Cricket: Zaman century as Pakistan beats Dutch in Rotterdam

Photo: KNCB

Easy score: Pakistan 314-6 (Zaman 109, Azam 74, Delhi 2-42) beat Netherlands 298-8 (Edwards 71*, Cooper 65, Shah 3-51) by 16 runs.

In the first ODI in Rotterdam, Fakhar Zaman’s run-a-ball century and a spirited death bowling headline gave Pakistan a narrow 16-run victory over the Netherlands. and Vikramjit Singh.

Bowled on a two-pace surface, the Dutchman saw off-spinner Aryan Dutt and paceman Vivian Kingma bowling aggressively and economically with the new ball, power-playing to hold Pakistan to 37-1. , won the first skirmish. Boundary slow gusts. Kingma had Imam-ul-Haq pinned in front after beating the outside edge several times in six overs after Dutt was not rewarded despite guiding Zaman’s edge.

Pakistani captains Zaman and Babar Azam batted cautiously after failing to reach the boundary in a streak of 68 pitches, but quickly went into overdrive mode after scoring 79 runs between 21-28 overs. The border deluge only rubbed more salt into the wound as Kingma spilled a regulation catch on the third man and gave Zaman reprieve in the 19th over.

Expensive

Zaman shared 168 partnerships with Azam, hitting 12 boundaries and a total of 6 boundaries, bringing up the seventh ODI Century, so it proved costly. Overcoming a slow start and bee stings, his 32-year-old was strong through pulls and cover when he forced the Dutchman to pay for reprieve, a common theme throughout the summer.

“It hurts, doesn’t it?” Edwards admitted after the game. “I feel like I’m getting in position to win the game, but I’ve dropped a few catches and a player of this quality won’t give me a second chance. Fakhar’s innings are unrealistic. And it ended up costing us.

After Logan van Beek (2-89) took the wicket for Asam, the Dutch looked back in the game when De Lied’s sharp defense in the deep ran out Zaman in 13-ball space. . They regularly claimed wickets and cut the tourists to 266-6 in 46 overs, but Shadab Khan (48*), who struck four fours and two sixes, and debutant Agha Salman (27) *) with a quick 48-run stand, the Pakistani to his 314-6.

In response, the Dutch lost Max O’Dowd (1) and the returning Wesley Baresi (2) within five overs.

pace

Impressed by a ball that sent off Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Nawaz, De Riede fell for a borderless 16, exacerbating the Dutch predicament against furious pace. Vikramjit Singh (65 off 98) partnered Tom Cooper (65 off 54) and he shared a 97-run partnership to turn things around. But they also found it difficult to score his run in the 15th over after the power play as he could score only 52 runs from the 10th over to the 25th over. .

Cooper adjusted the tempo change, sweeping Salman over the square leg fence and then dispatching Shadab Khan long on in the next over to score a brace for six. He hit three boundaries from Mohammad Wasim in 30 overs to catch up with Harris Rauch against the tide of play. Two overs later, Singh’s ejection encapsulated his struggle against the spin.

Captain Scott Edwards continued his form, batting three consecutive games against England in half a century. Ashing over eight overs at his rate, he made up his stand for twin 50 runs with Tejanidamanur (15) and Van Beek (28) to revive the Chase.

Edwards was usually busy at the crease and aggressive on the approach, keeping the Pakistani fielder on his toes as his call to “run, run, run” echoed around Hazelweg. When boundaries were hard to find, he kept the scoreboard smartly running between turnstiles.

It was fitting that he turned 50 in the summer, coming out of a rushed single that made him a couple in his 45th overthrow. He was particularly strong in squares off the wicket as he reached his six boundaries and his six, but his partner fell short as the Dutch suffered another defeat in his two matches remaining.

The next game in the three-game series is Thursday.