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Needing six runs to win the ICC World Twenty20 title from four balls, Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul Haq scooped it up for Sreesanth to take the catch and India to clinch the coveted crown. The following are what the players had to say during the presentation (in alphabetical order):
SHAHID AFRIDI (Man of the Tournament): First of all I want to thank Allah!. Winning or losing doesn’t matter. This series I struggled with my batting a bit but concentrated on bowling and fielding. A friend of mine said I would win this award. I want to thank him. Twenty20 cricket is good entertainment.
MAHENDRA SINGH DHONI: I think this is one of the moments in my three-year old career that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I will forever treasure it… Congratulations to my boys for the way they responded. Winning or losing doesn’t matter… I am proud of they reacted. No one expected us to win. We deserve our big celebration. Pakistan bowled very well to restrict us, but we knew that once we put up the score of around 160, Pakistan would have to go and get it.
| LAST OVER |
 19.1: Joginder Sharma delivers a big wide far outside the off stump. Runs required: 12; balls remaining: 6
19.1: Misbah-ul Haq misses the line completely. No run. Runs required: 12; balls remaining:
19.2: Sharma full-toss. A cool Misbah easily despatches it over the boundary. Runs required: 6; balls remaining: 4
19.3: Misbah takes the risk going for a scoop shot over fine-leg. The ball goes straight up into the air for Sreesanth to complete the formality. |
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In the last over, Harbhajan was not sure about keeping the yorkers in the right place. He was not 100 per cent confident. My choice was clear. It had to be the new guy, Joginder Sharma. It doesn’t matter if we had lost. Joginder bowled well in the end. Twenty20 cricket will catch up in India. This win will ensure that. The format of the game is such that it will be a big hit in India. This will somewhat repair the damage of the World Cup in the Caribbean.
SHOAIB MALIK: Before anything else, I would like to thank the Muslims back home and around the world. We gave our 100 per cent today… But couldn’t win it. I am sorry. All of us tried our hearts out. The Indians have a really strong batting line-up. We did well to restrict them to 157. But our batting didn’t go according to expectations. The Indians bowled very well today. Some bad shots did us in. Next up is our series versus South Africa and we will give our 100 per cent there.
IRFAN PATHAN (Man of the Match): Mashallah! It’s a great comeback for me. The Twenty20 world cup is amazing. When I came in I was a bit under pressure. I held my nerve and bowled in the right areas. The pitch was a bit on the slower side. I tried the split finger ones.
“It gripped a bit when I bowled those. I tried to mix up the pace and keep things tight. In the end it could have gone any way. The final over was all about pressure. All the bowlers bowled pretty well. We bowled, batted and fielded as a team.” (AGENCIES)
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