Wasim Akram became the first bowler to take 500 one-day international wickets when Pakistan won their Cricket World Cup match against Holland in convincing style by beating the Dutch team by 97 runs on Tuesday at Boland Park.
Dutch opener Nick Statham went into the record books when he was forced to play on to his stumps for Wasim’s 500th wicket before Holland were was dismissed for 156 in 39.3 overs.
The Pakistan team honoured the former skipper with 500 roses — one for every wicket he has taken over a career of more than 18 years.
The Asian team’s main objective during the game, however, was to give their struggling top and middle-order some action to restore batting confidence after a dismal performance in this department against England on Saturday.
With the exception of Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s most experienced and best batsman, most of the top and middle-order spent valuable time on the number six-wicket at Boland Park. They scored 253/9 and restricted Holland to 156.
The Dutch lower-order offered some resistance, with Daan van Bunge (31, 60b, 3×4) and Henk-Jan Mol (13) prominent.
But after Mol was hit by a bouncer from Shoaib Akhtar, the tail capitulated. Akhtar (3/26) and Wasim Akram (3/24) were the best Pakistani bowlers.
Akhtar spoiled some of his good work by bowling ten wides. The 40 extras conceded by Pakistan annoyed Waqar Younis, the captain, and he said afterwards his team will need to improve their ill-disciplined bowling approach in their next game.
Waqar, Akhtar and Wasim again, restricted the Dutch top-order to 43/4 before Tim de Leede (15, 35b, 1×6) and Van Bunge restored some Dutch pride.
They added 35 runs for the fifth wicket. The off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq then produced a doosrah (Urdu-word for the other one or googly) and bamboozled De Leede into a false stroke to backward point, where Shoaib clutched a good catch, at 78/5 in the 22nd over.
The stylish Pakistani right-handed batsman Yousuf Youhana (58, 59b, 4×4) was circumspect and played conservatively against a disciplined yet largely harmless bowling attack after Taufeeq Umar (48, 70b, 6×4) and.Abdur Razzaq (47, 63b, 4×4) had laid a useful foundation to get the Pakistani innings to 106/2 in the 23rd over.
Youhana had scored 199 runs in his previous eight innings and was dismissed for a first ball duck against England at Newlands on Saturday. The restoration of Youhana and Inzamam’s confidence were of the utmost importance to the Pakistan camp before the crucial match in Pool A on Saturday between arch rivals India and Pakistan.
Unfortunately for Pakistan, Inzamam was adjudged leg before wicket by Srinivas Venkataraghavan off a De Leede-inswinger.
Inzamam had scored 154 runs in his last eight innings on South African soil and succumbed to a duck on Saturday against England.
He had been Pakistan’s most dominant batting force the past decade. Amongst his many batting feats were 60 runs off 37 deliveries in the World Cup-final against England in 1992, and a superb 329 against New Zealand in a test in 2002.
The big elegant right-hander has scored 8 948 runs in 288 one day-international at an average of 38.74 but at the moment he is at a low ebb.
Roland Lefebvre (1/39 in 10 overs) was the pick of the Dutch bowling attack. – Sapa