Pakistan handle Netherlands scare, stay alive

It was a comprehensive routing of a hapless Netherlands outfit, Pakistan were superior in all departments and notched up a crushing win to knock the Dutch out of the tournament. Still it was quite a pleasure to see the Orange brigade in action and they will be better off for the experience gained.

Kamran Akmal:T20 is a fun game. Very happy with the keeping and I worked very hard with the fielding coach on my keeping.

Younis Khan: It was all about the partnerships, everybody thought we will field first but we batted. We were positive all the way.

Smits: We did not play that well today, Afridi was outstanding today. We should have restricted them to 150. Batting did not come off today, congrats to Pakistan. It is a privilege to be here and we managed to make an impact in the tournament.

Kamran Akmal is the Man of the Match for his all-round performance today

Sloppy Pakistan face litmus test

Who'd have thunk it, that Pakistan and Netherlands would be taking on each other in a group game in which Pakistan might do and still die? Such has been the way with this strangest of groups but clarity has now emerged. Netherlands, to progress and thus consign Pakistan to a fate they seem worryingly resigned to, can afford to lose, but by no more than 24 runs. If Pakistan chase, then they must do so with roughly three overs to spare.

The problems are Pakistan's. Not for a moment since they landed in England have they looked like a team that is playing in a World Cup. Younis Khan's bizarre, careless dismissal of the format and the tournament seems to have filtered through to the side. Anyway you'd think, given their lack of international games recently, that Pakistan would be itching to rip through a Ramadan 20/20 night tournament in Karachi's Pakistan Chowk, let alone a World Cup. The attitude is, however, only the most overarching concern: on the field, they are the worst fielding side, have an unsettled batting order and are rusty with the ball. Beyond that, they're fine.

Netherlands, on the other hand, have accorded this tournament the respect it deserves and have shown, with that fabulous opening win, just why the format is celebrated. As well as skill, the Netherlands will remind one and all, Twenty20 rewards discipline, hard work and bravery. The problem for them, of course, is to recreate the intensity of Friday, something which often proves beyond associate nations and lower-ranked sides.

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