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DEAR REDIFF

Kiri turns the clock back

A brilliant 82 by former Test 'keeper Syed Kirmani, and his 162-run partnership with Ashok Malhotra for the second wicket, helped India post a formidable 257 for five in the allotted 40 overs in the second veterans' one day match against Pakistan, at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

Kirmani, opening with skipper Mohinder Amarnath after Pakistan skipper Zaheer Abbas won the toss and opted to bowl first, displayed unsuspected pinch-hitting abilities, hitting the ball all over the park despite the early loss of Mohinder (11).

Amarnath was clean bowled by Jallaluddin with the Indian score at 15, but Kirmani found a solid partner in Malhotra and the two carried the total to 177 at over five runs per over to provide a strong base. Their 162 run partnership came off 173 deliveries before Kirmani was stumped by his counterpart, Tasleem Arif, off Navid Anjum. Malhotra was dismissed in the same over, for 69.

Kirmani's 82 off 92 deliveries had eleven fours, while Malhotra had six boundaries in his 69 off 86 balls.

With that kind of platform to build on, Sandeep Patil was in his element. Patil clouted two sixes and six fours, to post 49 off just 29 balls and add 58 off 40 deliveries with Chandrakant Pandit (not out 17 off 18 deliveries) before Zaheer Abbas caught Patil off Tauseef Ahmed when the batsman tried to launch the off spinner out of the ground.

Zaheer Abbas used 8 bowlers to try and restrict India's gallopping run rate, without much success.Navid Anjum was the most successful with 2 for 32 off his allotted eight overs, while Jalalludin, Tauseef and Sayed Zahid Ahmed took one apiece at the cost, respectively, of 22, 45 and 26.

Pakistan, at the time of writing this, had to make 258 runs in 40 overs at an asking rate of 6.42 runs per over.

India, it will be recalled, has already won the first game of the series.