Max O’Dowd’s crime that took away victory from Netherlands

This match played in Colombo would have been recorded in the pages of history as a game won by Netherlands, if Max O’Dowd had not dropped that catch in the 19th over. Faheem Ashraf tried to play a big shot on a slow full-toss ball from Logan van Beek, but the ball hit the bottom of the bat and rose high in the air towards long-on. Fielder Max O’Dowd was under the ball, applied both hands, but the ball was scattered. With the dropped catch, Netherlands shot themselves in the foot, because this was the moment which gave life to Pakistan.

Faheem Ashraf created havoc

With 29 runs needed from the last 12 balls, it seemed that the Netherlands were on the verge of pulling off a major upset. But after missing the catch, Faheem Ashraf created such havoc that the Dutch team was stunned. He scored a total of 24 runs in the same 19th over of Logan Van Beek. Faheem hit sky-high sixes on the first, third and fifth balls and by hitting a four on the last ball, the match completely turned towards Pakistan. This one over snatched victory from the jaws of Netherlands.

The thrill of the last over and Pakistan’s victory

After the 19th over blast, Pakistan needed only 5 runs from the last 6 balls. The pressure was now completely on the Netherlands. Shaheen Afridi showed wisdom by taking a single on the first ball of the over and gave the strike to Faheem Ashraf. Faheem continued his excellent form and hit another hard four on the third ball and gave Pakistan a memorable win in the very first match of the tournament.

This victory is no less than a miracle for Pakistan

Netherlands had Pakistan on their toes throughout the match, but their efforts were ruined by a dropped catch in the 19th over and poor bowling. This victory is no less than a miracle for Pakistan, because after losing 7 wickets for 114 runs, their defeat seemed certain. This innings of Faheem Ashraf not only gave Pakistan two points but also gave the necessary confidence to move ahead in the tournament.