India bowl out Pakistan for 128 in key match

Cancer survivor Yuvraj Singh claimed two wickets and threw down a run-out as India shot Pakistan out for 128 in a crucial World Twenty20 match in Colombo on Sunday. Seamer Lakshmipathy Balaji chipped in with three wickets and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took two to leave Pakistan in tatters after Mohammad Hafeez won the toss and elected to bat. Shoaib Malik top-scored with 28, but only one other batsman managed to touch 20 in the face of steady bowling by the Indians. If India lose, they will be knocked out of the tournament along with South Africa, meaning both Australia and Pakistan will reach the semi-finals from group two. But an Indian win will keep all four teams alive for Tuesday's last round of Super Eights matches. Pakistan have never beaten India in either the 50-over World Cup or the World Twenty20, in which they contested a thrilling final in 2007. Sunday's match is only the third Twenty20 international between the two countries. A sell-out crowd of 35,000 at the Premadasa stadum saw a scintillating start as the first two overs produced 13 runs each, besides a dropped catch in the slips by Virender Sehwag and the wicket of Imran Nazir. India hit back to grab four more wickets in the next nine overs, two of them in successive overs by Yuvraj, to reduce Pakistan to 59-5 by the 10th over. Big-hitter Shahid Afridi, who was promoted to number three, had made 14 when he lofted Balaji to deep mid-wicket where Suresh Raina was perfectly positioned to take the skier. Yuvraj, who was treated for a rare germ-cell cancer between his lungs earlier this year before making a comeback for the World Twenty20, ran out Yasir Arafat with a direct throw. Bilateral cricket ties between the neighbours, suspended after the Mumbai attacks in 2008, are set to resume in December when Pakistan tour India for three one-dayers and two Twenty20 games.