DURBAN (AP):
ZAHEER KHAN of India and Shoaib Akhtar of Pakistan shared five wickets yesterday to lead the Asian XI over an African XI by 17 runs at Kingsmead Stadium in the second of three one-day internationals.
Khan was the pick of the bowlers with 3-43 as Africa scored 250 in 49.2 overs, falling short of the 267 scored by Asia.
Shoaib followed his 2-40 in the first match won by two runs by Africa with 2-50. He delivered two hostile spells of high-speed bowling which frequently had the African batsmen in trouble.
None of them was able to get going: A.B. de Villiers tried to hold the top order together with a 39 scraped together despite poor form and good Asian bowling.
When the required run-rate ballooned out to nearly eight, Kenya's Steve Tikolo weighed in with some lusty hitting in his 43, but he chanced his arm once too often and holed out to Muttiah Muralitharan, caught at square leg by Virender Sehwag.
When the final over dawned, Africa needed an improbable 18, and the Kenya captain tried to hit Khan over long off. He failed, and was caught by Mahela Jayawardene for 28.
Asia were captained in the field by Muralitharan in the absence of Inzamam ul-Haq, who strained his groin while batting.
"I hope it's the first and last time at this level for me," Muralitharan said. "There's lots of pressure and it's hard to concentrate on your bowling."
"We just kept losing wickets," Africa captain Shaun Pollock said. "We needed players who could hit a few more boundaries at the death to have a real chance."
Earlier, Kenya's Thomas Odoyo took three wickets as Asia totalled 267 for seven in their 50 overs.
After the early dismissal of Shahid Afridi - he was trapped leg before wicket by Heath Streak second ball after smashing a six off his first - Sehwag and Kumar Sangakkara rebuilt the innings with some solid hitting.
Odoyo was then introduced into the attack by Pollock. He had Sehwag caught by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher for 38, followed by Sangakkara (61), who mistimed a hook and skied the ball for Boucher to take an easy catch.
Yousuf Youhana and Jayawardene put on 79 runs for the fourth wicket before Youhana fell for 42.
Odoyo's reintroduction accounted for Jayawardene as the Sri Lanka batsman charged down the pitch to give Boucher - standing up to the Kenyan bowler's medium-pacers - an easy stumping.
Ul-Haq, who won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch many thought would give the bowlers more help than it did, then added a breezy undefeated 32.
After Odoyo's 3-45, Streak was the most successful of the other African bowlers, with 2-64 off nine overs.
