Causing an upset: President’s XI chase down 313 to win by six wickets

Misbah scores century but is overshadowed by tons from Nicholls, Seifert.

Superb centuries from Henry Nicholls and Tim Seifert helped New Zealand Board President’s XI chase down a steep target of 314 against a virtually full strength Pakistanis side.

Nicholls and Michael Pollard got the hosts off to a good start as they made 93 in 18.4 overs before Pollard was dismissed by Ehsan Adil. 20-year-old Seifert then came onto the crease and took to the Pakistan bowling at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln right from the start.

The two looked to be taking the game away from Pakistan before Nicholls was run out on 104 off 113 balls to make it 178-2. The hosts still needed 136 off 96 balls but Seifert continued the assault and his partnership with Tom Blundell took the game away. The inexperienced Seifert was there right till the very end on an unbeaten 115 off just 89 balls, hitting 14 boundaries and three sixes, as the President’s XI reached the target with four balls to spare in the final Ehsan Adil over.

All the Pakistani bowlers struggled and only Shahid Afridi and Younus Khan had an economy rate of less than six. The three frontline pacers were especially expensive, conceding 208 runs between themselves in 29.2 overs at an economy of over seven runs per over.

Batting first, Pakistanis were off to a nightmare start as Muhammad Hafeez was run out on the first ball of the match. Younus Khan was then dismissed on one as he nicked it in the third over to leave Pakistan in trouble at 2-9.

Skipper Misbahul Haq came out into the middle needing to clean up yet another top order mess and when Ahmed Shehzad and Sohaib Maqsood were also dismissed quickly, leaving the side struggling at 4-81 after 16 overs, a high-scoring match seemed unlikely.

But Umar Akmal and Misbah put on a 105-run stand to bring Pakistan back into it. Misbah brought up his hundred as wickets kept falling around him and was back in the pavilion trying to up the ante after making 107 off 119 balls.

Wahab Riaz then made a handy 30 off 21 balls to further strengthen his claim of being employed as a bowling all-rounder, hitting two boundaries and two maximums in the process. Ehsan Adil also got in on the act, making 21 off just nine balls to power Pakistan past 300 but it was to little avail as the President’s XI were to end up eventual six-wicket winners.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th,  2015.

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