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Underdogs Pakistan produced 2 excellent weeks of cricket to beat the odds to win the second edition of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup. Thanks to an inspired opening spell by medium pacers Mohammad Aamer and veteran Abdul Razzaq , Pakistan had reduced Sri Lanka to 32 for 4 wickets within the first 6 overs. Sri Lanka fought back admirably led by an unbeaten half-century from skipper Kumara Sangakkara and some late hitting from Angelo Mathews to post a respectable 138 for th e loss of 6 wickets in their twenty overs. Pakistan chased down the target with ease for the loss of just 2 wickets boosted by the player-of-the-match winning innings from Shahid ‘boom boom' Afridi.

Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat first on what looked like a pitch full of runs at Lord's. Pakistan came out with a game plan to combat Sri Lankan opening batsman and tournament top scorer Tillakaratne Dilshan. It paid rich dividends in the very first over of Aameras Dilshan top edged a pull shot straight down the throat of the fielder at short fine leg. Sri Lanka promoted Jehan Mubarak to number 3 in the batting order in what was a rather surprising move. It backfired as Mubarak fell to Razzaq in the second over leaving the scorecard reading 2 for 2. Jayasurya and Sangakkaraput on 24 runs for the third wicket before the veteran left-hander became Razzaq's second victim, dragging one onto his stumps. Razzaq made it 3 wickets in 3 overs as he picked up the prize scalp of Mahela Jayawardene for just 1, with the former skipper guiding a regulation delivery straight into the hands of Misbah-ul-Haq at first slip.

Sangakkara and Chamara Silvastabilized the Lankan innings after the loss of those 4 early wickets taking the score through to 67 before Silva was dismissed for 14 by Umar Gul in the 12th over. Udana soon joined him back in the dug out, as the Sri Lankan innings looked in dire straits at 70 for 6.

An excellent unbeaten seventh wicket partnership of 68 runs from 42 balls between Sangakkara and Mathewsrescued the Lankan innings. Mathews held his own in the partnership scoring 35 from 24 balls. He hit Mohammed Aamer for a 4 and a 6 in the last over of the innings, which conceded 17 runs to give Sri Lanka some much needed momentum going into the break. Sangakkara held the innings together brilliantly with a captain's knock of 64 off 52 balls in a pressure cooker situation.

Pakistanwould have been pleased with their first half effort while the Lankan bowlers would be happy to have something to bowl at after their dreadful start. In a big final, runs on the board usually counts for that little bit more with the pressure on the side that needs to go out and get them.

Pakistan made the perfect start to their innings with Kamran Akmal helping himself to 8 runs in Angelo Mathews' first over. Udana bowled a good second over which conceded just 3 runs, and Sangakkara switched his bowlers around bringing on his strike weapon Lasith Malinga in the third over. Malinga bowled a near perfect over giving away just one run.

Akmalexploded in the fourth over helping himself to a couple of boundaries off Udana and welcomed mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis into the attack with a huge six. He made a useful 37 from 28 balls as he dominated an opening stand of 48 ensuring that Pakistan were well on their way to winning the match. The partnership was finally ended by Sanath Jayasuriya who had Akmal stumped in the 8th over.

The other opening batsman Shahzaib Hasan fell shortly after, with the score on 63, leaving Shahid Afridi and former skipper Shoaib Malik with just 76 more runs to get from just under 11 overs. The pair went about their business with consummate professionalism picking up the easy ones and twos on offer. Sangakkara switched his bowlers around admirably in desperate search of a wicket, but sadly for the Lankans to no avail. With the required runrate never climbing above nine an over Pakistan were always in control of the match.

A few tight overs from the three Ms pushed the equation to 26 runs from 18 balls, but Afridi took Udana for 19 runs in the 18th over to bring Pakistan within two hits of a famous win. A leg bye in the 19th over sealed the win for Pakistan, a fair result given their performances in the big matches.

The result will surely wipe out the disappointment of losing a nail biter to India in the inaugural T20 World Cup, and is likely to bring tremendous joy to the people of a nation going through troubled times, it certainly did to their delirious supporters at Lord's.

Though most awards at the presentation ceremony went to the winners, Pakistan, it was only befitting that the highest scorer of this second edition of the Twenty20, Tillakaratne Dilshan walked away with the Player of the Series award.

"I'm very proud of my team," says Sangakkara at the presentation. "I'm proud with their fight, their attitude and I think we're going to be a really good team. It was tough for our bowling unit to keep on defending totals during the tournament, we could have done with 20 runs more."

Younis understandly is overcome with happiness, "It was fantastic, we were underdogs, all credit goes to the team and the nation. A team like us needs a good start and suddenly we got that. I knew if we restricted them to 140-150 it would be chaseable. This is a gift from us to our nation."

 

Mini Scorecard:

Sri Lanka 138/6 (20 overs)
Sangakkara 64*            Razzaq 3-20

Pakistan 139/2 (18.4 overs)
Afridi 54*                    Jayasuriya 1-8

 

 

Photographs Courtesy: ICC

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