Pakistan
started the T20 word campaign successfully as they have beaten New Zealand in their warm-up match in the fifth
World Twenty20 Cup comprehensively by 7 wickets on Monday at the Shere Bangla
National Stadium in Bangladesh.
Pakistan
team looked a good unit as team performed well in all the departments of the
game like bowling, batting and fielding. While bowling first fast bowlers
Muhammad Talha and Umer Gul bowled superbly and picked respectively two and
three wickets by giving away runs less then the economy rate of six runs per
over, but performance of other medium pacer Sohail Tanvir was disappointing and
he looked a weak individual in the team as he conceded 43 runs in four overs.
In the spin department two senior fellows both over thirty five years off age
and having vast experience showed their class as Saeed Ajmal took one wicket in
four overs by giving away just 18 runs and Zulfiqar Babar also sent one Kiwi
player to pavilion. Team Pakistan
was successful to restrict New
Zealand on the modest total of 145 in 20
overs. Chasing 146, Pakistan
completed the victory on a penultimate ball of the match for the loss of three
wickets while Kamran retired out. Kamran Akmal scored impressive 45-ball 52
fifty and skipper Mohammad Hafeez smashed 55 off 39 balls. Hafeez struck five
sixes and three fours in his fifty while Kamran made remarkable comeback with a
brilliant half-century. Sharjeel Khan also played two handsome strokes for
boundaries but he lost his wicket cheaply and his habit of losing his wicket
early of the innings indeed a concern for the team management.
Although Pakistan played well in the first warm up match but
few things to be taken seriously before the next warm up match against South
Africa tomorrow. Pakistan
is one of the most successful teams in the short history of T20 cricket and is
the only team to qualify for the two finals in 2007 remained runner ups and in
2009 lifted the cup and two seminal finals of World T20 cups in 2010 and 2012.
Success against South Africa
would surely boost the confidence of the team before playing the crucial match
against India
on 21st March. Pakistan is in group 2 which is considered to be a
death group as Pakistan would be playing matches against inaugural World
Champions of 2007 India, West Indies defending champions and always dangerous
looking with number of all rounders in the team and against inform Australia which is in superb form recently and
had won bilateral series 2-0 against South Africa.
Pakistan
is a cricket loving nation and it unites all the people of country usually
divided on regional, ethnic and linguistic or religious basis. We hope that Pakistan team
would lift the cup as it would raise the spirit of the team which has been
isolated in the recent Big-3 saga in the international cricket.
