There were no exuberant celebrations when Faheem Ashraf sealed a win that calmed Pakistan’s dugout with three deliveries remaining in the final over. A routine stroll had taken an unexpected tumble that not many expected Pakistan to get back on the feet the way they did. But Ashraf single-handedly pulled them back and like his teammates in the dugout, he breathed a sigh of relief after pulling off a rescue act against the Netherlands as the T20 World Cup got off to a dramatic start at the Sinhalese Sports Club. With the stands thrown open for free, fans turned up in numbers to create an atmosphere that was fitting of the contest, as Pakistan appeared to do the unthinkable, which would have pushed them to the brink had they had fallen short.
Having not been in the contest for a majority of the match, hope fluttered among the Dutch and their supporters at the stands, who were emptying the beer cans as Pakistan crumbled spectacularly in what was a routine chase of 148. At 98/2 after 11 overs, the result appeared a foregone conclusion before Pakistan chose to self-destruct in ways only they seem to find more often than not.
Off the next 10 deliveries, the game turned on its head beginning with the double-wicket maiden delivered by seamer Paul van Meekeren. Off the first ball of his over, the heavily built 41-year-old Roelof van der Merwe took a low, diving catch at long-on to send back opener Sahibzada Farhan. Usman Khan followed soon in the same over before Van der Merve outfoxed Babar Azam. And by the time Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan left, it was the Netherlands match to lose. In space of 37 deliveries, Pakistan lost five wickets for 17 runs with no boundaries. It was in this juncture that Ashraf came in with Shaheen Shah Afridi for company.
The asking rate, which was 5.55 before the collapse began, had now climbed to 14.50 when Ashraf took the game into his own hands, with a bit of luck. Had Max O’Dowd pouched the skier offered by the left-hander off the second ball of the 19th over, like van Meekeren said, it may have been curtains for Pakistan. For the Netherlands it was the moment that changed it all. Seamer Logan van Beek, then delivered a series of deliveries that needed to be punished and Ashraf obliged it by picking his spots on the leg-side which included a 89m six. The 19th over cost the Dutch 24 runs as Ashraf hit three sixes and a boundary.
Earlier, Pakistan showed they have a template to fall back on in the tournament. In these slow conditions of Sri Lanka, Pakistan have a spin attack that could play a pivotal role in their march with the pace pack around to provide the support cast. Sterner tests await, but there is reason to be optimistic for them.
With their match against India still not certain to go ahead, the three fixtures against the Associates – the Netherlands, USA and Namibia – are nothing but a must-win for Pakistan. All three teams on a given day are all capable of causing an upset, and Pakistan suffered a stinging defeat at the hands of the USA in the previous edition. So ahead of the game, Agha had repeatedly mentioned the need to bring their A-game straightaway.
Unlike the previous couple of ICC tournaments where Pakistan appeared far off the chasing pack, in the months leading up to the T20 World Cup under head coach Mike Hesson and Agha, they have been quietly building a foundation. For a change, they had the long-sightedness to build a team that would suit these conditions. Players, mostly on reputation, were let go, with Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf all deemed surplus. Over a few bilateral series and the Asia Cup, they went about finding a core. Still, doubts had remained. And this win, even it was a nervy one, will give their think-tank the stimulus that is needed in big-ticket tournaments.
Setting up the win were the spin trio of Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub, whose variety was too good for the Netherlands to overcome. In what seemed to be a tactic to keep for later stages and not expose his mystery early in the tournament, Pakistan benched their new spin sensation, Usman Tariq and instead brought in leg-spinner Shadab Khan, but still had an economical return in his four overs. And once the spinners made the inroads, the 32-year-old left-arm pacer Salman Mirza provided the finishing touches after making the first blow.
Choosing to bowl first, Pakistan seamers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mirza were wayward at the start, prompting Agha to summon left-arm spinner Nawaz in the powerplay. But despite losing both their openers in the powerplay, the Dutch were motoring along at a run-rate of 8 as a total in excess of 160 looked in sight. It even caused a bit of flutter in Pakistan ranks with Agha, Afridi and Shadab involved in an animated discussion when Michael Levitt brought out a disdainful sweep off Nawaz to send the ball out of the park. But every time the Netherlands appeared to get a grip on the game, Pakistan spinners hit back with timely strikes.
Between their top five, four of the Netherlands batsmen got starts, but the 37 by skipper Scott Edwards remained their best score. And it was his dismissal that led to a collapse. Choosing to attack Abrar, another mystery spinner in their ranks, who bowled Colin Ackerman off a carrom ball earlier, Edwards went for an expansive sweep, but picked the fielder at deep square-leg. That wicket allowed Agha to bring in Saim, who took two wickets in the space of three deliveries that allowed Pakistan to take full grip of the game before their batsmen threatened to undo it all.
Brief Scores: Netherlands 147 all out in 19.5 overs (Scott Edwards 37, Bas de Leede 30; Salman Mirza 3/24) lost to Pakistan 148/7 in 19.3 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 47, Faheem Ashraf 29; Paul van Meekeren 2/20) by three wickets.
