After two losses to start the competition, Pakistan finally got their first points on the board on Sunday (October 30) as they defeated Netherlands by six wickets at the Optus Stadium in Perth. By virtue of the comprehensive victory, the Babar Azam-led side have kept their dying hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive which are still dependent on other results.
It was the Pakistan bowling attack which stole the show with a stunning performance that saw them restrict their opponents to a score of just 91. Shadab Khan was the pick of the bowlers with a three-wicket haul while Mohammad Wasim Jr. took two scalps.
As far as the batting is concerned, Mohammad Rizwan regained his touch with a knock of 49 in 35 balls. While he missed out on his half-century, his knock ensured the Men in Green got home with 37 balls to spare. Fakhar Zaman made a 16-ball 20 on his comeback from an injury.
While it was an impressive all-round performance for Pakistan, there was one disappointment in store for them as Babar Azam once again failed to mark with the bat. The Men in Green captain made just four runs in five balls before being run-out.
Ex-Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra took a cheeky dig at Babar and wrote ‘This too shall pass. Stay strong,’ wrote Mishra on Twitter. The former Indian cricketer was referring to Babar’s heartfelt tweet for Indian batting talisman Virat Kohli earlier this year when he was struggling for form.
This has continued Babar’s poor run of form in the competition which has seen him make just eight runs in three matches so far. The Pakistan skipper was dismissed for a golden duck against India before being dismissed for a knock of 4 in 8 balls in the shock defeat against Zimbabwe
