Pakistan keeps slim hopes alive at cricket World Cup

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The bats have gone silent and the bowlers are finally having their day in the sun in the World Twenty20 Cup.

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Previously bowlers resembled sheep being led to the slaughterhouse with the most damage done in the lucrative Indian Premier League, where fans are entertained to a glut of boundaries and sixes for scores that edge past 200 runs.

But the batsmen have found their match in this global tournament of slam-and-bang co-hosted by the Caribbean and the United States. The majority of these same batsmen like India’s Virat Kohli had a field day in the IPL, but have been reduced to mere mortals on this side of the Atlantic.

The scores have been much lower and there have been a number of close matches where the minnows like first-timers the United States and Canada have turned the 20-team tournament on its head. The U.S. started off with a bang by edging Canada and then stunning Pakistan, while Canada pulled off a surprise victory over Test nation Ireland.

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In New York on Tuesday, Canada was unfortunate to lose the toss on a wicket that has been under fire from all teams that have batted first and this encounter was no exception as Canada put up a superb 106 for seven and made Pakistan sweat.

It took Pakistan 17.3 overs to get to 107 for three thanks to a Canadian squad that put up a brave fight.

“Definitely it was a bit disappointing,” said Canada’s captain, Saad Bin Zafar of Brampton. “We wanted to play a positive brand of cricket and I think that the wicket was not very helpful early on and it was definitely not a very good toss to lose. We were between 25 to 30 runs short.”

For Canada, opener Aaron Johnson was at his brilliant best with a 44-ball 52 that included four sixes and four boundaries.

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Unfortunately for the Canadians, Nicholas Kirton, who had been in top form, was brilliantly run out by Imad Wasim with a direct hit from 17 metres out.

“It was tough batting today on this pitch,” Jamaican-born Johnson said. “But having faced some of the fastest bowlers in the world back home, I was confident in playing the Pakistani attack.”

For Pakistan, fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Haris Rauf took two wickets each while fellow fast pacers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah captured one each.

Mohammad Rizwan then carried his bat for 53 and skipper Babar Azam weighed in with 33 to keep Pakistan’s slim hopes of qualifying for the next stage barely alive after having lost the first two encounters to the United States and the big one against India.

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Pakistan still faces an uphill task of qualifying if its last game versus Ireland is hit by rain or even if the United States manages one point in its two remaining matches as rain is forecast in the Lauderhill area in Florida.

After a week of non-stop action, some of the big teams seem to be wobbling and this includes defending Twenty20 champion England.

England is on life support and, unless it can turn things around in a hurry, it could be boarding the next flight to Heathrow.

Pakistan’s victory came on the heels of that six-run loss to arch-rival India in New York and that shocker in the opener versus the United States.

Before a sellout crowd of 34,000, the largest-ever to watch a cricket match in the U.S., the India-Pakistan encounter lived up to its billing. Pakistan, needing 12 runs from the final two balls managed six and went down valiantly to their neighbours.

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India had to thank its saviour with the ball, Jasprit Bumrah, for this narrow win. The paceman sliced through the middle order with an amazing spell of three for 14 runs and Hardik Pandya rediscovered his form with two for 24.

Australia, the other heavyweight in this global event, made mince meat of England and sent out a warning that it cannot be underestimated.

Aussie openers David Warner (39) and Travis Head (34) blasted 70 from 29 deliveries before Jofra Archer, returning from a long injury layoff, pinned Head. But the damage had already been done as the Aussies posted 201 for seven while England slumped to 165 for six.

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Two teams that arrived to the tournament brimming with confidence find themselves on the verge of taking an early vacation in either the Caribbean or the U.S.

New Zealand was thrashed by Afghanistan and Sri Lanka went down to Bangladesh by two wickets prior to a heart-breaking loss to South Africa by four runs. This defeat was the result of a mistake by the umpire that should have resulted in a four-run win by Sri Lanka.

Afghanistan is another team that could find itself making a serious challenge for the trophy. Fazalhaq Farooki, who took five for nine runs against Uganda, grabbed four for 17 and skipper Rashid Khan captured four for 17 as New Zealand crumbled for 75 after the Afghanis posted 159 for six thanks to Rahmanullah Gurbaz (80 off 56 balls) and Ibrahim Zadran (44 off 41 balls).

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