Shahid Rauf returned 2/26, Shaheen Shah Afridi (1/21) and Naseem Shah (1/24) recovered strongly from poor beginnings, and Mohammad Amir was the best bowler with 4-0-13-2.
The batsmen for Pakistan finally rose to the occasion on Tuesday, defeating Canada by seven wickets in their crucial Group A match and boosting their chances of winning the T20 World Cup.When they decided to bowl, Pakistani bowlers put on a cohesive display to limit Canada to a manageable 106/7.With 15 balls remaining in the chase, Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam and opener Mohammad Rizwan crossed the finish line.The foundation for the victory was laid by Rizwan and Babar’s 63-run partnership for the second wicket.
In a brief chase, Babar scored a run-a-ball 33 from 33 deliveries with one six and one four, while Rizwan, once again acting as an anchor, scored 53 not out from the same number of deliveries with two fours and a six.
Pakistan appeared to be making heavy weather of a small chase after crawling to 28 for 1 in the powerplay, with the Canadian seamers doing an excellent job.However, run-scoring became much simpler when Canada spinners entered the attack, and with their extensive expertise, Babar and Rizwan pulled the equation down with smart strike rotation and punished wayward deliveries.
Earlier in the first half, Aaron Johnson’s 52 was Canada’s only bright spot as a determined Pakistan reduced their opponents to 106 for 7.
Johnson waged a lone battle for Canada with a 44-ball 52, studded with four sixes and as many fours, on a two-paced pitch with the occasional inconsistent bounce that made the rest of their hitters struggle, despite Pakistani bowlers chipping away with wickets.While Mohammad Amir was the standout bowler with 4-0-13-2, Haris Rauf returned with 2/26, and Shaheen Shah Afridi (1/21) and Naseem Shah (1/24) recovered nicely from shaky starts.
Johnson, the only Canadian hitter to cause trouble for Pakistan’s bowlers, did not hesitate to attack at any opportunity.
It was his ground hits that attracted the eye, as he cleared the ropes with brute force, even if he hadn’t timed them well.
Unfortunately, Johnson perished soon after turning fifty, having forgotten to pick up some trash left by Naseem Sham.
Canada were on the verge of being bowled out or restricted for much less when the powerful Johnson was removed at the team total of 73. However, captain Saad Bin Zafar (10) and Kaleem Sana (13) guided their team above the 100-run barrier, providing their bowlers with a target to bowl at.
Johnson’s boundary-scoring dismissals of Shaheen’s opening two full tosses off the pads, which was the first indication of the pressure.
Naseem started with a delivery that was drifting away from the batter, but Johnson capitalized again when he hit the third four, sending it flying over the field on the off-side.
After being hammered for a four off the first ball, Amir cleaned up Navneet Dhaliwal with the last delivery to seal Pakistan’s maiden victory.
As Pakistan rallied by the conclusion of the powerplay, Shaheen came back with a change of ends to get Pargat Singh (2) caught by Fakhar Zaman.
After that, Imad Wasim struck straight out of cover to dismiss Nicholas Kirton (1) at the non-striker’s end, adding more pressure on Johnson, who carried out all of the hard lifting in the top order.Canada was reduced to 54 for five as Haris Rauf’s double-wicket 10th over saw Ravinderpal Singh (0) caught at first slip and Shreyas Movva (2) caught behind, completing his 100 T20I wickets.
