Beautiful Bangladesh - School of life

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Sri Lanka take series with 26-run win

Sri Lanka displayed their bowling strength ahead of the 2011 World Cup when they rested three key bowlers and yet ended up beating West Indies by 26 runs in the third and final one-day international to take the series 2-0.

Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara were missing from their line-up but their back-up bowling unit comprising Dilhara Fernando, Ajantha Mendis and Thisara Perera did extremely well to defend a total of 277 for 9 by bowling West Indies out for 251 in 49 overs.

West Indies got off to a bad start, losing openers Chris Gayle and Adrian Barath for ducks before recovering through a 125-run stand between Darren Bravo, who hit an attractive 79 of 91 balls with nine fours and one six, and Ramnaresh Sarwan, who scored 51 off 66 balls.

Once the partnership was broken, West Indies struggled to maintain the required run-rate despite contributions of 32 from Dwayne Bravo and 49 from Carlton Baugh. Sri Lanka's pace-cum-spin attack came back strongly to make frequent inroads into the batting, with Ajantha Mendis eventually wrapping the innings up with a spell of three wickets for nine runs off 10 balls during the batting Powerplay. He finished with figures of 4 for 46.

Sri Lanka, invited to bat first on the same pitch where the first two matches were played, reached 277 for 9 in their 50 overs, with all their top-order batsmen getting into form but none going on to make a three-figure score.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara's 75 off 105 balls was the top score with Mahela Jayawardene making the second highest score with 44. The pair added 95 for the third wicket off 114 balls, after openers Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan had given them a rollicking start by posting 54 off 50 balls.

Dilshan smashed two fours and a six in his 28-ball 30, before edging a catch behind the wicket attempting to cut a ball too close to his body. Tharanga, who scored a century in the second ODI, helped Sangakkara raise the total to 92 before inside-edging a ball from Sulieman Benn onto his stumps with his score on 30. Sangakkara was given a reprieve at 34 when he lofted Nikita Miller to deep midwicket where Barath made a lot of ground but spilled the catch and the ball crossed the boundary. The miss proved to be costly because Sangakkara took the attack to the bowlers and looked good for a century before he played all over a Benn delivery and was bowled.

Sri Lanka failed to make much headway in the batting Powerplay, which they took at 177-2 in the 37th over. They lost the two in-form batsmen: Jayawardene for 44 top-edging a pull and Sangakkara.

The departure of the top four batsmen at 205 saw the Sri Lanka run-rate slump. The brittle middle order failed to capitalise on the platform laid by the early batsmen as Sri Lanka lost five wickets for 39 runs. Thilana Samaraweera, Chamara Kapugedera and Perera all went cheaply as Benn worked himself towards his best ODI bowling figures, finishing with four wickets for 38.

The innings was given late momentum by Angelo Mathews, who slammed a quick 36 not out off 22 balls to help Sri Lanka cross the 275-run mark.

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Ryder's blazing ton sets up consolation win

Jesse Ryder overcame his recent running woes and twitter travails to rattle an 82-ball hundred, and set up a consolation win, as Pakistan went a touch overboard with dead-rubber experimentation. Ryder's belligerence set up a solid base for New Zealand, before Pakistan's questionable choice of slog-over bowlers allowed Nathan McCullum and Scott Styris plunder 72 off the last five. It left Pakistan chasing 312, a target that proved too steep despite a couple of brief flutters.

Ryder had been chastised earlier in the week for expressing his anger through a tweet following his run-out in a domestic game, but today he focused his fury on the opposition. Pakistan's fast-bowling machinery has worked in perfect synchrony through the series, with the exception of Sohail Tanvir, and the trend continued today.

Tanvir's first four overs yielded 25, in addition to accounting for Brendon McCullum, but Ryder spanked him out of the attack with three bombastic sixes in his fifth. Tanvir over-pitched, Ryder went down on a knee to jab him beyond square leg; he dropped short and Ryder pulled over wide long-on. Tanvir then landed a slower ball on a length, and it was smoked down the ground. The template had been set for the innings: every time New Zealand needed release, they ran into Tanvir's inviting lengths and friendly pace, which they duly plundered for 78 runs in eight overs of mayhem.

The rest of the cast fared only marginally better. Mohammad Hafeez was driven inside out for a four and a six in the bowling Powerplay. Ryder raced past fifty by dragging Umar Gul to midwicket, and then cracked him square and hooked him beyond fine-leg. Martin Guptill held his own at the other end, focussing on feeding Ryder with the strike in a stand worth 123.

With the field restrictions lifted, Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq reined New Zealand in. From 108 for 1 in the 16th over, New Zealand could add only 33 in 9.3 overs before Guptill holed out. Razzaq promptly threw another punch, getting Ross Taylor to nick a subtle legcutter behind.

A niggle forced Ryder to ask for a runner, but he ensured Brendon did not have much running to do, heaving Razzaq over fine leg, and swiping Shoaib Akhtar in the same direction. He brought up his ton with a glance in the 33rd over. However, with his mobility clearly hampered by the injury, he targeted the boundary exclusively, and was caught in the deep.

Wary of their longish tail, New Zealand chose to conserve resources for the late surge. Tanvir's return in the 43rd over signalled the end of the ceasefire, as Nathan tickled him to fine leg, before dumping Hafeez over long-on. Styris gorged as well, threading Tanvir through the covers as New Zealand warmed up for a tumultuous finish.

Gul was looted for a six and a four in the 46th over - the first of the final Powerplay - and Nathan played the field smartly to carve boundaries over the infield off Afridi in the 47th. After fluffing a straightforward run-out chance earlier, and conceding 14 runs in his over, Afridi pressed Tanvir and Hafeez into operation. The result - Styris and Nathan plundered nine fours and three sixes and breezed to half-centuries as the innings ended in a blaze of big hits.

Pakistan's chase began with the same lack of intensity that characterised their bowling. Ahmed Shehzad survived after edging a Kyle Mills outswinger in the first over of the innings, but combusted in his next over, top-edging an ambitious pull. Hafeez was beginning to look ominous when he clipped Hamish Bennett straight to deep square-leg. Younis Khan struggled against the impressive Bennett, who got a delivery to thud into his box, cracking his protector and leaving him gasping. Younis eventually edged Bennett behind, Brendon taking a diving catch to his right.

Kamran Akmal chose to knuckle down against seam and wait for the weaker bowlers. It was a good plan, since New Zealand were playing Luke Woodcock and Nathan on a pitch that didn't aid spin. Having moved to 26 off 39 balls by the 18th over, Kamran sped to his half-century with aggressive hits against the spinners.

The game changed when Asad Shafiq exited to a needless mix-up, after a stand of 74. Kamran kept attacking, launching Styris for his third six, but James Franklin removed him and Umar Akmal in an energetic spell as the chase sputtered. Afridi displayed rare restraint, while Tanvir slugged a few blows to keep Pakistan interested. They added 58 for the eight wicket and, with a batting Powerplay to come, New Zealand were becoming anxious for a wicket.

It came in freak fashion, as Tim Southee ran down the track on his follow-through to catch Tanvir short of the crease, with his bat getting stuck in the turf before he could slide it in. It was the sort of moment that had eluded New Zealand through the series, and when it came it was greeted with relief.

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Voges helps Australia take series 6-1

Australia rounded off their international summer in style with a commanding 57-run victory in Perth. It wasn't a high-quality match, with the exception of the batting from Adam Voges and David Hussey, as a long season drew to a close with two patched-up sides on show. However, Australia's depth came to the fore again as Voges hit a career-best 80 before England's mentally-finished top order was blown away to end hopes of a face-saving win.

Nothing will compensate for the crushing loss in the Ashes series, but Australia's resurgent one-day form has suggested a fourth consecutive World Cup title isn't out of reach, especially if key players return from injury. Even taking into account England's own injury problems and declining form, the home side's performances have boded well in the absence of Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey and Nathan Hauritz - all key figures in the one-day side.

During the Test matches, Australia's reserves did not appear up to international standard, but the team has not retained its No.1 one-day ranking by luck. Their pace attack is rapid, if wayward at times - they matched England's wide tally of 19 - while the lack of a matchwinning spinner isn't so harshly felt. Meanwhile, the batting is packed with stroke-makers.

Two were on show here after the top order wobbled to 4 for 102 before Hussey and Voges added 95 in 13 overs. This could be a one-off opportunity for Voges but if an injury replacement is needed for the World Cup, and Shaun Marsh doesn't recover, he might have put his name ahead of Callum Ferguson, who edged James Anderson to slip for 15.

Once Australia had posted a competitive total it was always unlikely that the visitors would be able to dig deep enough to make it a contest with the prospect of their flight home tomorrow evening. Mentally, a number of the players have long since been in those aircraft seats.

Andrew Strauss has plenty of reasons to be feeling weary after arriving in Australia on October 29 and it was a tired shot that ended his series when he was very late against Shaun Tait. The bat had barely come down when the ball knocked back the off stump. Steve Davies, back opening after the reshuffle caused by Eoin Morgan's injury, was unconvincing in his short stay until flapping at Doug Bollinger to complete an unhappy few weeks.

Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen briefly consolidated but there was never any great sense of permanency even from the in-form Trott. He was drawn into a flat-footed drive against Johnson which sent a thick edge to first slip, then Pietersen's uncertain stay ended with a drive to backward point. Even taking into account the looseness of England's batting this was the good Mitchell Johnson and he added a third when Ian Bell carved down to third man.

At 5 for 64 the game was over. Matt Prior played some handsome drives before giving Jason Krejza his maiden one-day wicket to end another unfulfilled innings and Michael Yardy battled hard to reduce the margin of defeat with his highest ODI score. But it had ceased to matter in the wider context.

England's makeshift bowling attack had done a decent job through the first half of the innings as the quicks started well and Yardy picked up two, but in a familiar pattern the work of the front line bowlers was squandered. Hussey and Voges took advantage with some positive strokeplay as they dispatched the loose deliveries on offer. Hussey had been given a life on 4 when Luke Wright dropped a return chance that should have been held and reached his fifty from 44 balls, which included a pulled six off Yardy.

With his boundary-clearing ability and a Powerplay to come he could have cut loose during the final 10 overs, but was squared up by Liam Plunkett and got a leading edge to backward point. Plunkett ended with 2 for 49, which was an impressive effort considering that he only arrived in the country three days ago following a 40-hour journey from the Caribbean.

Voges, though, remained to reach fifty off 45 deliveries, regularly showing his strength square of the wicket and rapid running. Although the boundaries dried up he placed the ball well to ensure 34 came off the last three overs, but Australia were helped by England's waywardness. That was symptomatic of a team not fully focussed and the batting effort was further evidence that minds were elsewhere. If they want to perform at the World Cup there isn't much time to refocus, but Australia can leave for the subcontinent this week in good spirits.

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Tharanga powers SL to easy win

Upul Tharanga's ninth one-day century and his first against West Indies steered Sri Lanka to a convincing eight-wicket win and a 1-0 lead in the three-match one-day series.

Tharanga paced his innings superbly, and batted out the entire length of the Sri Lanka innings, to remain unbeaten on 101 off 143 balls with the help of seven fours.

The tall, lean left-hander is expected to play the sheet anchor role during Sri Lanka's World Cup campaign and bat out the entire 50 overs. On Thursday, he showed what he is capable of doing, as Sri Lanka chased down a rain-revised total of 197 off 47 overs in just 42.3, after West Indies had been dismissed for 203.

Tharanga's innings was chanceless, and on a slow pitch which suited his style of batting he was never in trouble despite West Indies using as many as seven bowlers, who managed to prize out only two wickets between them.

Tillakaratne Dilshan left in the ninth over, attempting to cut a ball too close to his body and offering a catch behind the wicket. Captain Kumar Sangakkara managed 20 out of a second-wicket stand of 70 with Tharanga, before hitting a half volley from Dwayne Bravo to short extra cover.

Mahela Jayawardene and Tharanga made sure West Indies didn't make any further inroads into the batting by sharing an unbroken stand of 97. Jayawardene sealed the match with an inside-out drive to the boundary off Miller. He was unbeaten on 48 at the end of the match.

Sri Lanka came up with a disciplined bowling performance to restrict West Indies to 203. Given the persistent rain over the previous two days, the toss was vital and Sri Lanka had no hesitation in inviting West Indies to bat on the same surface on which the first match was played three days ago. Openers Chris Gayle and Adrian Barath, who made a century in the first ODI, negotiated some testing overs from Lasith Malinga and Nuwana Kulasekara to add 45 runs within the first 10 overs, before Kulasekara trapped Barath lbw, playing across the line to a ball that pitched on off stump.

Gayle, who had previously hit Kulasekara for a six and four in one over, then edged Muttiah Muralitharan to Thilan Samaraweera at second slip. Gayle came forward to a good length ball and was surprised by the bounce that Muralitharan got off the very first ball of his spell.

The fall of the openers on 45 slowed West Indies' run-rate and Sangakkara took advantage of it by getting a few overs from part-time offspinner Dilshan in. West Indies looked to be getting their innings back on track as Darren Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan added 49 runs off 96 balls. The stand ended when Sarwan, who was backing up too far at the non-striker's end, was run out after a hard drive by Darren Bravo hit the stumps off bowler Rangana Herath's hand.

Darren was joined by his half-brother Dwayne Bravo and the duo put on 38 before Malinga, returning for his second spell, trapped Darren Bravo lbw with a reverse-swinging delivery. Another reverse-swinging delivery from Malinga soon accounted for the dangerous Kieron Pollard, who played down the wrong line, and had his off stump pegged back.

Dwayne Bravo and Carlton Baugh added a further 37 runs to take West Indies to 175 for 5 before Herath, who had bowled a tight line and length, was finally rewarded with the wicket of Dwayne Bravo. The remaining West Indies batsmen failed to offer much resistance as the last four wickets fell for just 16 runs.

It was an all-round bowling effort from the Sri Lankans, with Malinga the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 30. Sri Lanka's fielders backed their bowlers with some excellent ground fielding and missed just one catch when Angelo Mathews dropped Baugh at long leg.

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Blazing Shehzad seals series triumph

Pakistan's World Cup preparations only got better as their youngest batsman scored a maiden ODI century to set up a series win - their first in a bilateral rubber since November 2008 - over New Zealand, whose fortunes continued to slide at home after a miserable time in the subcontinent.

Ahmed Shehzad batted with utmost confidence during his calculated assault, overcoming a cautious start in overcast conditions by launching a counter-attack that snatched the initiative New Zealand had worked hard to gain at the beginning of the game. He was backed up by a determined performance from Pakistan's bowlers, who stepped up in areas where New Zealand had erred, and completed the job quite comfortably in the end.

A miserly first spell by Kyle Mills appeared to have justified Ross Taylor's decision to bowl, as it cramped the usually fluent openers through nagging lines outside off stump and crafty variations in pace. He conceded just two runs in his first four overs, and grabbed the wicket of Mohammad Hafeez.

Shehzad, though, was intent on pulling things back. He had warmed up with a crisp straight drive off Hamish Bennett but opened his shoulders to release the pressure created by the early wicket. Mills' tight lines were countered with a mow past mid-off and an agricultural slog over midwicket, catching the bowler off guard and marking a turn in the tide. Shehzad had won the psychological battle when Mills strayed onto the pads the next over, to be glanced to the fine-leg boundary.

A feature of Shehzad's knock was his domination of Bennett, which offset any pressure New Zealand were able to inflict with the fall of a wicket. Bennett overpitched too often, or dropped too short, and was picked off consistently for boundaries. He squandered some hard work by conceding fours off the last balls of his first two overs and was struck for consecutive boundaries by an initially rusty Kamran Akmal before Shehzad singled him out for treatment. He was launched for a straight six and welcomed in his second spell with a violent pull over the midwicket boundary followed by a clean strike over long-on.

While Shehzad took timely risks and had the power and ability to back them up, he was ruthless against the opportunities doled out by the bowlers when Pakistan had been forced to shift gears in the middle overs. The run-out of Kamran resulted in four boundary-less overs before Nathan McCullum, otherwise quite tidy, gifted a short and wide delivery that Shehzad slashed through point. Scott Styris met a similar fate while James Franklin was a victim of Shehzad's subtleties as he was twice scooped over fine leg.

The constant throughout Shehzad's innings, only his seventh in this format, was his assuredness and determination to keep the hosts worried at one end. When he fell, miscuing Styris to deep square leg, with plenty of ammunition left in the batting, New Zealand were staring at an intimidating target. The bowlers, however, hit back to restrict Pakistan in the death overs. Only once had a team lost chasing at Seddon Park since 2002 but with New Zealand's recent ODI record in a shambles, Pakistan needn't have worried about past results at the venue.

The start to the chase could not have been worse for the hosts as Jesse Ryder backed up too far and was run out without facing a ball. Unlike New Zealand's bowlers who had provided ample scoring opportunities to ease the pressure on Pakistan after each dismissal, Pakistan's fast bowlers hardly ever overpitched, bowled consistently in the channel outside off and dried up the runs.

Martin Guptill faced the pressure with a combination of bravado and opportunism. He dealt harshly with deliveries bowled wide or pitched up on middle - there weren't too many of them - and improvised to clear the infield. Guptill ensured a steady flow of singles, ran well between the wickets as the field spread out and continued to be ruthless when freebies came his way. But having survived a close lbw shout early in his innings, Guptill failed to take full toll, as a short delivery from Shoaib came on a touch too quickly and he holed out to deep square leg.

The onus was on Ross Taylor, who took his time to settle in and overcome the nervy start that has plagued him this series. He appeared to be getting back to his groove when just a firm push off Afridi raced to the extra-cover boundary and, in the company of Guptill, to whom he had ceded floor, kept his team in the hunt. It was in the attempt to rebuild after Guptill's fall that New Zealand lost it. Afridi and Hafeez got through their overs quickly, produced a spate of dot balls and deprived the hosts of a boundary for 11 straight overs. The resultant frustration from New Zealand yielded wickets for Pakistan, as Brendon McCullum got a leading edge to long-on while Styris was run out by a direct hit from Younis Khan.

Taylor fought on, managing a six off his favoured slog-sweep and began the batting Powerplay in the 41st over with a lofted drive against Wahab Riaz. Despite the field restrictions and with five wickets in hand, an asking rate of almost nine an over was going to be difficult to measure up to. In the next over he stepped across to sweep Afridi, only to miss and be trapped in front. And when James Franklin was cleaned up by a Riaz yorker, the depth in the New Zealand batting proved insufficient to secure the remaining runs or salvage some pride after 13 defeats in their last 14 completed games.

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Clarke's acceleration seals thrilling win

The boos from Brisbane turned to cheers in Sydney as Michael Clarke helped Australia hunt down a record 334, their highest successful chase, by two wickets with four balls to spare at the SCG. However, it was a tense finish after Clarke was run out for 82 with seven needed but John Hastings and Brett Lee held their nerve to see the home side across the line and leave a weary England with plenty of soul-searching to do

That will be particularly true of Jonathan Trott, who was involved in key pieces of action in the closing stages after earlier scoring a career-best 137 to anchor England's highest score in Australia and their highest total in a defeat. Then, in the space of five balls, he lost and almost won the match with two contrasting pieces of fielding. Firstly he failed to hold onto Clarke's clip at short fine-leg which burst through his hands for four, but he then produced a pin-point throw to find the Australian captain short as he came back for a second.

It was the third wicket to fall quickly with Australia faltering as the target approached. David Hussey edged behind against Steven Finn to end a key stand of 90 in 11 overs with Clarke - including 50 runs from the batting Powerplay - and Steven Smith, batting with a runner after a hip injury that has ruled him out of Perth, was run out after a chaotic mix-up. However, Hastings edged the winning runs down to fine leg off Chris Woakes - although there was still confusion as the umpires didn't realise the match was over. A match of 667 runs can frazzle the mind.

Australia's top order had laid the foundations in the chase as Shane Watson butchered a 32-ball fifty and Mitchell Johnson responded to his promotion to No. 4 with a well-made 57. As is his style, Clarke took time to play himself in and his strike rate was under 100 until he'd passed his half-century and took the batting Powerplay. He then whipped James Anderson, who conceded the second most expensive figures by an England bowler, over square leg for six and followed that with another boundary as the home side made their crucial push.

Hussey also located the rope after a sluggish start when he tore into the expensive Anderson and suddenly an asking rate over eight-an-over was down at a run-a-ball although an impressive effort from Finn, in his second ODI, gave England a chance at the end. They were handicapped by an injury to Paul Collingwood, who suffered a back spasm on the last ball of the innings and wasn't able to bowl. He came onto the field briefly after 16 overs, but his back began to stiffen up again. It meant England had to find 10 overs between Trott and Kevin Pietersen which cost 72 - although Pietersen did have Johnson stumped.

Johnson had responded with his second ODI fifty which built on a blistering opening from Australia against some wayward bowling. They had nine runs after just one legal delivery and Anderson came in for some fierce punishment in his third over as Watson collected four boundaries with 19 runs coming in total to bring up the fifty inside six overs.

England needed a stroke of fortune to break through when Brad Haddin flicked a leg-stump delivery to short fine-leg where Trott, who'd recently come into the field after recovering from cramp, took a sharp catch to his right. Watson went to his fifty off 32 balls but didn't go any further when he flicked Michael Yardy to midwicket. Callum Ferguson, replacing the injured Shaun Marsh, played nicely for his 46 until being run out but the required rate was never out of hand for Australia.Despite England's batting problems during this series, characterised by soft dismissals, this was the third time they had beaten their record total after the innings at Melbourne and Adelaide. Trott's hundred was his fourth of the trip following two in the Ashes series and his 102 at Adelaide last week. He took his time to play himself in and didn't strike a boundary until his 40th delivery, his first fifty taking 61 balls. But the next half of his ton came off 39 balls as he collected four boundaries during the batting Powerplay.

Shaun Tait thought he had him lbw on 82, but the decision was overturned on review with the ball sliding down leg, and Trott escaped again with a missed run-out opportunity on 88. He started to suffer from cramp as the hundred approached and, after passing three figures and slamming Johnson through the covers, was allowed a runner until falling in the final over. The last 87 of his runs came from 65 deliveries.

Ian Bell provided the innings with ideal acceleration as he got himself going in the batting Powerplay then showed his inventive skills by lapping Watson and John Hastings for boundaries. He and Trott added runs at nearly nine an over, the sort of dominant partnership England have struggled to produce even in their previous hefty totals.

Andrew Strauss had set a good tone with his second fifty of the series off 52 balls and looked set for three figures until he clipped Smith to midwicket. Kevin Pietersen was threatening to cut loose with two boundaries in three balls off Hastings, but his frustrating series continued when he drove the first ball of the batting Powerplay to mid-off.

The fielding restrictions again threatening to be a curse rather than a blessing, but the five overs produced 43 runs as Trott and Bell began their surge. Still, though, it didn't prove enough and another 6-1 drubbing is on the cards.

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Misbah-ul-Haq masterminds narrow win

Pakistan continued to show they are masters of making mountains out of molehills, but Misbah-ul-Haq's supremely paced innings and Sohail Tanvir's nerveless hitting took them to a tense win in Napier that puts them 2-1 up. New Zealand had earlier showed the benefits of stacking their side with allrounders as they recovered from an all-too-familiar top-order collapse to post a respectable total but it didn't prove enough.

On a pancake-flat track and with McLean Park's short boundaries and a quick outfield to assist them, Pakistan looked to be gliding towards victory when Misbah and Younis Khan played safety-first cricket to take them to 173 for 3 in 37 overs. With the batting Powerplay in hand, two set batsmen at the crease and a host of heavy-hitters to follow, New Zealand seemed down and out.

The first blip was the run-out of Younis who slipped when attempting to regain his ground after tipping the ball to point. The new batsman, Umar Akmal, meandered to 10 when the Powerplay was taken. As has the case in recent matches, the Powerplay resulted in immediate wickets: Umar holed out to extra cover and Shahid Afridi was trapped in front. With Pakistan at 198 for 6, New Zealand were back in it.

The match swung again in the next over as Abdul Razzaq clubbed a mighty six, and Misbah calmly picked off two effortless, wristy boundaries as Tim Southee went for 17. New Zealand clawed back again when Hamish Bennett had Razzaq skying a catch to Vettori in the 47th over.

Twenty-four needed off the final three overs - enough time for more twists. Misbah, yet again, seemed to have sealed it when he slammed Scott Styris beyond midwicket off the first ball of the 48th, and then followed it up with a punch past mid-on for four. No. 10 Wahab Riaz then decided to go for glory instead of turning over the strike to Misbah, and his swipe ballooned to the keeper.

Only two wickets remained, and there was a genuine threat of Pakistan being bowled out. Tanvir then showed that though his bowling isn't at the level it was before his back injury, his hitting retains the ferocity of old. He forehanded three fours in the penultimate over from Southee to sew up the victory with six balls remaining.

Tanvir may have applied the finishing touches but it was Misbah who had done the grunt work earlier on. When Pakistan were wobbling at 84 for 3, Misbah and Younis stroked the ball into the gaps for singles to keep the required rate in check. Their 89-run partnership had put Pakistan in charge, before the slew of wickets led to an exciting denouement.

It was Misbah's finest one-day effort, and his first significant contribution in the format in a long time. With 18 days to go for the World Cup, Pakistan are still without a captain, and this series hasn't made the decision easier for the selectors. Afridi was panned after the heavy defeat in the first match, then praised after his electric half-century in the Christchurch victory, and Misbah has now pushed his case with this match-winning innings.

New Zealand continue to desperately seek someone who can provide Misbah-like calmness to their famously fragile top order. Today, their stuttering batting unit squandered another chance to hit form on a placid track, with shot-selection that will leave John Wright fuming. Martin Guptill flicked to midwicket after impressing early on, Jamie How pulled imperiously but straight to deep square leg, Ross Taylor's expansive drive ended in first slip's hands, and Kane Williamson chipped the ball to long-on.

The home side had tumbled to 79 for 5 before Brendon McCullum jumpstarted the innings with a typically energetic cameo. James Franklin then led the rescue with his third half-century in four innings; after a watchful start, he cut loose in the Powerplay reeling off four boundaries in two overs. Afridi handcuffed him with a legstump line in the 44th over and had him holing out to deep fine leg.

The batting recovery was completed by Nathan McCullum, who blasted his way to his maiden one-day half-century. The highlights of his innings were a couple of high-risk paddles for four against the quicks and a murderous carve over cover for six in the penultimate over.

Franklin and the McCullum brothers helped New Zealand put on 170 in the second half of the innings despite the top-order collapse, but even that proved insufficient as Misbah continued his prolific tour.

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