Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Pakistan narrowly avoided a major upset in their T20 World Cup opener against the Netherlands, winning by three wickets in Colombo on Saturday. But during the match, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif took a swipe at Babar Azam on Hindi commentary, saying, “Aapne bola chakka maro, kaha maar paayein, fielder peeche hai, unka taqat nahi hai, style unka chakka marne ka nahi hai. Run-a-ball lo aur match jeetake jaao hai unka style. Jaha badha shot marne gaye, out ho gaye. (You asked him to go for a six, but where could he hit it? The field was set back, he doesn’t have that power, and hitting sixes isn’t his style. His style is to take a run a ball and win the match. When he went for a big shot, he got out.)”
Pakistan’s chase was far from smooth. After a solid start, wickets kept falling, and the team suddenly needed 29 runs from the last two overs with just three wickets left. That’s when Faheem Ashraf played a crucial role, smashing an unbeaten 29 off 11 balls, including three sixes in the 19th over, to take Pakistan home with three balls to spare.Pakistan captain Salman Agha admitted, “We had to do it the hard way,” and praised Faheem, saying, “All credit to Faheem.” Faheem himself said, “We have been playing this brand of cricket for this past year. Heart rates go up and down, it’s happened so many times before, we’re used to it.”Earlier, the Netherlands looked strong with the bat and reached a good position, but Pakistan’s bowlers pulled things back in the final overs. Dutch captain Scott Edwards admitted, “We weren’t at our best in all three departments today,” and added that small moments made the difference.Pakistan survived a scare, while Kaif’s on-air comment about Babar’s batting style went viral and sparked debate among fans.
