Cricket: Pathan joins long list of bogeymen

It is fortunate that suffocating security concerns mean New Zealand's cricketers are allowed to venture outside their hotels only to play and practice while in India.

Given freedom to roam there's no question a short walk around the block would see them stumble upon yet another Indian ready, willing and able to cause them grief.

In the test series won 1-0 by India it was Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh and the following five-match one-day series threw up stand-in skipper Gautam Gambhir, who gave his side the early initiative with successive centuries.

Now, allrounder Yusuf Pathan has joined the growing list of New Zealand's bogeymen after he clubbed his maiden century when India ran down the tourists' challenging 315 for seven with five wickets and seven balls to spare in the fourth one-day international at Bangalore yesterday.

India are on the brink of a series clean sweep ahead of the final game in Chennai starting tomorrow night (NZT) after 28-year-old Pathan destroyed an errant bowling attack to help himself to 123 not out off just 96 balls, a sparkling innings sprinkled with seven fours and as many sixes.

He shared an unbroken stand of 133 for the sixth wicket with Saurabh Tiwary, who contributed 37 not out after India were in a spot of bother at 188 for five in the 34th over at Chinnaswamy Stadium.

But Pathan, who had earlier taken three for 49 with the ball, took the game away from the tourists in a bewildering attack, which included him belting 21 runs from the 43rd over from experienced seamer Kyle Mills as the Indians trimmed the equation to a run a ball pace in the closing overs.

Few of the New Zealand bowlers were spared as Mills coughed up 65 runs from his 10 overs, Tim Southee 64 from 10, Andy McKay 63 off seven and skipper Daniel Vettori 57 from his full allocation. Only offspinner Nathan McCullum emerged unscathed, his figures of two for 38 off 7.5 overs a rare highlight after James Franklin hit a career best 98 not out off 69 balls, with 12 fours and three sixes.

Gambhir said he always backed Pathan to do the job.

"I have always said Pathan can finish games on his own, and that's what he did today," Gambhir said.

"I had never seen something like this before. But I knew till the time Pathan was there, we would win the game."

New Zealand's 10th consecutive one-day defeat cut deep with Vettori.

"We were in the game, but Pathan was pretty amazing. Franklin played exceptionally well too to give us a formidable total, but Pathan took the game away from us."

Franklin had earlier underlined a spirited batting display by the tourists after they were put into bat in the day-night game. Scott Styris made 46, Ross Taylor 44 and Brendon McCullum 42 before Franklin took charge.

After topscoring with 72 in the third match at Vadodara, Franklin provided the late impetus, helping New Zealand add 63 runs in the last five overs.

He hit two sixes and as many fours in the last over by Ashish Nehra to take his side past the 300-run mark.

Senior batsman Brendon McCullum thought 315 was a winning total. "A score like that was well above par and the way James Franklin played was truly outstanding," McCullum told Radio Sport.

"It should have been a winning total but the innings of Pathan was breathtaking although the bowling could have been a lot better.

"It was one of those innings where you sort of sit back and wait for him to make a mistake. He didn't make one and we definitely gave him a lot of opportunities off our poor bowling as well."

- NZPA