5 min readOct 31, 2022 07:26 AM IST
First published on: Oct 30, 2022 at 04:35 PM IST
Once the Netherlands were restricted to 91/9 and the destination of the two points more or less settled, the only question that remained to be answered was how quickly Pakistan would overhaul the target to give their net run rate a boost, if it came down to that as a tie-breaker to decide semifinal spots.
Babar Azam’s men took 13.5 overs to seal a six-wicket victory, but it seemed they could have gone a bit quicker against a Dutch attack that didn’t have anyone to take full advantage of the pace-friendly pitch at the Perth Stadium. But after two successive defeats – the last one against Zimbabwe – maybe, the top order erred on the side of caution to avoid any drama in a routine chase.
Skipper still short of runs
Mohammad Rizwan got some useful time in the middle with a 49, but the skipper, short of runs and under pressure due to criticism back home, spurned an opportunity to get a score, being runout on this occasion.
Hard and fast
Earlier, it seemed the Pakistan fast bowlers had learnt a lesson or two from their game against Zimbabwe, where they predominantly went full and allowed some easy runs first up. On Sunday, they resorted to hard lengths, bowled at some serious pace, and the Dutch batsmen were not used to such a challenge. They managed just 19/1 in the Powerplay and also lost Bas de Leede, suffering a cut on the cheek and just below the eye as tried a hook to a pacy Haris Rauf delivery that climbed rapidly on to his grille.
The four-pronged Pakistan pace attack gave little respite to the Africans. Shaheen Shah Afridi came into the tournament under an injury cloud and had gone wicketless in the first two games. It was believed that he was yet to hit his straps. He couldn’t have asked for a better outing to feel his way in. Rauf and Naseem Shah were a handful with their pace and bounce and Mohammad Wasim gave a glimpse of what he has to offer with two toe-crushing yorkers in the final over, which put him on a hat-trick.
No spin, but leggie effective
With the fast bowlers so difficult to get away, Zimbabwe would have pinned their hopes on making up against the spinners, especially as the surface hardly offered any assistance to the slower bowlers. But cagey leg-spinner Shadab Khan put paid to these aspirations as well.
After having the experienced Tom Cooper caught in the deep off his first delivery, a long-hop incidentally, the leggie kept things tight by targeting the stumps, and got two more wickets – both LBW- without any turn from the wicket.
Routine chase
Pakistan lost four wickets in the chase, but the result was never in any doubt. The Dutch opening bowlers Fred Klaasen and Paul van Meekeren made the cardinal error of pitching the ball up, and Rizwan feasted on the offerings. In contrast to the laboured Dutch batting effort, Pakistan scored 41/1 from their batting Powerplay without trying anything extravagant. They were halfway to the target in just 6.2 overs.
In fact, the only anxious moment they endured came when Fakhar Zaman, returning to the side at No.3 after a knee injury, seemed to do himself some mischief while turning and diving back into his crease.
Long way to go
Remarkably, it was the first T20I victory for Pakistan on Australian soil and while the two points – on the third attempt – will be a welcome respite for the champions, they still need other results to go their way, apart from winning their remaining group matches, if they are to advance into the semifinals. They have to play South Africa in Sydney and Bangladesh in Adelaide in the coming week, two venues which may not offer as much bounce as Perth. Mohammad Nawaz, after his nightmarish 20th over against India, got only two overs in Perth, but may be needed more in those two matches.
Brief scores: The Netherlands 91/9 (Ackerman 27; Shadab 3/22) lost to Pakistan 95/4 in 13.5 overs (Rizwan 49; Glover 2/22) by six wickets
Shadab Khan is congratulated by teammates after taking the wicket of the Netherlands' Tom Cooper. (AP) 
Share
