Karachi, March 13: India beat Pakistan by five runs in the first one-day international cricket match here today in a nail-biting, last over finish.

India scored a sensational victory in the first match of their historic cricket tour of Pakistan in a thriller that was decided on the last ball of the tie. A world record of 693 runs was made on a day of scintillating batting by the two sides and fluctuating fortunes.

In a nightmarish reminder of the last ball six victory by the current Pakistan coach Javed Miandad against India nearly 20 years ago, the home side required six runs off the final ball to overtake the visitors' 349, but Ashish Nehra kept his nerve and Moin Khan spooned a catch as the capacity crowd of nearly 40,000 fell silent.

Indian bowlers kept their nerve when it mattered most to beat Pakistan.

Needing 350 for a win, Pakistani batsmen spearheaded by their skipper Inzamam-Ul Haq's magnificent 122 off 104 balls, came close, needing nine runs in the last over of the match bowled by Ashish Nehra.

The lanky Delhi bowler not only managed to bowl a tight line and length but also had the danger man Moin Khan caught by Zaheer Khan at long-off off the last ball of the match as India romped home victorious by a narrow margin - restricting the hosts to 344 for eight in 50 overs.

Unlike in the tour opener against Pakistan-A, which the Indian team lost despite scoring over 330 runs, the Indian bowlers managed to pull off a victory despite a massive onslaught by Inzamam and Yousuf Youhana and later by Yunis Khan and Abdul Razzaq.

The Pakistani opening batsmen, Yasir Hameed (7) and Imran Farhat (24), were dismissed early. However, Yousuf Youhana and Inzamam-ul Haq put on 135 runs off 20.3 overs for the third wicket.

The Pakistani batsmen managed to score at over nine runs per over in the last 15 overs or so and looked set to pull off an amazing victory.

However, their middle order failed to deliver the goods only in the last two overs of the match and the game swung India's way to the surprise of the Indian team. (Agencies)

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