Shadab stars as Pakistan get off the mark beats Netherland
Led by Shadab Khan's 3 for 22 and a late breakdown set off by the pacers, Pakistan thumped Netherlands by 6 wickets in Perth to finally get off the mark in T20 World Cup 2022. The legspinner's early strikes drove the Dutch into a shell, in the long run limiting them to only 91/9 with Bas de Leede retiring hurt after being hit on the face. Mohammad Rizwan drove the easy chase with his 39-ball 49 as Pakistan overhauled the target on the penultimate ball of the 14th over.
Shadab strikes hold Netherlands under tight restraints
Netherlands' experiment with Myburgh didn't exactly obtain the outcomes they needed, as the opener, cramped for room while attempting to pull one from Shaheen Afridi, offered a simple top edge. They heaved and puffed their direction to only 19/1 off their powerplay, also losing Bas de Leede along the way who had to retire hurt after copping a blow to his helmet off Haris Rauf and a cut on the face. On the off chance that wasn't bad enough Shadab struck two times in about seven balls to leave them reeling at 26/3. Tom Cooper, who had replaced de Leede in the center, pulled a short one directly to deep midwicket while Max O'Dowd burnt a review on his way back after being adjudged LBW.
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Pacers star in late breakdown
Colin Ackermann (27 off 27) and Scott Edwards were the main two players to get into double-digits, and the pair did it through an unassuming 35-run stand that came at simply under run-a-ball in the middle overs. However, when Shadab broke that one significant partnership, the Pakistan pacers offered Netherlands zero chance at recovery. The Dutch lost a wicket in each of the remaining overs, beginning from the fifteenth, besides in eighteenth, to crawl to a modest 91/9. Shadab, the leggie, started it off, pinging Ackermann straight in line on the pads when the batter missed his reverse sweep. Edwards fell attempting to scoop one fine, with a fine-leg fielder positioned, and Rauf hit the top of Roelof van der Merwe's stumps at 147 kmph. Mohammad Wasim Jr joined the party in the penultimate over, tidying up Tim Pringle and Fred Klaassen off successive balls, while Paul van Meekeren was run out attempting to take a second last ball of the innings.
Rizwan leads the way in easy chase
Netherlands had hit just five boundaries in their full 20 overs, Pakistan had as many by the time they reached 30 when Rizwan smacked one straight down the ground, past mid-on. Babar Azam's risky attempt for a single and the resultant run-out notwithstanding, Pakistan were in a hurry to close this chase out early and Rizwan led the way with his 49. He got Pakistan going with a 11-run opening over, including dispatching a low full-toss from Klaassen to the fence. The scoops and the drives were all on display as he kept his side way ahead of the asking rate. They did have a couple of more hiccups along the way - Fakhar Zaman perished chasing and edging a wide one from Glover to the 'keeper, and Rizwan himself inside-edged one behind on 49. But despite it all, the result was hardly in question. Fittingly, Shadab got them over the line with more than six overs to spare.
What would be the best next step?
Given their precarious position in the group, Pakistan have no opportunity to celebrate as they take on South Africa next, in Sydney. For now, they may very well need to remain back and root for India a tad, since the neighbors' victory over South Africa in Sunday's last match will help their chances.
All but knocked out, Netherlands head to Adelaide now where they will take on the two African opponents in their group - Zimbabwe (November 2) and South Africa (November 6).
Match Summary
Netherlands 91/9 in 20 overs (Colin Ackermann 27; Shadab Khan 3-22, Mohammad Wasim Jr 2-15) lost to Pakistan 95/4 in 13.5 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 49; Brandon Glover 2-22) by 6 wickets
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