India sends Pakistan home

Chasing 261, Pakistan were all out 231 against India in the World Cup semi-final clash that is being billed as the "final ahead of the final" at the PCA Stadium in Mohali on Wednesday. 

Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal were batting according to the merit of the ball, playing the loose one to the boundary and leaving out the good ones. However, on occasions they seemed wary of Munaf Patel, who was bowling a good line keeping the batsmen on a tight leash.

Earlier, Hafeez even survived a run out chance in the sixth over. Luckily the replays showed that the had brought his bat down at the right time.

It wasn't Munaf, but Zaheer Khan, who got the first breakthrough scalping opener Kamran Akmal on 19 with Yuvraj Singh taking his catch in the deep. Pakistan were 44/1 at the stage.

Finally, the hard-working Munaf got the reward for his efforts in the 16th over. He was consistently bowling on the off and Mohammad Hafeez didn't have a choice but play and when he did, an edge of his bat was pouched by skipper MS Dhoni behind the stumps. He fell for 43 and Pakistan went down to 70/2.

Post Hafeez's wicket Pakistan's experienced campaigner Younis Khan and Asad Shafiq got on with a partnership. They had put 33 runs for the third wicket when Yuvraj Singh decided to break their stand. And his straight ball that cramped the batsman for room and the next millisecond the ball had uprooted Shafiq's middle stump. He fell for 30 and Pakistan fell to 103/3.

Yuvraj Singh, who has helped India win four of their league matches, once again struck and this time he did away for Younis Khan to reduce Pakistan to 106/4. Younis Khan scored 13.

Then Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal attempted a revival. Umar even relieved the pressure off Pakistan striking boundaries and over the fence shots off Yuvraj Singh. But, the duo had put 36 runs for the fifth wicket when Harbhajan Singh got the man India wanted. And it was his doosra that zipped past Umar to strike on to his stumps on 29. Pakistan lost him on 142/5 in 33.1 overs.

Then Munaf Patel, who had been bowling well in the match, earned his second wicket of he day by scalping Abdul Razzaq. And it was his slower ball that did the trick as Razzaq ended up losing his off stump on three. Pakistan went down to 150/6 in 36.2 overs.

Then Harbhajan Singh struck back to send Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi home with his turner. He fell for 19 and Pakistan went down to 184/7.

With seven wicket down, India bowlers didn't have much trouble dowing away withe the tail-enders. And they did so in quick time. The only man that came in their way was Misbah-ul-Haq (56) but on the penultimate ball of the match Zaheer scalped him to book a stop in the final.