twenty20 international in Sri Lanka later this month with the board Chairman confirming that a new selection committee would be announced by July 21 and would be responsible for picking all national teams.

The return of former Indian Cricket League players Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq to the national fold has created a problem of plenty for Pakistan, which now faces a selection dilemma on the eve of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.

“With Yousuf and Razzaq back, the tour selectors are not sure what to do because if both Yousuf and Razzaq are selected then the axe will fall on former captain Shoaib Malik,” one source said.

He said there was only one way Malik could retain his place and that was if the tour selection committee decides to persist with wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal as a make-shift opener in the Test series as well or if Malik was chosen to open.

“But (skipper) Younis himself is not very keen to go into the first Test with a make shift opening pair and he wants specialist openers Salman Butt and Khurram Manzoor in the side,” the source said.

He said Yousuf, a veteran of 79 Tests, is certain to make a comeback.

“If Yousuf and Razzaq play then it would be difficult to accommodate Malik while the tour selectors also can’t ignore the continuing good performances of Fawad Alam,” he said.

“There is a consensus to pick Razzaq at number six to have a fifth bowler which would put Malik out of contention because the batting line up would include five specialist batsmen in Butt, Manzoor, Younis, Yousuf and Misbah-ul-Haq.”

The first Test begins in Galle from July 4.

Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to award category A central contracts to senior players Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq, who have made a return to the national team after resigning from the rebel Indian Cricket League.

Sources in the Board said PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt had approved the contracts for the two players, who leave with the national team for the Test tour of Sri Lanka on Saturday.

“Both of them have been included in the A category while no final decision has been taken on the two other players who have resigned from the ICL, Imran Nazir and Rana Naved,” one source said.

Razzaq has already represented Pakistan in the Twenty20 World Cup in England where he was sent as a replacement for the injured Yasir Arafat.

Senior batsman Yousuf returns to the team for the Sri Lanka Test series after joining the ICL late last year and subsequently being banned by the Board.

Players in the A category of the central contracts are paid a monthly retainer of 250,000 rupees besides their match and tour fees.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has welcomed the return of Yousuf and Razzaq to the national team and said they would strengthen the team on its tour of Sri Lanka.

Once bitten twice shy seems to be the case for Pakistan all rounder Abdul Razzaq, as he has turned down a series of county offers after making a come back in the national squad.

Razzaq returned to the international fray for Pakistan in the ICC Twenty20 World Championship after two years of suspension, after he and several other players terminated their respective contracts from the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL).

Razzaq was reportedly approached by three different counties for play for them this summer, but he refused all the offers keeping an eye on the Pakistan team’s forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka .

According to sources, Razzaq approached the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to enquire whether he would be considered for the Sri Lanka tour if he had a brief county stint just ahead of the island nation’s visit.

The PCB reportedly asked him to prepare for the Lanka tour, where Pakistan is scheduled to play three Tests, five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 International in July-August.