Add Category
Posted
Pakistan enhanced its reputation as the most unpredictable team in international cricket with a stunning six-wicket victory that kept its World Cup semi-final hopes alive, ruined New Zealand's perfect record and heaped more pressure on hosts England.
Key points:
- Pakistan lost three of their first five matches at the Cricket World Cup, but they are back on track
- Two young players — batsman Babar Azam and paceman Shaheen Afridi — starred in the six-wicket win over NZ
- Pakistan can now finish on 11 points with wins in their final two games — which could be enough to make the semi-finals
Babar Azam hit his 10th ODI century, finishing 101 not out off 127 balls, as Pakistan reached 4-241 in 49.1 overs in reply to New Zealand's 6-237.
It was the Black Caps' first loss after five wins and a no result.
Every boundary — 11 of them from Babar — produced a huge roar and a sea of green flags in the stands as an overwhelmingly Pakistan-supporting crowd had a day to remember at Edgbaston.
Babar shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 126 with Haris Sohail, who was run out by Martin Guptill for a 76-ball 68 in the penultimate over after hitting five fours and two sixes.
Babar also put on 66 for the third wicket with Mohammad Hafeez (32).
Pakistan moved level on seven points with Bangladesh, one point behind fourth-place England, which has lost its last two games.
The top four in the 10-team standings advance to the semi-finals.
The New Zealanders chased down South Africa's 6-241 on the same Edgbaston wicket a week earlier. Pakistan, which is not seen as a run-chasing specialist in this format, also went to the last over on Wednesday, but on this occasion it was much more comfortable.
Pakistan started its chase quickly — maybe too quickly — on an overcast day with the floodlights on. Trent Boult (1-48) won the battle of the lefthanders when opener Fakhar Zaman (9) was caught by Guptill after an edge went high into the air with the total on 19.
The Pakistan team was 1-43 after the first powerplay. Guptill then did even better with a diving catch forward to dismiss Imam-ul-Haq (19), who was unable to control a hostile, rising delivery from Lockie Ferguson (1-50), making it 2-44.
There was a lively battle between bat and ball in the 15th over. Hafeez hit Ferguson for two fours, but the fast bowler also hit the batsman on the grille of his helmet.
Pakistan began to accelerate the run chase and the 24-year-old Babar reached a landmark — becoming the second-fastest man after South Africa's Hashim Amla to compile 3,000 ODI runs, in his 68th innings.
He posed a real danger to the Black Caps, delicately edging the ball and also turning on the aggression as New Zealand started to run out of options.
Babar and Haris hit nine off one Colin Munro over and 10 off the next from Kane Williamson.
The pair reduced the target to 23 from five overs, 13 in three overs, and four runs in 12 balls before Haris was run out. It was then left to skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed to hit the winning boundary off Ferguson.
Earlier, Jimmy Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme came to New Zealand's rescue with a 132-run partnership for the sixth wicket after captain Williamson had elected to bat first.
Left-arm seamer Shaheen Afridi (3-28) had helped reduce the Black Caps to 4-46 and 5-83, when dangerman Williamson was out for 41.
Neesham struck an ODI-best 97 not out from 112 balls. He hit five fours and three sixes, including smashing the last ball of the innings over the ropes.
De Grandhomme was run out, too slow against Mohammad Amir's throw while going for a second run, after a 71-ball 64.
Is this a bit of history repeating?
Pakistan next plays last-place Afghanistan on Saturday before finishing the group stage against Bangladesh on July 5 with a potential semi-final place at stake.
Cricket historians and longtime fans noted a marked similarity between Pakistan's World Cup campaign so far and the 1992 tournament.
In the team's first seven games, each result has been the same as 1992, including the third match in each Cup being rained out — this time against Sri Lanka.
After losing three of the first five matches, Pakistan has bounced back to have won three out of seven, just like the earlier tournament, which was held in Australia.
Pakistan fans will be fervently hoping that the comparisons keep going — in 1992, the team led by Imran Khan (now Pakistan's Prime Minister) went on to win the trophy, beating England in the final.
AP/ABC
Topics: sport, cricket, onedayseries, england, pakistan, new-zealand