It took nerves of steel before Pakistan managed to survive an exciting battle against Netherlands in the T20 world cup opening in Colombo. The game, which was hosted at the Sinhalese Sports Club field on Saturday, challenged the batting depth and composeure when under pressure of Pakistan.
The Netherlands began well and put Pakistan on the offensive by claiming vital wickets during the last overs. It was a very heavy burden because Pakistan had 29 runs to get in the remaining two overs and had just three wickets to get. Any defeat in this would have been a big disappointment.
Enter Faheem Ashraf, who himself was no coward, and struck the 29 unbeaten off but 11 balls. His violent punching kept the Pakistan in the match and guaranteed they pass the finishing line. Ashraf was decisive and proved his ability to perform and remain calm enough to handle the pressure.
The middle order of Pakistan had been a weak point previously, but the role of Ashraf reversed the situation. The ability to deal with crunch situations was brought out in the partnership in the death overs, though temporary. Spectators were sitting on the edge of their seats because every ball would have altered the result of the game.
This is a close victory that gives out a message to the rest of the tournament. Pakistan is able to take pressure and pursue challenging totals when it is necessary. The group will strive to improve on this performance in the new matches.
The Netherlands, although defeated, can be proud of the fact that they put a good fight. Their last minute rush of wickets left Pakistan in a sweat showing they are not a push over in the T20 format.
