Pakistan XI and the Rest XI match ended in a tie

Who could have anticipated such a thrilling end to a practice match. The crowd at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore watched in amazement as the match played as a preparation for the ICC Knockout Tournament between Pakistan XI and the Rest XI ended, after many twists and turns, in a tie.

Batting first, Pakistan XI were all out for 245 in 49.5 overs. Yousuf Youhana was the highest scorer for his side getting 68 off 99 balls. He was aided by young Faisal Iqbal who got 45 in 74 balls. Azhar Mahmood contributed 23 off 18 balls later on in the Pakistan XI innings, while Abdul Razzaq scored 21 off 19. Danish Kaneria, the young leg spinner, took 3 wickers for 39 whereas Shoaib Malik, the off spinner, took two for 43. Paceman Muhammad Sami took 2 wickets, but he proved to be expensive as he gave away 70 runs in 8.5 overs.

The Rest XI's reply was healthy as, losing their first wicket for 22, they put on 102 for the second wicket. Saleem Elahi, who is a member of the Kenya bound team, and the opener Salman Butt were the contributors of this partnership which brought their side within sight of victory. Salman scored 59 and Elahi got 58. However, wickets began to tumble after this partnership was broken by Saqlain Mushtaq. Imran Abbas and Shoaib Malik were the only other significant run getters from the Rest XI with 33 and 26, respectively.

It was run a ball affair after the 40th over, the Rest XI requiring 19 off the last three overs and by the start of 50th over the scores were level. The Rest XI needing one run to win with 1 wicket in hand and the ball in the wily Saqlain's hand. The first ball that he delivered was pulled away to the deep square leg boundry by Shoaib Malik only to be caught by the fielder, thus bringing an end to this interesting and entertaining encounter.

Saqlain was the pick of the Pakistan XI bowlers, taking 4 for 41 in 9.1 overs. Azhar took 2 for 43, while Waqar and Arshad took one wicket each. There were also two run outs during the innings.

The highlight of the match was that the ace Pakistani opener Saeed Anwar batted for both sides, but failed to find form on both occasions. He was dismissed for a duck and for 6, respectively, while batting for Pakistan XI and the Rest XI.

The next match of the series will be played on 26th at the same venue.