Colombo [Sri Lanka], February 7 : Pakistan captain Salman Agha praised his team's disciplined bowling display and moments of composure under pressure after his side defeated the Netherlands by three wickets in a thrilling opening match at the T20 World Cup on Saturday.
During the post-match presentation ceremony, Agha said Pakistan were prepared for a tough challenge but felt their bowlers executed plans effectively on a wicket that offered assistance if used smartly. "We have to do it the hard way, but I think when we bowled, we really stuck to our plans well. With 148 on this kind of pitch, I can take that any day," Agha said, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
The Pakistan skipper admitted his side started well with the bat, but a cluster of poor batting in the middle overs proved costly. "We batted well in the first 10 overs, but in this format, five or six bad overs can push you far away from the game. If it's two or three, it's manageable, but more than that brings pressure," he explained.
Agha praised Faheem Ashraf, crediting him for stabilising the innings with a crucial knock. "Credit to Faheem, the way he batted was outstanding and really important for us," he said.
Speaking about the bowling unit, Agha described the performance as complete and collective. "We started well and knew they were going to come hard. But I think we pulled things back really well. Our bowlers have been bowling well for the last six months, and they did it again today," he added, noting that defending 147-148 on such a surface was a competitive total.
Meanwhile, Netherlands captain Scott Edwards felt his side fell slightly short with the bat but credited his bowlers for keeping the game alive till the end. "We felt around 160 would have given us a fair chance. We were a bit under, so we knew we had to bowl really well," Edwards said, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
"Pakistan got it down to a run a ball at one stage there, and Pauly bowled an over, I think he bowled a maiden or something (double-wicket maiden). And then one that went for not many to really get that run rate up. And the boys sort of jumped on that momentum. You know sometimes cricket can be a cruel game," he added.
After winning the Player of the Match award, Faheem Ashraf said, "We've been playing similar cricket for the past one year. So whatever job is given, we try to do it properly and in the best possible way. The heartbeat was fast, this kind wasn't something new or the first time. So it was just about going out there and doing whatever we know how to do. With the batting partners, the discussion was to not give away our wicket. We can do it one over at a time. If we get 1 or 2 boundaries, we move closer. So, thank God, exactly what we wanted happened. (On the 19th over) When the ball was in the air, I kept praying for him to drop. We wanted to finish it quickly but sometimes it happens that your team collapses. In such situations, you have to keep your nerves under control. If you look at our team, even when we don't play well, we keep our nerves in check, and because of that we get good results."
Pakistan narrowly avoided a major upset against a resilient Netherlands after bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf got the team over the line from a tricky situation.
Batting first, Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards (37) and Bas de Leede (30) appeared to be guiding the team toward a formidable 170+ total. However, the Pakistani spinners, led by Abrar Ahmed (2/23) and Saim Ayub (2/7), triggered a catastrophic collapse. The Netherlands lost their final six wickets for just 20 runs, finishing 147 all out in 19.5 overs.
Pakistan's pursuit of 148 began with Saim Ayub (24) hammering a hat-trick of boundaries in the second over, and Sahibzada Farhan looked in sublime touch, blasting 47 off 31 balls. At 98/2, the result seemed a formality for the 2009 T20 World Cup champions.
Pakistan lost Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan and Babar Azam in quick succession as Pakistan suddenly found themselves at 105/5 in 13 overs. Paul van Meekeren and Aryan Dutt then turned the screws as the score slipped to 114/7, with Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan also departing.
With 29 runs needed off 12 balls, Faheem Ashraf scored 24 runs in the penultimate over, bowled by Logan van Beek, and then hit the winning boundary off the third ball of the last over to give his team the first points of the tournament.
Despite the scare, the 2009 champions will be relieved to start their campaign with a win, especially after having announced a boycott of their group-stage match against India.