NZ have lost 4 wickets, but have scored 136, off 33 overs. If they can score another 100 on this pitch ( which favours spin ), we can have a real humdinger of a match !
Guptill scored 57 before he was bowled by a turner from Afridi. Afridi leads with 15 wickets and looks like a one man army !
Now Ross Taylor is 47 not out and Scott Styris, the well experienced all rounder has joined him.
Now LRPL Taylor is now 60 not out and NZ are 163/4, a sedate start, in their 40 overs.
We have now come to the death overs, as the 41st over has started. Pak bowling has been good in the sense they had curbed NZ batting to 165 in the first forty overs. But the pitch is turning and a total of 240 plus can be good on this track.
Umar Gul, bowling at 145-150 Kph did trouble the NZ batsmen. He removed S Styris with a beauty of a swinger. Now NZ are 187/5, with Ross Taylor undefeated on 66.
Here we are seeing Nathan McCullum lofting the formidable Shahid Afridi for one six and Ross Taylor sweeping for another six and NZ have already crossed 200. They are 202/5, off 45 overs!
Nathan McCullum hits Gul for six and the next ball is clean bowled. Ross Taylor, tailor made for the situation has now blasted Akthar for 4,6,6 ! Now he is on 92, needing just 8 runs for a WC hundred. Taylor hits four more, a slash off Akthar, whose over is now costing 21 runs already! Akthar bowls a wide ! Taylor pulls for six and scores a hundred on his birthday. He equals the records of Kambli, Sachin and Jayasuria !
Oram pulls Rehman for four and now NZ are 244/6. It seems the match is going away from Pak ! Oram lofts Rehman for six and NZ are 253/6 in 48 overs !
Akthar gave away 28 runs and Rehman 15, but then these are death overs. A half volley was hit for four ( off Razzak ). Taylor has now hit Razzak for another six and this is murder !
Taylor pulls Razzak for his sixth six and Pak is tottering ! Razzak bowls another wide, but then Taylor hits it for a double. What a great innings by Ross Taylor !
Taylor hits Razzak straight for four and Afridi could not move an inch to stop it ! He pulls Razzak for his seventh six and this is carnage ! (Razzak has given 30 runs i this over).
95 runs have come from 5 overs ! Amazing stuff !
Sixes are raining at Pallekele, as big man Oram lofts for another six. Another one and now it is 13 sixes in this innings ! Oram lofts another one and is gone, caught by Gul. There are only 3 more balls in this innings. It is now 295/7! Kyle Mills flashes, it takes the outside edge and flies for four ! NZ crosses 300!
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