Pathan powers India to win

New Zealand fail to defend big score, fall 4-0 down in series

Last updated: 7th December 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Pathan powers India to win

Pathan: led India home with 122 not out

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Yusuf Pathan's maiden ODI century gave India their fourth straight win over New Zealand in a high-scoring affair in Bangalore.

Pathan finished on 122 not out as India chased down a target of 316 with seven balls to spare for a five-wicket triumph.

He shared an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 133 with Saurabh Tiwary (37no), who clinched the victory in style with a six off Nathan McCullum.

India lead the five-match series 4-0 and have the chance to complete a whitewash in Chennai on Friday.

Trouble

Pathan had walked out to the middle with India in trouble on 108-4 in the 20th over, left-arm paceman Andy McKay and off-spinner McCullum having taken two wickets each for the tourists.

McKay (2-63) accounted for Gautam Gambhir (27) and Virat Kohli (0) and McCullum (2-38) chipped in with the scalps of Yuvraj Singh (20) and Parthiv Patel, who made 53 on his first one-day appearance for six years.

Pathan and Rohit Sharma revived the home side's hopes with an 81-run alliance for the fifth wicket before Sharma fell to Tim Southee (1-64) for 44.

Shortly after Sharma's exit rain arrived at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium with India on 203-5, still needing 113 runs from 14 overs.

The rain soon relented though and when the players made their way back to the middle, Pathan appeared to be a man on a mission.

He went to his 50 at exactly a run-a-ball but then needed only a further 29 deliveries to reach three figures for the first time in the 50-over format.

With the required-rate now firmly under control, India eased across the winning line in the penultimate over.

Pathan's 122 came from just 96 balls and included seven fours and seven sixes, while Tiwary, who had played a sensible supporting role, finished on 37 not out.

Earlier, James Franklin hammered 12 fours and three sixes as New Zealand put a formidable score on the board after being asked to bat.

Opening batsman Martin Guptill got the innings off to a flying start with a quickfire 30 and there were further solid contributions from Brendon McCullum (42), Ross Taylor (44) and Scott Styris (46) among the top five.

Fireworks

Styris' dismissal, caught on the square-leg boundary attempting to hit Pathan's off-spin out of the ground, brought Franklin to the crease with the score on 170-4 in the 30th over.

The left-hander went to his half-century from 51 deliveries and then upped the tempo in the closing overs.

A total of 63 runs were plundered from the last five overs, including 22 off the final six balls bowled by the unfortunate Ashish Nehra (2-70).

Franklin needed three off the final ball of the innings to complete a maiden ODI hundred but - having hit the previous four deliveries for six, six, four, four - could muster only a single to leave himself stranded on 98.

Pathan, with figures of 3-49, was also India's leading performer with the ball.

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