5 times when Pakistan proved they are masters of collapses in ODIs
The chokers tag in cricket is often associated with the South African team. But this list shows that Pakistan can be serious contenders to the infamous tag. Here is a look at five ODIs where Pakistan could have easily won the match but somehow managed to lose to their opponents.
#5 Versus India, Pakistan Tour of India, January 2013
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Result: India 167 all out (43.4 overs) beat Pakistan 157 all out (48.5 overs) by 10 runs.
The Collapse: 113/3 in 34 overs to 157 all out in 48.5 overs. Lost 7 wickets for 44 runs.
India had already lost the first two matches in the three-match ODI series against Pakistan. They were certainly looking at a white-wash series defeat when their batsmen failed for the third time in the series to put up a challenging total. India, having won the toss and elected to bat first, posted a meagre 167 runs on the board. The top order failed to put runs on the board against the formidable Pakistan’s pace battery of Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan and Umar Gul. Saeed Ajmal put an end to Indian lower order’s resistance and ended up with figures of 5 for 24. India’s chances of posting a consolation win in the series looked bleak as Pakistan’s batting was untroubled riding on Nasir Jamshed’s back-to-back centuries in the first two ODIs.
The then-rookie Indian bowlers Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami bowled economical opening spells restricting Pakistan to 61 for 3 in 21 overs. Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal brought stability to the innings by adding 52 runs for the fourth wicket. Pakistan was comfortably placed at 113/3 in 34 overs with another 55 runs required 16 overs and 7 wickets in hand. The turning point in the game came when R Ashwin dismissed Misbah-ul-Haq caught by Rahane at leg-slip. With some tight overs from Ravindra Jadeja and Ishant Sharma pressure mounted on the Pakistan batsmen who made a mess of the target and ended up losing the match by 10 runs eventually.