New Zealand enter semis off pitch-battle

All the myth about poor and sub-standard wickets in the Champions Trophy, for once, got buried under the true PCA Stadium at Mohali

All the myth about poor and sub-standard wickets in the Champions Trophy, for once, got buried under the true PCA Stadium at Mohali, providing a much-needed relief to the tournament in the form of runs.

Keeping aside the dew factor and, possibly, even the trend of low scores that this tournament has seen so far, Wednesday8217;s match between New Zealand and Pakistan has given the teams, fans and the ICC a lot to cheer about, though this venue will also play host to the India-Australia game where seam action will be prominent and runs could be in store too.

The end result came in the most upsetting manner though 8212; Pakistan lost to New Zealand by 51 runs 8212; creating a flutter among Group B teams. Wednesday8217;s match gave New Zealand a semi-final berth while sending Sri Lanka out of the tournament, leaving South Africa and Pakistan to fight for the second spot from the group.

8220;One-day cricket is a lottery. You win some, you lose some,8217;8217; Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer said after the match.

Unlike a few matches in Mumbai and Jaipur, where the bowlers managed to hold sway, Mohali turned out to be the batsmen8217;s zone.

That Pakistan did not bat after winning the toss, was primarily due to the fact that their new ball bowlers were actually not the team8217;s first choice. The dew factor may have contributed too.

8220;Had I won the toss, I would have done the same,8217;8217; New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming said later.

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Pakistan, riding on the victory over Sri Lanka, still believed their pace attack could give another disciplined spell, given the fact that conditions were helping. Woolmer had reminded the other day that his bowlers 8220;weren8217;t riding on just luck but were actually in great form.8217;8217;

However, it was PCA curator Daljit Singh8217;s prophecy that proved right on what has been his second home for almost 15 years now. 8220;The pitch may look soft from outside, but inside it8217;s a hard surface,8217;8217; he had said on the eve of the match. 8220;There8217;ll be the early swing but a lot of runs here,8217;8217; he said. Almost everything came right.

If not for the early scare 60/3, New Zealand 8212; they eventually ended at 274 8212; found the wicket easy for the batsmen. On the other hand, Pakistan were bundled out for 223, a performance that Woolmer called 8220;plain bad cricket,8217;8217; especially after the way they had batted against Lanka, chasing 253.

Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik led Pakistan8217;s fightback for some time but once they departed, the mounting run-rate led the rest into making false strokes.

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Fleming, as usual, led from the front and became the highest run-scorer as captain in ODIs, overtaking Arjuna Ranatunga8217;s tally of 5606 runs.

The skipper received ample help from all-rounder Scott Styris 86, coming back from injury and being forced to use a runner later in the innings.