Johannesburg: Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan was elated at being nominated ‘man of the match’ of the Twenty20 World Championship final but that was not the high point for him here.

“The most important thing is that we have won the championship,” said Irfan, who struck three crucial blows to help India win a thrilling match against Pakistan at the Wanderers here on Monday.

“Also, it was a great feeling to see my brother Yusuf debut in this match. Playing along with him was a great thrill, that too in a World Championship final,” Irfan said after they became the first pair of brothers to play for India in an international game since Surinder and Mohinder Amarnath played together during a tour of Pakistan in 1978-79.

 

“It has been a memorable return for me to international cricket and I hope to put what all I have learnt during my bad times to good use in my career ahead,” said Irfan, who had been ignored by selectors for recent Tests and ODIs.
Irfan Pathan's superb show with the ball won him the Man Of the Match.

FULL COMMENTARY goes like this…

Indian flags are flying high around the ground as India wins the inagural ICC World Twenty20 Championship in a cliff hanger. The jinx continues for Pakistan in World Cups as India overcame Pakistan by five runs. Batting first India made a modest total of 157 runs, Pakistan started off explosively with Nazir smashing the ball to all the parts of the park. But RP Singh kept India in the hunt by picking two crucial wickets at the top. India kept the pressure on Pakistan which resulted in the crucial run out of Nazir. But a late fight back from Misbah-ul-Haq and Tanvir gave Pakistan a sniff of hope. Later Pakistan needed 13 runs off the last over. Joginder Sharma was once again handed the responsibility of bowling the last over. After being struck for a six off the second ball, Joginder Shrama came back to help India to clinch the WT20 Championship. RP Singh and Irfan Pathan were the heroes in the bowling department scalping three wickets a piece. Irfan Pathan pocketed the Man of the Match awrad for his excellent bowling spell of 3-16. Shahid Afridi won the Player of the Tournament award for his all-round skills. Thank you for being with us for the commentary updates throughout this scintillating and thrilling inagural ICC WT20.

India wins the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 Championship.

19.3 J Sharma to Misbah, OUT – Misbah tries to paddle sweep the ball. That is easy pickings for Sreesanth at short fine leg. Pakistan have been bowled out. India beats Pakistan by five runs to win this inaugural ICC WT20 Champonship.  152/10

19.2 J Sharma to Misbah, Misbah blast the ball over long off. Up

19.1 J Sharma to Misbah, Misbah has attempted to play that one – but missed. Crucial dot ball by Sharma.  146/9

19.0 J Sharma to Misbah, The ball is too wide on the off side for Misbah to make any contact. Umpire Benson has signalled a wide. Bad start to the over by Joginder Sharma.  146/9

Joginder Sharma is brought back to bowl the final over. Huge amount of pressure lies on this young man’s shoulder to bowl India to victory.

19 RP Singh to M Asif, Asif edges the ball. The ball races to the boundary. Crucial four runs for Pakistan at this stage. 13 runs are needed of the last over.  145/9

Mohammad Asif is the last man in for Pakistan. He and Misbah has to win it for Pakistan from here.

18.5 RP Singh to U Gul, OUT – Gul has been bamboozled by a beauty from RP Singh. The leg stump is out of the ground. Pakistan have lost their ninth wicket.  141/9

18.4 RP Singh to Misbah, Misbah plays the pull-shot for a single on the leg side.  141/8

18.3 RP Singh to Misbah, Ball hits Misbah low on the pads. The fielding side is asking the question. Umpire Taufel shows no interest in the appeal. Misbah survives a close call.  140/8

18.2 RP Singh to U Gul, Gul fails to put bat on ball. The keeper fails to gather the ball. The batsmen have run through for a single. Umpire Taufel signals byes.  140/8

18.1 RP Singh to Misbah, Misbah guides it to third man. The batsmen have run through for a single.  139/8

RP Singh comes to bowl his final over. He has to keep things tight in this crucial over.

With huge amount of pressure on his shoulder, Umar Gul is the new batsman at the crease.

18 Sreesanth to S Tanvir, OUT – Tanvir tries to slog the ball but fails to connect. Sreesanth has cleaned up Tanvir with a yorker. Pakistan have lost their eighth wicket at a crcial stage in this final.  138/8

17.5 Sreesanth to S Tanvir, Tanvir buckles the ball off his pads for a massive six over the deep square leg region. Tanvir is taking Sreesanth to the cleaners out there. Tanvir has certainly given Pakistan a sniff of hope.  138/7

17.4 Sreesanth to Misbah, Misbah flicks the ball on the leg side for a single.  132/7

17.3 Sreesanth to Misbah, Misbah tries to slog the ball but fails to connect.  131/7

17.2 Sreesanth to S Tanvir, Ball hits Tanvir low on the pads. One run conceded. Leg byes given by Umpire Benson.  131/7

17.1 Sreesanth to S Tanvir, Tanvir tries flicking a ball that is wide on the leg stumps. Umpire Benson has signalled a wide.  130/7

17.1 Sreesanth to S Tanvir, Tanvir blasts a full length ball from Sreesanth over the long on region. That is a clean strike by Tanvir. Excellent shot by Tanvir. Six runs more for Pakistan.  129/7

Sreesanth is brought back into the bowling attack for a final burst.

17 H Singh to Misbah, Misbah slogs a full toss from Harbhajan for a maximum towards the deep mid wicket region. This is the third six of this over. End of a fruitful over for Pakistan.  123/7

16.5 H Singh to Misbah, Misbah plays the pull-shot with the spin and sends the ball sailing into the crowd. Great shot by Misbah. Umpire Taufel raises his arms in the air to signal a six.  117/7

16.4 H Singh to Misbah, Misbah has flicked the ball off his pads for no runs again.  111/7

16.3 H Singh to Misbah, Driven through the leg side by Misbah. Dot ball.  111/7

16.2 H Singh to Misbah, Misbah take he aerial root and hammers the ball over the long on region for a six. Misbah is the only hope for Pakistan at this stage.  111/7

16.1 H Singh to Misbah, Misbah lets the ball go outside his off stump. No wide signalled by the Umpire this time.  105/7

16.0 H Singh to Misbah, The ball is way wide on the leg side but Misbah still goes after it. Umpire Taufel signals a wide.  105/7

Sohail Tanvir is the new batsman at the crease.

16 I Pathan to Y Arafat, OUT – Bowled him! Arafat is deceived by the pace of the ball and fails to bring his bat down in time. Pakistan have lost their seventh wicket.  104/7

15.5 I Pathan to Y Arafat, Arafat tries to cut the ball but fails to connect.  104/6

15.4 I Pathan to Y Arafat, Arafat thumps the ball over the bowler’s head. The ball bounces once before it thuds into the fence.  104/6

15.3 I Pathan to Misbah, Played to the point region by Misbah for an easy single.  100/6

15.2 I Pathan to Misbah, Misbah goes after a wide one and misses. Poor delivery by Pathan.  99/6

15.1 I Pathan to Misbah, Misbah has played that with the full face of the bat. Dot ball.  99/6

15 H Singh to Y Arafat, Arafat hits the ball towards he long on region. A diving effort by Uthappa goes in vain as the ball kept dipping on him. Two runs added to the total.  99/6

14.5 H Singh to Misbah, Driven through the leg side by Misbah. One run added to the total.  97/6

14.4 H Singh to Misbah, Misbah drives through the leg side but straight to the fielder for no runs.  96/6

14.3 H Singh to Y Arafat, Driven through the off side by Arafat for a single.  96/6

14.2 H Singh to Misbah, Driven through the leg side by Misbah. One run added to the total.  95/6

14.1 H Singh to Misbah, You can’t hit a better reverse sweep than that. Two runs added to the total.  94/6

14 I Pathan to Misbah, Misbah flicks the ball on the leg side for a single. End of another tidy over by Pathan only conceding three runs.  92/6

13.5 I Pathan to Y Arafat, Driven through the leg side by Arafat for a single.  91/6

13.4 I Pathan to Y Arafat, Arafat tries to hit the ball but fails to connect. Excellent bowling by Pathan by not giving any free runs to score.  90/6

13.3 I Pathan to Misbah, Misbah defends the ball off the back foot. The run rate continues to creep on Pakistan.  90/6

13.2 I Pathan to Misbah, Misbah shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the backfoot.  89/6

13.1 I Pathan to Y Arafat, Arafat has played it to the point region for a single.  89/6

13 H Singh to Y Arafat, Arafat has pushed it to the cover region. One run conceded. End of Harbhajan’s expensive first over.  88/6

12.5 H Singh to Y Arafat, Arafat has dug out that yorker at the last second. The ball takes the bottom edge and races to the boundary in quick time.  87/6

12.4 H Singh to Misbah, Driven through the leg side by Misbah for a single again.  83/6

12.3 H Singh to Y Arafat, Arafat guides it to third man for a single.  82/6

12.2 H Singh to Misbah, Misbah drives through the leg side. One run conceded.  81/6

12.1 H Singh to Misbah, Misbah flicks it away with a wristy shot. Good effort by Singh to save runs for his team. The batsmen have picked up a couple of runs.  80/6

Harbhajan Singh replaces Joginder Sharma in the bowling attack.

12 I Pathan to Misbah, Played to the point region by Misbah. The batsmen have run through for a single.  78/6

11.5 I Pathan to Misbah, Misbah flicks it away with a wristy shot. No runs conceded.  77/6

With Pakistan in deep trouble, Yasir Arafat joins Misbah-ul-Haq at the crease.

11.4 I Pathan to S Afridi, OUT – Afridi miscues the ball high in the air. Sreesanth takes a good judge catch. Afridi disappoints as he gets out playing a reckless shot. Pathan strikes double blow in the same over.  77/6

11.3 I Pathan to S Afridi, The ball is way wide on the leg side but Afridi still goes after it. Umpire Benson signals a wide.  77/5

Shahid Afridi is the new batsman at the crease.

11.3 I Pathan to S Malik, OUT – Malik pulls a short ball from Pathan. That is easy pickings for Sharma at mid wicket. Malik gets out trying to accelerate.  76/5

11.2 I Pathan to S Malik, Malik gets a leading edge on that one but straight to the fielder for no runs. India is building the pressure on Pakistan.  76/4

11.1 I Pathan to S Malik, Malik shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the backfoot.  76/4

11 J Sharma to S Malik, Malik defends the ball off the backfoot and takes a quick single.  76/4

10.5 J Sharma to Misbah, Driven through the leg side by Misbah. The batsmen have run through for a single.  75/4

10.4 J Sharma to Misbah, Misbah has attempted to put bat on ball – but fails.  74/4

10.3 J Sharma to Misbah, Misbah goes after a wide one and misses. The fielding side celebrates thinking the batsman has knicked the ball. Umpire Taufel signals a wide. Good decision by the Umpire Taufel.  74/4

10.3 J Sharma to Misbah, Misbah flicks the ball towards the square leg region for a couple.  73/4

10.2 J Sharma to S Malik, Malik has played it to the point region for a single this time.  71/4

Pakistan needs 88 runs more to win off the remaining ten overs.

10.1 J Sharma to S Malik, Malik goes after a wide one and misses. Poor delivery by Sharma and equally poor shot execution by Malik.  70/4

10 I Pathan to S Malik, Malik chips the ball towards the long off region for a single.  70/4

9.5 I Pathan to Misbah, Misbah guides it to third man. A committed effort by Singh to save runs for his team. Only a single conceded.  69/4

9.4 I Pathan to Misbah, Misbah has played that with the full face of the bat. Dot ball.  68/4

9.3 I Pathan to S Malik, Malik intentionally guides the ball towards the third man region for a single again.  68/4

9.2 I Pathan to Misbah, Misbah guides it to third man. One run conceded.  67/4

9.1 I Pathan to S Malik, Malik pulls the ball only for a single on the leg side.  66/4

Irfan Pathan replaces his brother Yusuf Pathan in the bowling attack.

9 J Sharma to Misbah, Played to the point region by Misbah for no runs.  65/4

8.5 J Sharma to Misbah, Misbah has punched the ball off the backfoot. Dot ball.  65/4

8.4 J Sharma to Misbah, Misbah chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump.  65/4

With pressure builing on Pakistan, Misbah-ul-Haq joins skipper Malik at the crease.

8.3 J Sharma to Y Khan, OUT – Khan tries to loft the ball over mid on but fails to connect properly. That is easy pickings for Yusuf Pathan at mid on. Joginder Sharma strikes with his first wicket.  65/4

8.2 J Sharma to S Malik, Malik has pushed it to the cover region for a single.  65/3

8.1 J Sharma to Y Khan, Khan cleverly guides the ball towards the third man region for a single.  64/3

8 Y Pathan to S Malik, Malik dances down the track and does well to block the ball. Good ball by Yusuf Pathan.  63/3

7.5 Y Pathan to Y Khan, Khan flicks the ball on the leg side. One run added to the total. Good rotation of the strike by both the batsmen.  63/3

7.4 Y Pathan to S Malik, Malik flicks the ball away with a wristy shot for an easy single.  62/3

7.3 Y Pathan to Y Khan, Driven through the leg side by Khan for the third consecutive single in this over.  61/3

7.2 Y Pathan to S Malik, Driven through the leg side by Malik for a single again.  60/3

7.1 Y Pathan to Y Khan, Driven through the leg side by Khan for a single.  59/3

Dhoni introduces spin in the bowling attack. Yusuf Pathan is brought into the attack ahead of Harbhajan Singh.

7 J Sharma to S Malik, Malik plays the pull-shot for no runs again. End of a tidy first over by Joginder Sharma.  58/3

6.5 J Sharma to S Malik, Malik has played that with the full face of the bat. Dot ball again.  58/3

6.4 J Sharma to Y Khan, Khan guides it to third man. One run added to the total.  58/3

6.3 J Sharma to Y Khan, Khan has nicely driven the ball through the off side. The ball races to the boundary. Umpire Taufel signals four runs.  57/3

6.2 J Sharma to Y Khan, Edged by Khan but straight to the fielder for no runs.  53/3

End of Power Play. India has fought their way back into the match by picking three wickets in the Power Play.

6.1 J Sharma to Y Khan, Khan plays the square-cut for no runs.  53/3

Joginder Sharma is introduced into the bowling attack. He replaces RP Singh.

6 Sreesanth to S Malik, Left alone by Malik again.  53/3

5.5 Sreesanth to S Malik, Malik lets the ball go outside his off stump.  53/3

Pakistani skipper Shoaib Malik is the new batsman at the crease. He and Younus Khan has to consolidate the innings if Pakistan has to win this final.

5.4 Sreesanth to Y Khan, OUT – Driven through the off side by Khan. A direct hit by Uthappa. The fielding side appeals in unison. Third Umpire called who signals red light. Excellent fielding gets rid of Nazir.  53/3

5.3 Sreesanth to Y Khan, Khan excellently pulls the ball. The ball bisects the leg side field and races to the boundary.  53/2

5.2 Sreesanth to Y Khan, Khan goes after a wide one and misses. Poor delivery by Sreesanth. Umpire Benson has signalled a wide.  49/2

5.2 Sreesanth to Y Khan, Khan elegantly flicks the ball using his wrist. The ball has crossed the ropes in quick time. Good wrist work by Khan.  48/2

5.1 Sreesanth to Y Khan, Khan has played that off the front foot and into the ground.  44/2

Younus Khan blasts the ball for a boundary of the free hit ball.

5 RP Singh to Y Khan, Khan guides it to third man. One run conceded.  44/2

4.4 RP Singh to I Nazir, Nazir has played it to the point region. One run added to the total. Umpire Taufel has signalled a no ball for foot-fault. The next delivery will be a free hit.  39/2

4.4 RP Singh to I Nazir, Nazir cuts the ball hard. The ball takes the edge of the bat and races to the boundary. Umpire Taufel signals a boundary.  37/2

4.3 RP Singh to I Nazir, Nazir drives through the leg side but straight to the fielder for no runs.  33/2

4.2 RP Singh to Y Khan, Khan guides it to third man for a single.  33/2

4.1 RP Singh to I Nazir, Nazir has slammed it through point. One run added to the total.  32/2

4 Sreesanth to Y Khan, Defended off the back foot by Khan. End of a maiden over by Sreesanth. This is the first maiden over of the match.  31/2

3.5 Sreesanth to Y Khan, Khan is beaten by a beauty from Sreesanth. Good comeback by Sreesanth after being hit for over 20 runs in his first over.  31/2

3.4 Sreesanth to Y Khan, Khan lets the ball go outside his off stump.  31/2

3.3 Sreesanth to Y Khan, Ball hits Khan low on the pads. The fielding side appeals in unison. Umpire Benson shows no interest in the appeal.  31/2

3.2 Sreesanth to Y Khan, Khan has slammed it through point for no runs.  31/2

3.1 Sreesanth to Y Khan, Left alone by Khan.  31/2

3 RP Singh to I Nazir, Nazir cleverly plays a leg glance towards the fine leg region. The ball has crossed the ropes for a boundary. End of another wicket taking over by RP Singh.  31/2

2.5 RP Singh to Y Khan, Khan guides the ball towards the third man region. One run conceded.  27/2

2.4 RP Singh to Y Khan, Khan has dug out that yorker at the last second.  26/2

With two early wickets down, Younus Khan is the new batsman at the crease.

2.3 RP Singh to K Akmal, OUT – RP Singh seams the ball in by a long way. Akmal has lost his off stump to a beauty from RP Singh. RP Singh strikes with two wickets in two overs.  26/2

2.2 RP Singh to K Akmal, Akmal has driven it straight down the ground for no runs.  26/1

2.1 RP Singh to I Nazir, Nazir has played that off the front foot and into the ground. The batsmen have run through for a single.  26/1

2 Sreesanth to I Nazir, Driven through the leg side by Nazir for a single. End of a fruitful over for Pakistan.  25/1

1.5 Sreesanth to I Nazir, Nazir blasts the ball over covers. The ball has crossed the ropes. Twenty runs have come so far with one ball left. Sreesanth is proving to be expensive.  24/1

1.4 Sreesanth to I Nazir, Nazir has attempted to play that one – but missed.  20/1

1.3 Sreesanth to I Nazir, Nazir cuts the ball hard. The ball flies over the third man region for a six. Nazir is taking Sreesanth to the cleaners out there.  20/1

1.2 Sreesanth to I Nazir, Nazir pulls the ball for a massive six on the leg side. The ball clears the ropes very easily. Good hit by Nazir.  14/1

1.1 Sreesanth to I Nazir, Nazir slams a short ball outside his off stump over the point region. The ball has crossed the ropes in a flash.  8/1

Sreesanth will share the new ball with RP Singh.

1 RP Singh to K Akmal, Delicate glance by Akmal through the fine leg region for a couple. Akmal gets off the mark. End of an excellent first over by RP Singh.  4/1

Kamran Akmal comes to bat in the middle very early in the Pakistani innings.

0.5 RP Singh to M Hafeez, OUT – Hafeez pokes at the ball outside his off stump. It’s been taken in the slips by Uthappa. RP Singh strikes early to send the Pakistani opener back to the pavilion.  2/1

0.4 RP Singh to M Hafeez, Hafeez has played that with the full face of the bat. Dot ball.  2/0

0.3 RP Singh to I Nazir, Nazir defends the ball off the backfoot and pinch a quick single. Nazir gets off the mark.  2/0

0.2 RP Singh to I Nazir, Pushed to the cover region by Nazir for no runs.  1/0

0.1 RP Singh to M Hafeez, Hafeez guides the ball towards the third man region for a single. Pakistan’s run chase gets underway.  1/0

RP Singh will start the bowling proceedings for India. Early wickets from RP Singh will give India a realistic chance to win this final.

Pakistani openers Imran Nazir and Mohammad Hafeez are out at the crease. A good start from both of them will help Pakistan chase the total without any hiccups.

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