England whipping surprises Pakistan captain by AFP

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Player:	Inzamam-ul-Haq
Event:	England in Pakistan 2005/06

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DateLine: 4th December 2005

 

Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq said Saturday he was surprised by his team's emphatic victory over England in the third and final Test here.

 

"Our bowlers stuck to their task, but I never thought we would get eight wickets so quickly," Inzamam said after his team whipped England by an innings and 100 runs to clinch the series 2-0.

 

England were in a position to save the match when they reached 201-2 at lunch before leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar sparked a sensational collapse which saw the tourists lose eight wickets for just 47.

 

The tourists, trailing by 348 runs, were shot out for 248 in their second innings with Akhtar finishing with 5-71 and Kaneria with 4-52.

 

"Kaneria's two wickets opened the gates. His double-strike was the turning point of the match," said Inzamam.

 

England's slide began when Kaneria dismissed well-set Paul Collingwoodwith his fourth ball after the lunch-break before accounting for Ashes stars Kevin Pietersen for one and Andrew Flintoff for a duck.

 

Collingwood and Ian Bell (92) had sustained England's hopes of drawing the match with a 175-run stand for the third wicket.

 

"We knew it was a matter of just one wicket because our bowlers were bowling well. Akhtar has performed remarkably well in this series. You need such big efforts from all players to win the series," said Inzamam.

 

"To break the partnership was crucial and once Kaneria provided us with the breakthrough we knew we were there."

 

The Pakistan captain, named man of the series for scoring 431 in three Tests, said he was happy to lead from the front.

 

"I am happy I scored runs when the team needed them most. It is always satisfying when you lead from the front and I think this is one of the biggest wins of my career," he said.

 

This was Pakistan's first Test series win since beating New Zealand in January 2004.

(Article: Copyright © 2005 AFP)