LONDON: Pakistan yesterday bamboozled the Dutch with a terrific display of spin bowling to march into the ICC World Twenty20 Super Eights with an emphatic 82-run triumph in a must-win Group C match here at Lord’s.
Needing to beat the Netherlands by at least 25 runs to avoid what would been an embarrassing first-round exit from the tournament, Pakistan raised their game to finish off the job with Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal doing the trick.
Afridi was almost unplayable, picking up a career-best 4-11 in his four overs. He took three of them within a space of ten balls to completely demolish the Dutch batting that had blasted the England attack in a four-wicket triumph at the same venue last Friday.
He clean bowled Bas Zuiderent (13) and then got rid of Tom de Grooth (4), Daan van Bunge (0) and Edgar Schiferli (2) to end any hopes the Dutch had of proceeding to the Super Eights.
Saeed Ajmal (3-20) was also spot on, using his ‘doosra’ very effectively to scalp Dutch top scorer Alexei Kerveeze (21), Peter Borren (2) and Dirk Nannes (6). Kamran Akmal had four stumpings — a Twenty20 International record. The wicketkeeper surpassed his own record of three stumpings against Kenya.
The Dutch were never in the hunt after restricting Pakistan to 175-5. Darron Reekers (13) struck two consecutive boundaries off Aamer before handing Sohail Tanvir a simple catch. The Dutch struggled while facing the new ball but their cause was helped by yet another display of poor fielding by Pakistan. Alexei Kerveeze was given two lives, first by Shoaib Malik off Sohail at backward point and then Salman Butt floored a simple catch at fine leg off Aamer.
The Dutch were 37-1 at the end of power play but it was the introduction of the spinners that sealed the fate of the match in Pakistan’s favor.
It was in the 18th over that Gul cleaned up the leg stump Pieter Seelar to wrap up the Dutch innings at a paltry 93.
Earlier, Younis Khan won a good toss and as expected decided to bat first. Pakistan made two changes to the side that lost against England at The Oval, bringing in Sohail Tanvir in place of the injured Yasir Arafat with all-rounder Fawad Alam replacing opener Ahmed Shahzad.
Akmal and Salman Butt put up 38 off 27 balls, which would have been counted as a good opening stand in normal circumstances. But with Pakistan needing to win by at least 25 runs, things were different.
Butt scored a six off Edgar Schiferli at cover in the fourth over and also struck two fours but played too many dots balls in his 13-ball 18. He went back, handing a straight forward catch to Peter Borren off Ryan ten Doeschate.
Akmal was more purposeful as he kept the scoreboard ticking, hitting two sizzling sixers and three fours in his 41 off 30 balls. His fall in the 10th over off Pieter Seelar was a big blow for Pakistan as they were never really able to step on the gas during the rest of the innings after losing their most in-form pinch-hitter. 0Pakistan were unable to make full use of the power-play overs, finishing at 50-1 in six overs.
Malik announced his arrival with two fours but those were the only boundaries he hit in a disappointing 30 off 28 balls, which wasn’t exactly the sort of role he was needed to play for the sake of Pakistan’s survival. He was mostly unable to time the ball well and even when he did, the placement was all wrong. He was dropped at 15 by Bas Zuiderent but failed to capitalize on it, holing one to the deep midwicket to make it 99-3 for Pakistan in 13 overs. Between the ninth and 14th overs, Pakistan didn’t score a single boundary.
Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq then added 53 off 29 balls - Pakistan’s biggest partnership - to raise their team’s hopes. Younis dealt with singles and doubles but hit three sixers including two consecutive ones just before losing his wicket in the 18th over. Younis’s 31 came off just 20 balls.
Misbah, who remained unbeaten on a 20-ball 31 that included three fours, played just one dot ball in his knock.
Pakistan needed some big hits in the last two overs, after the 18th fetched them 17 because of some lusty hitting by Younis. The stage was set for Shahid Afridi but the big-hitter could smash just one sixer at long on before getting bowled by Dirk Nannes for 13 off seven balls.
