Perth Pakistan restricted the Netherlands to 91 for nine in the crucial match of the T20 World Cup here on Sunday with their tight bowling. After consecutive losses in matches against India and Zimbabwe, Pakistan need a big win over the Netherlands to stay in the race for the semi-finals. The bowlers of the Babar Azam-led side on Sunday made it difficult for Netherlands to bat after winning the toss on a bouncy pitch in Perth.
By the ninth over, the Pakistani bowlers took three wickets for 26 runs for the Netherlands. Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi (1 for 19) troubled the Netherlands openers with his pace and bounce while Shadab Khan (3 for 22) created problems for them with his leg spin. Afridi gave the first blow in the third over by dismissing Stephen Mayberg, who touched his ball with the bat and caught Mohammad Wasim Jr at fine leg.
read also
Bass de Leed had to ‘retire hurt’ in the sixth over as he suffered a cut on his face just below his right eye when a bouncing ball from Haris Rauf (1 for 10) hit his grill. Tom Cooper and Max O’Dowd also disappointed, who fell victim to Shadab in successive overs. Colin Ackerman (27 runs) and skipper Scott Edwards (15 runs) put on a 35-run partnership to put up the best effort of the innings in which they took a couple of runs and occasionally crossed the boundary line.
But both returned to the pavilion in successive overs. Shadab dismissed Ackerman leg before while Edwards was caught at fine leg by Naseem Shah (1 for 11) to Iftikhar Ahmed. Half the team of Netherlands had reached the pavilion on 69 runs in the 16th over. The score was soon reduced to 73 for six when Rolf van der Merv was also dismissed by Rauf at a speed of 147 kmph. Wasim (2 for 15) took the wickets of Tim Pringle and Fred Klaasen for two yorkers in the 19th over. On a hat-trick ball, he bowled a full length delivery to Paul Van Meeckeren who missed the leg-stump. (agency)