Colombo, Feb 7 Pakistan opened their T20 World Cup campaign with a narrow, nerve-shredding win over the Netherlands, a result that underlined both their quality and their lingering vulnerabilities. Skipper Salman Ali Agha credited Faheem Ashraf for his late cameo, which helped the side cruise past the Dutch with three wickets to spare.
What should have been a routine chase of 148 turned into a last-over scramble, rescued only by Ashraf’s blistering knock. After the match, captain Salman Ali Agha admitted the team had made life unnecessarily difficult for themselves but praised the overall bowling effort that kept the Netherlands within reach.
“We have to do it the hard way. But I think it was when we bowled; I think we really stuck down really well. With 148, I can take that any day,” he said.
Pakistan’s bowlers had set the platform by dismissing the Netherlands for 147, despite a promising start from the Dutch batters. The spinners tightened the screws through the middle overs, and regular wickets prevented any batter from batting deep.
Salman was particularly pleased with the collective bowling display, saying, “They've been bowling well for like the last six months now. And they have done it today as well. It's a complete bowling performance; I can say that.”
In contrast, Pakistan’s chase lurched from comfort to chaos. The first half of the innings went according to plan, but a flurry of wickets shifted momentum sharply. “We batted well in the first 10 overs, but you have five, six bad overs; like, if it's two or three bad overs, you get so far away from the game,” Salman reflected. “I think the first 10 (overs) was very good. We batted really well. And then they managed to pull wickets down. And then at that time, the pressure came in.”
As the required rate ballooned and wickets continued to fall, the Netherlands briefly looked set to pull off a famous upset. That was until Faheem Ashraf, dropped early in his innings, launched a stunning counterattack to swing the game back in Pakistan’s favour.
Salman was quick to credit the all-rounder for the escape. “But credit obviously to Faheem; I think he batted outstandingly well.”
The captain also highlighted the importance of better game awareness in tight contests. “And I think we need to absorb better when it comes to these kinds of games,” he said, pointing to missed opportunities to close out the chase earlier on a surface that improved for batting. "Lovely batting conditions. If you sum up the conditions of batting. It's not easy to start, but once you get in, it's a good wicket to bat on. When someone gets in, we need to make sure that person will finish.”
--IANS
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