The Pakistan fans who crowded around the nets at Lord’s before the must-win World Twenty20 group match yesterday were anxious to see Shahid Afridi practise his batting, but it was his bamboozling leg breaks that shattered a spirited Netherlands run chase and helped Pakistan to secure the final slot in the Super Eights.
The Netherlands were set 176 to beat Pakistan, but the crucial target was 151 to ensure that, even in defeat, they would go through on net run-rate.
At 42 for one after seven overs, there was cause for optimism, but Afridi yorked Bas Zuiderent with his first ball to begin a collapse to 49 for four within two overs and, ultimately, 93 all out.
Eight of Pakistan’s wickets came from spin bowlers, whom the Netherlands could rarely read. Afridi took four for 11 in his four overs, abetted by Saeed Ajmal, who claimed three wickets with doosras, two of them stumped by Kamran Akmal.
Akmal had made 41 off 30 balls at the top of the Pakistan order, but it was the competence of his wicketkeeping that made the difference. He also stumped Daan van Bunge off Afridi and Ryan ten Doeschate off Shoaib Malik’s off spin to become the fourth man in any form of international cricket — and the first since Kiran More for India against West Indies in a Test in 1988 — to complete four stumpings.
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In 19 Twenty20 internationals, Akmal has 14 stumpings, twice as many as the next man. It is a good tactic for this form of the game if you have canny bowlers and a competent wicketkeeper.
Akmal and the spinners prevented any nightmare after Pakistan’s batsmen failed to make the huge total that would have made the game safe. Dirk Nannes bowled at more than 93mph, the fastest yet recorded in this year’s competition, and conceded only ten runs in his first two overs for the Netherlands, but Younus Khan hit 36 off 20 balls and Misbah-ul-Haq 31 off 20 to push the run-rate above eight an over.
¤ The day’s second game was a “dead” match because South Africa and New Zealand had already qualified. Brendon McCullum, fielding at mid-wicket rather than his usual position behind the stumps, made a quicksilver grab-and-release to run out Jacques Kallis by inches and end an opening stand of 49 in seven overs. South Africa stagnated thereafter, making only 128, but it was good enough for a one-run win, with New Zealand requiring 15 in the final over.
Group B
Pakistan
†Kamran Akmal c Schiferli b Seelaar 41
Salman Butt c Borren b Ten Doeschate 18
Shoaib Malik c Seelaar b Borren 30
*Younus Khan c De Grooth b Seelaar 36
Misbah-ul-Haq not out 31
Shahid Afridi b Nannes 13
Fawad Alam not out 3
Extras (lb 1, w 2) 3
Total (5 wkts, 20 overs) 175
Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer and Saeed Ajmal did not bat.
Fall of wickets: 1-38, 2-81, 3-99, 4-152, 5-171.
Bowling: Nannes 4-0-26-1; Schiferli 4-0-36-0; Ten Doeschate 4-0-42-1; Seelaar 4-0-36-2; Borren 4-0-34-1.
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Netherlands
D J Reekers c Tanvir b Aamer 13
A N Kervezee st Akmal b Ajmal 21
B Zuiderent b Afridi 13
P W Borren c Butt b Ajmal 2
R N ten Doeschate st Akmal b Malik 14
T N de Grooth b Afridi 4
D L S van Bunge st Akmal b Afridi 0
E Schiferli c Ajmal b Afridi 2
*†J Smits not out 11
D P Nannes st Akmal b Ajmal 6
P M Seelaar b Gul 1
Extras (lb 1, w 5) 6
Total (17.3 overs) 93
Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-42, 3-47, 4-49, 5-61, 6-61, 7-71, 8-74, 9-90.
Bowling: Tanvir 3-0-13-0; Aamer 2-0-16-1; Gul 2.3-0-14-1; Ajmal 4-0-20-3; Afridi 4-0-11-4; Malik 2-0-18-1.
Player of the match: Akmal.
Umpires: B R Doctrove (West Indies) and A M Saheba (India).
Group D
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New Zealand v South Africa
Lord’s (New Zealand won toss): South Africa (2pts) beat New Zealand by one run
South Africa
J H Kallis run out 24
*G C Smith b Butler 33
H H Gibbs c and b Styris 3
R E van der Merwe b N L McCullum 0
J P Duminy c Broom b Mills 29
AB de Villiers run out 15
†M V Boucher c B B McCullum b Butler 6
J A Morkel not out 10
J Botha not out 2
Extras (lb 4, w 2) 6
Total (7 wkts, 20 overs) 128
W D Parnell and D W Steyn did not bat.
Fall of wickets: 1-49, 2-63, 3-63, 4-65, 5-85, 6-107, 7-121.
Bowling: Mills 4-0-34-1; Oram 4-0-30-0; Butler 4-0-13-2; Diamanti 2-0-19-0; N L McCullum 4-0-18-1; Styris 2-0-10-1.
New Zealand
*B B McCullum st Boucher b Van der Merwe 57
M J Guptill c Van der Merwe b Steyn 6
N T Broom c and b Kallis 1
L R P L Taylor b Van der Merwe 22
J D P Oram run out 24
S B Styris not out 7
Extras (b 4, lb 1, w 5) 10
Total (5 wkts, 20 overs) 127
†P D McGlashan, N L McCullum, I G Butler, K D Mills and B J Diamanti did not bat.
Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-26, 3-82, 4-93, 5-127.
Bowling: Steyn 4-0-22-1; Parnell 4-0-38-0; Kallis 3-0-17-1; Botha 3-0-17-0; J A Morkel 2-0-14-0; Van der Merwe 4-0-14-2.
Player of the match: Van der Merwe.
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Umpires: Asad Rauf (Pakistan) and D J Harper (Australia).