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New Zealand won by 4 wickets  
38.6 Abdul Razzaq to Oram, OUT: oh dear oh dear oh dear, more drama, it
seems like this is a game of who wants to win this the least! Oram
gets far too ambitious and tries to pull a shortish ball from well
outside off stump across the line, drags it straight to Younis at

New Zealand 170/5, Partnership of 18
JDP Oram c Younis Khan b Abdul Razzaq 12 (17b 3x4 0x6)


End of over 39 (12 runs) New Zealand 170/5 (RR: 4.36 RRR: 29/11 = 2.64)

Abdul Razzaq 3-0-20-1 (2w 1nb) - Press Box End
CL Cairns 2* (12b)

midwicket and the crowd go crazy again, it's all action in the last
half hour
Chris Harris strides to the crease with a tricky 29 required, 5
wickets in hand, the game is still New Zealand's to lose, but
going by the strokeplay employed in recent times, that's not
entirely out of the question!
39.1 Danish Kaneria to Cairns, one run, flighted up outside off stump,
leans well forward, driving it straight down to long on
39.2 Danish Kaneria to Harris, no run, leans well forward to a flighted
ball turning back in to the front pad, drops away in close on the
leg side
39.3 Danish Kaneria to Harris, no run, similar again, a little fuller on

off stump, leans well forward, defending it away to shortish
midwicket
39.4 Danish Kaneria to Harris, one run, attempted googly, turning in
from outside leg stump but Harris covers it well, tucking it down
in close square on the leg side, into a gap for a single, 27
needed
39.5 Danish Kaneria to Cairns, two runs, oooh, Cairns a bit lucky,
pushing forward softly at a lovely flightly delivery turning away,
gets an outside edge down into the ground, wide of first slip,
runs away fine, overhauled just inside the boundary at third man,
25 needed
39.6 Danish Kaneria to Cairns, FOUR, fine shot! Youhana brings in a
second slip as a result of the previous ball, but Cairns toys with
them this time as it's flighted up on off stump and he laps it
ever so fine down the leg side, races away to the rope


End of over 40 (8 runs) New Zealand 178/5 (RR: 4.45 RRR: 21/10 = 2.10)

Danish Kaneria 9-2-34-0 (1w) - Scoreboard End
CZ Harris 1* (3b) CL Cairns 9* (15b 1x4)

it's been all action in Dambulla, runs, wickets, extras, you name

it, it's happening, New Zealand turning around the final bend,
heading for the home straight now, 21 runs required

Sami returns, replacing Razzaq at the Press Box End ... is he the
last great hope for an upset of the running favourite?
40.1 Mohammad Sami to Harris, legbye: one run, shortish ball on leg
stump, rebounds away off the hip as he tried to tuck it away,
drops away towards square leg, tight quick single as the throw is

fired just wide at the keeper's end
40.2 Mohammad Sami to Cairns, no run, full outside off stump, very

strongly defends from the crease, playing with the full face, up
to mid off
40.3 Mohammad Sami to Cairns, one run, ooooh! short and wide outside off
stump, Cairns slashes at it, getting a big thick edge high over
the slips, almost flies all the way down to third man on the full
as he gets under it, bounces just short and wide of the fielder
down there, 19 needed
40.4 Mohammad Sami to Harris, no run, oh boy oh boy oh boy! Harris
survives by the skin of his teeth, that's two of his nine lives
used up! good length, straight ball goes straight on into the
pads, huge shout for lbw but umpire de Silva says not out, just
pitching *fractionally* outside
leg, in the meantime Harris hovers in a confused state out of his
ground as there's a shy at the stumps from gully, just misses and
the replay shows he would've been a couple of inches short had it
hit!
40.5 Mohammad Sami to Harris, one run, dear oh dear, this game just gets
crazier and crazier! this time Harris drives a straight, full ball
back down the pitch to the bowler who fields it very well low down
on his follow through, Sami decides to throw down the stumps as
Harris gets back
safely, it ricochets away towards point and they steal a tight
single, with a shy just missing dislodging the remaining bail on

at the keeper's end, and that would've been darn tight too!
40.6 Mohammad Sami to Cairns, no run, oooooooooh man! Sami almost does
it again, fullish ball just outside off stump, Cairns pushes at it
away from his body from the crease, chopping an inside edge into
his pads, just away from the stumps


End of over 41 (3 runs) New Zealand 181/5 (RR: 4.41 RRR: 18/9 = 2.00)

Mohammad Sami 9-0-34-3 (9w 4nb) - Press Box End
CZ Harris 2* (6b) CL Cairns 10* (18b 1x4)

41.1 Danish Kaneria to Harris, no run, flighted up full and straight,
turning into the pad, balloons up in close on the leg side, the
keeper takes it and appeals very hopefully for a catch, umpire
Harper tells them not to be so frivolous
41.2 Danish Kaneria to Harris, no run, flighted up just outside off

stump, leans well forward, defending with the front pad leading,
played in close on the off side
41.3 Danish Kaneria to Harris, wide: no run, shorter ball turning down
the leg side, tries to work it fine but misses, extra number 41
41.3 Danish Kaneria to Harris, no run, flat ball sliding on just outside

off stump, defends from the crease, played back to the bowler
41.4 Danish Kaneria to Harris, no run, nicely flighted just outside off
stump, turning back in, again plays from back in the crease,
tapping it down towards cover point
41.5 Danish Kaneria to Harris, no run, flatter ball, much straighter,
tucked off the legs to short midwicket
41.6 Danish Kaneria to Harris, no run, flighted up full just outside off
stump, lunges well forward, turns into the front pad and rebounds
away into the covers


End of over 42 (1 run) New Zealand 182/5 (RR: 4.33 RRR: 17/8 = 2.12)

Danish Kaneria 10-2-35-0 (2w) - Scoreboard End
CL Cairns 10* (18b 1x4) CZ Harris 2* (12b)

Kaneria finishes his 10 over allotment, a pretty good spell it was
too, a beguiling mix of deliveries that had more than one or two
batsmen in a bit of a spin
Sami to bowl his last over now, pretty much Pakistan's final hope
with just 17 needed
42.1 Mohammad Sami to Cairns, FOUR, glorious shot! shortish ball outside
off stump, stands tall and plays a classic punching off drive off
the back foot, well wide of mid off and races away from the
chasing fielder, 13 needed
42.2 Mohammad Sami to Cairns, no run, much fuller outside off stump,
Cairns middles this one superbly too, powerfully driven into the
turf, played straight to short cover on the bounce
42.3 Mohammad Sami to Cairns, no run, beaten! a cracker of a sharp
shortish rising ball outside off stump, gets some late away
movement, Cairns fences at it well away from his body, drawn to it
like moth to flame, through to the keeper
42.4 Mohammad Sami to Cairns, FOUR, wonderful stuff from Cairns, a
simialr shot to that on the first ball, stand tall and plays a
great back foot cover drive, perfectly timed
just 9 required now, New Zealand very much charging down the home
straight at last
42.5 Mohammad Sami to Cairns, no run, shortish ball on off stump, stands
tall on the crease, steered away to point in defence

42.6 Mohammad Sami to Cairns, no run, and a fine delivery to end his
spell, digging in a short one just outside off stump, moves away a
little late, Cairns wisely drops the hands and sways back out of
the line to let it pass through to the keeper


End of over 43 (8 runs) New Zealand 190/5 (RR: 4.42 RRR: 9/7 = 1.29)

Mohammad Sami 10-0-42-3 (9w 4nb) - Press Box End
CZ Harris 2* (12b) CL Cairns 18* (24b 3x4)

Sami finishes his 10 overs of blood, sweat and toil, keeping
Pakistan on the fringes of hope in this match, but his effort
alone won't be enough it would seem

Shabbir returns, replacing Kaneria at the Scoreboard End
43.1 Shabbir Ahmed to Harris, wide: two runs, extras number 42, 43 and
44, the story of Pakistan's day, short and wide and well down the
leg side, fine leg around in the deep to field inside the
boundary, New Zealand needing just 6 to win now
43.1 Shabbir Ahmed to Harris, no run, shortish, straight ball, tucked
down towards midwicket in defence
43.2 Shabbir Ahmed to Harris, one run, good length ball angling on off
stump, worked away towards vacant square leg for a brisk single, 5
needed now
43.3 Shabbir Ahmed to Cairns, no run, fullish ball outside off stump,
watchfully forward into line in defence, stroked straight up to
mid on
43.4 Shabbir Ahmed to Cairns, no run, shortish ball just outside off
stump, nudges it away towards point, Cairns wants the single but

Harris says no, sending his partner back before it's too late, a

shy at the keeper's end from side on misses anyway

43.5 Shabbir Ahmed to Cairns, no run, similar again, watchfully defends
a shortish ball from just outside off stump, down into the point
region
43.6 Shabbir Ahmed to Cairns, OUT: hoh boy! this game refuses to die!

Cairns goes for the big shot, perhaps trying to end the game in
one blow, but fails miserably as he attempts to hook a bouncer
from outside off stump, top edging it straight down Razzaq's
throat at fine leg

New Zealand 194/6, Partnership of 24
CL Cairns c Abdul Razzaq b Shabbir Ahmed 18 (28b 3x4 0x6)


End of over 44 (4 runs) New Zealand 194/6 (RR: 4.41 RRR: 5/6 = 0.83)

Shabbir Ahmed 8-0-31-1 (3w 1nb) - Scoreboard End
CZ Harris 3* (14b)

New Zealand still need 5 to win, and now just 4 wickets in hand,
they've certainly made this a lot harder than it needed to be,
Cairns walks off the field in a rather nondescript mood

Brendon McCullum the new batsman, at the non-striker's end

Hafeez returns, replacing Sami at the Press Box End
44.1 Mohammad Hafeez to Harris, one run, flat ball turning on off stump,
worked away into a gap at midwicket for an easy single, just a
boundary required for victory now
44.2 Mohammad Hafeez to McCullum, no run, very nicely flighted up just

outside off stump and drifting in, watchfully defends back down
the pitch to the bowler
44.3 Mohammad Hafeez to McCullum, no run, walks down the track to a
flatter ball, tucks it off the hip to square leg as it's not in
the slot to hit
44.4 Mohammad Hafeez to McCullum, no run, nicely flighted up outside off

stump, watchfully defends into the covers
44.5 Mohammad Hafeez to McCullum, no run, flatter ball turning in from
outside off stump, whips it away towards wide midwicket, unable to
pierce the tight infield
44.6 Mohammad Hafeez to McCullum, no run, similar again, this time
pushing it back on the leg side of the pitch, Hafeez darts across

to field himself, underarms it at the stumps at his end as Harris
steps back into his crease, almost conceding an overthrow before
the batsmen think better of


End of over 45 (1 run) New Zealand 195/6 (RR: 4.33 RRR: 4/5 = 0.80)

Mohammad Hafeez 7-1-24-0 (2w) - Press Box End
CZ Harris 4* (15b) BB McCullum 0* (5b)

attempting a tight run, and still this game refuses to die! still 4
needed off 5 overs
45.1 Shabbir Ahmed to Harris, one run, shortish ball outside off stump,
nudged away forward of point for an easy single, 3 needed
45.2 Shabbir Ahmed to McCullum, FOUR, and there it is! New Zealand
finish it off, and the youngster McCullum does it in fitting
fashion, dispatching a full toss off his legs, away to the
midwicket boundary
New Zealand run out victors of the Bank Alfalah Cup by four
wickets, just their second One-Day International tournament
victory in their history!
it comes just over two and a half years after their one and only
previous victory, at the ICC KnockOut in Kenya in October 2000 -
that coming 27 years after playing their first One-Day
International!
please join us shortly for a full summary of the match, including
the presentation ceremony for the trophy winners, runners-up and
various man of the match and series type awards
until then, we hope you enjoyed Wisden CricInfo's coverage of
today's match, any comments you have about it can be sent to
comms@cricinfo.com - all feedback is greatly appreciated
their team may have lost but the Pakistani-dominated crowd continue
to cheer boisterously nonetheless, adding a great atmosphere,

particularly towards the end of the game in a bit of a tense
finish
the player walk from the field, with Harris and McCullum clutching
souvenir stumps, all the New Zealanders walk out from the dressing
room to shake hands with the Pakistan side
the relatively inexperienced Pakistanis certainly didn't disgrace
themselves today, battling gallantly to the death in a losing
cause, with no-one exemplifying that spirit moreso than Mohammad
Sami
time for the presentations now ...
emcee and current Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Rameez
Raja introduces a raft of officials, sponsors and dignitaries
Younis Khan has won a brand new TVS motorbike for hitting the most
fours in the match, with seven
Stephen Fleming is named batsman of the match and also Man of the
Match
next comes two rather confusing awards ... Man of the Series and
Most Valuable Player - the difference between the two of them is
not easy to decipher!
Shoaib Malik is named Man of the Series, and receives a trophy for
his efforts, while Daniel Vettori is named Most Valuable Player
and wins a brand new Mitsubishi Lancer car!
Pakistan captain Rashid Latif says a few words, congratulating the
New Zealanders on their victory, and conceding that giving away 44
extras was just far too many to be seriously competitive
he also praises the younger members of his own side, but has also
spotted areas of the game where they can improve, and suggests
Yasir is a bright star to look for in the future, and also
mentions Sami, Kaneria and Shoaib Akhtar in a positive light
Fleming steps up to say a few things too, including an obligatory
'full credit' to the opposition and also their coach Javed
Miandad, and is looking forward to seeing them down in New Zealand
later in the year for a full Test and ODI series

that wraps up the presentation ceremony, and indeed the Bank

Alfalah Cup, coming to an end after 7 torrid matches in trying
conditions at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, though
the best was saved for last
we hope you enjoyed Wisden CricInfo's coverage of the tournament,
and please join us for continued coverage of every international
match as it happens, ball-by-ball, including the current England v
Zimbabwe Test match at Lord's
but otherwise it's goodbye from Dambulla, any comments about our
coverage can be sent to comms@cricinfo.com - all feedback is
greatly appreciated