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Afridi, Khan help Pakistan set India massive target

Opener Shahid Afridi slammed Pakistan's fastest half-century in test cricket Sunday and Younis Khan played another robust knock to set India a massive target in the third and final test match.

Afridi (58) reached his 50 off 26 deliveries and shared a brisk 91-run opening stand with Yasir Hammed (76) before Khan blasted an unbeaten 84 as Pakistan declared its second innings at 261 for two, setting India a victory target of 383.
Pakistan led by 121 runs in the first innings, having scored 570 and bowling India out for 449.

No team has ever successfully scored so many runs in its second innings to win a test match on Indian soil. The West Indies holds the record of scoring 276 for the highest winning score by a team batting last in a test in India - in 1987.

India, which has a 1-0 lead in the series after winning last week's second test match, was 25 for no loss at stumps with Gautam Gambhir batting on 16 and Virender Sehwag seven not out.

Afridi's half-century eclipsed Yousuf Youhana's previous Pakistan record of 50 in 27 balls, set against South Africa at Cape Town in 2002. The overall test record is held by South Africa's Jacques Kallis, who scored a half-century off 24 balls against Zimbabwe last month.

Afridi's aggressive innings ended when he jumped out of his crease against leg-spinner Sachin Tendulkar and was stumped by Dinesh Karthik. His knock contained two sixes and eight boundaries from 34 balls.

Hameed struck one six and seven fours off 138 deliveries in 2-1/2 hours before falling lbw to Anil Kumble, while Khan smashed 10 boundaries in his unconquered 98-ball knock.

Khan was just 16 runs short of becoming the first Pakistan batsman to score a double-century and a hundred in the same test match when Inzamam-ul-Haq (31 not out) declared the innings.

Earlier, Pakistan bowled India out for 449 despite a 53-run last-wicket stand between V.V.S. Laxman and Kumble that frustrated the bowlers for 1-1/2 hours.

India's No.11 batsman Kumble scored 22 in his partnership with Laxman, who remained 79 not out.

A cover-driven boundary off leg-spinner Danish Kaneria was the pick of Kumble's three boundaries from 64 deliveries.

Laxman struck form as he batted for nearly three hours to hit 11 boundaries from 183 balls.

Resuming at the overnight score of 379 for six, India lost Irfan Pathan (5), Harbhajan Singh (1) and Laxmipathy Balaji (2) for the addition of just 17 runs.

Pathan was caught by Yousuf Youhana at point off Mohammad Sami (3-106), while Kaneria (5-125) had Singh caught by Abdul Razzaq at mid-on and induced an edge from Balaji to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.

Kaneria's haul was the 10th time he has claimed five or more wickets in an innings during his 26-test career.