June 9, 2009
Pakistan scrape through
In a desperate attempt to win, Pakistan won their second group match by a convincing margin of 82 runs to book a spot in the super eights. Pakistan produced their best show on the field on this trip so far in the ICC T-20 championships including the warm-ups. Pakistan scored 50 runs for the loss of a solitary wicket in the power play to lay the groundwork for a total which in the end was too big to chase for an associate team like Netherlands.
Pakistan have chopped & changed their opening pair a number of times in the past, today was no different with Kamran Akmal coming on to bat with Salman Butt. They started off aggressively with Akmal scoring two boundaries in the second over of the innings bowled by Schiferli. Dirk Nannes, the standout performer for the dutch team on the day, started off economically conceding just 5 of his first two overs. Butt who looked threatening was finally caught at cover off a loose cut shot in the fifth over. That did manage to put a brake on the scoring as the next two overs went for 4 runs apiece before Akmal took to Borren in the eighth over fetching 13 runs. Malik was dropped off the first ball of the very next over of Ten Doeschate, a chance which proved costly as he ended up scoring a crucial 30. From there onwards Pakistan looked to dominate scoring 108 in the next 12 overs with 5 sixes as against 1 versus England which came in the seventeenth over from Misbah.
Netherlands though must be disappointed that after defeating England they weren’t able to go to the next round as they put up a poor show, failing to score 151 required to qualify for the super eights, they were bundled for a paltry 93. Shahid Afridi spun his web taking 4 wickets, it seems his hard hitting days are over considering his poor show with the bat over the last many years but his legbreak or rather toe breaking pacy balls are often hard enough for accomplished players let alone lesser teams to play. The dutch were never really in the game especially at the end of 6 overs of power play after which they required nearly 10 an over to win & 114 to qualify for super eights. The introduction of spin on either ends with Ajmal & Afridi proved to be their undoing as the two produced spells of 3 for 20 & 4 for 11 respectively taking Pakistan home & through to round 2.
Score Card
Result – Pakistan beat Netherlands by 82 runs
Fall of wickets: 1. Darron Reekers 13 (1.3), 2. Bas Zuiderent 42 (7.1), 3. Peter Borren 47 (8.4), 4. Alexei Kervezee 49 (9), 5. Tom de Grooth 61 (11.1), 6. Daan van Bunge 61 (11.3), 7. Ryan ten Doeschate 71 (12.5), 8. Edgar Schiferli 74 (13.3), 9. Dirk Nannes 90 (16.4), 10. Pieter Seelaar 93 (17.3)
Man of the match: Kamran Akmal
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Filed Under: Cricket
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