India v Pakistan

At Kanpur, April 15, 2005. Pakistan won by five wickets. Toss: India.

Shahid Afridi pulled off an astonishing win with nearly eight overs to spare. He rendered a tricky pitch, two world-class spinners and a potentially awkward target redundant with a brainscrambling 46-ball 102. Afridi's fourth one-day international century came off 45 balls - the jointsecond fastest ever, eight short of his own record - with ten fours and nine sixes. The mayhem began when the third over, from Balaji, cost 23; so did the fifth, from Kumble, and Mongia yielded 22 in the 11th. The barrage continued until Afridi reached 100 with an ungainly hoicked pull down the ground, and was bowled next ball - playing a defensive forward push. By then Pakistan were 131, in the 15th over. His team-mates' relative struggle showed how difficult the pitch actually was. Acting-captain Dravid and Kaif had rescued India from another collapse engineered by Navedul- Hasan, battling from 59 for four to 194. Dravid was run out in the last over for 86, and an electric 33 from Mongia transformed India's total. Then, 249 seemed enough; Afridi changed all that.

Man of the Match: Shahid Afridi.