Shaky Pakistan survive Netherlands scare in T20 World Cup opener

COLOMBO (Agencies): The Netherlands nearly pulled off a major upset before Faheem Ashraf’s breezy cameo secured a nervy three-wicket win for Pakistan in their Group A match at the Twenty20 World Cup on Saturday. Put in to bat, the Dutch were bowled out for 147 with one delivery left in their innings at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club ground. They then produced a lion-hearted effort with the ball, but dropping Faheem proved costly as he went on to smash 29 not out off 11 balls to secure Pakistan’s victory with three balls to spare. “They managed to pull wickets down and the pressure came in,” a visibly relieved Pakistan captain Salman Agha said. “Credit to Faheem, the way he batted.” Pakistan have little margin for error in their bid to qualify for the Super 8 stage after deciding to boycott their group match against arch-rivals India. Having bowled out the Netherlands with a ball to spare, they made heavy weather of their small target with the bat, and the outcome could have been different had Max O’Dowd held the catch offered by Faheem.

Earlier, the Dutch side had reached 100 in the 13th over but lost the plot at the death, giving up six wickets in 24 balls for just 20 runs. They had lost openers Max O’Dowd and Michael Levitt in successive overs but their middle order refused to throw in the towel. Bas de Leede (30), Colin Ackermann (20) and captain Scott Edwards (37) all made useful contributions. But Pakistan spinner Saim Ayub claimed two wickets in the 17th over and Salman Mirza (3-24) struck twice in the 20th to restrict the Netherlands to a below-par total. Ayub (24) returned to hit four fours and a six when Pakistan began their chase but Dutch spinner Aryan Dutta dismissed him and rival captain Salman Agha in successive overs to keep his team in the game. Babar Azam’s strike rate in T20 is often debated, and his departure after an 18-ball 15 will do little to convince his critics. With Pakistan reeling on 119-7 after 18 overs, player-of-the-match Faheem hit Logan van Beek for a six but then skied the next ball. O’Dowd, at long-off, floored the catch, allowing Faheem to go on and seal Pakistan’s victory with a four. “Credit to the boys for fighting,” Netherlands captain Edwards said. “You know sometimes cricket can be a cruel game.”

Brief scores:

Pakistan 148 for 7 (Farhan 47, Faheem 29 not out, van Meekeren 2-20, Dutt 2-33) beat Netherlands 147 (Edwards 37, de Leede 30, Mirza 3-24, Ayub 2-7, Abrar 2-23, Nawaz 2-38) by three wickets.