Ashraf’s knock takes Pakistan to 3-wicket win over Netherlands

All-rounder Faheem Ashraf emerged as the hero for Pakistan, hammering 29 off 11 balls in a stunning late assault to snatch a dramatic three-wicket win over the Netherlands in the T20 World Cup opener here on Saturday. Chasing 148 for a win, Pakistan were 90 for 2 at the halfway stage but lost wickets in a heap as they were 114 for 7 in 16.1 overs, needing 34 more runs. It looked all but over for Pakistan at that stage but walking in at number 8, Ashraf, who was dropped on 7, had other plans.

Needing 29 runs from the last two overs, Ashraf hit three sixes and one four off Logan Van Beek and finished off the match with a four in the final over as Pakistan reached 148 for 7 in 19.3 overs. Max O’Dowd dropped Ashraf when he was on seven in the second ball of the 19th over and perhaps that cost the match for the Dutch. Pakistan’s build-up was dominated by off-the-field matters after their Board decided to boycott the February 15 marquee match against India here, though they had beaten a depleted Australia 3-0 in the home T20I series.

At the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground which is hosting a T20I for the first time after 2010, Pakistan, the champions of the 2009 edition, huffed and puffed to win the match with three balls to spare. Sahibzada Farhan top-scored with 47 off 31 balls while his opening partner Saim Ayub contributed 24 off 13 balls, but senior batter Babar Azam struggled with a 18-ball 15 with just one boundary. Captain Salman Agha made 12 off eight balls.

Pakistan were 90 for 2 at the halfway stage and looked like they would wrap up the match quickly. But Paul van Meekeren’s two-wicket burst in the 12th over — removing Farhan and Usman Khan (0) — and dismissal of Azam in the 13th over put them on the backfoot. From 98 for 2 at the end of the 11th over, Pakistan were 100 for 5 in 12.4 overs, losing three wickets in the space of 10 balls for the addition of just two runs. They had just one sub substantial partnership of 45 runs between Farhan and Azam for the third wicket.

All hell broke loose after the 15th over when they needed 37 runs from the last five overs. The Dutch tightened the screw with the experienced Kyle Klein removing Mohammad Nawaz for 6 in the 16th over. Pressure piled on Pakistan who needed 34 from the last four overs and immediately Shadab Khan was dismissed with the third umpire ruling against a review from the batter. Earlier, sent in to bat, Netherlands lost way in the later part of their innings after a strong start as they were bowled out for 147 in 19.5 overs.

The Dutch milked 14 runs from the sixth over with the help of three boundaries to be 50 for 2 at the end of powerplay. But in the end, they ended at 147 with Salman Mirza (3/24) returning best figures among Pakistani bowlers.  Netherlands were at a comfortable 79 for 3 in the halfway stage, hitting 12 fours and one six till then. The 40-run partnership for the fourth wicket between captain Scott Edwards (37 off 29 balls) and one-down Bas de Leede (30 off 25 balls) gave the Dutch hope of at least crossing the 150-run mark. The minnows reached 100-run mark in 12.1 overs with seven wickets in hand.

But from there, the Dutch lost way with the Pakistanis taking the pace off their bowling. From 105 for 3 in 12.3 overs, they were reduced to 129 for seven in 16.4 overs. The dismissal of de Leede off the bowling of Mohammad Nawaz in the 13th over pulled Netherlands back as they pressed the accelerator. Abrar Ahmed then dealt a blow on Netherlands, removing Edwards in the 16th over. Right-arm off-spinner Saim Ayub removed both Logan van Beek (0) and Zach Lion-Cachet (9) in the space of three balls in the 17th over to leave the Dutch in disarray at 130 for 7.