Afridi blitz hurries Pakistan to consolation win

Pakistan stormed to a consolation win over Netherlands in the ICC Champions Trophy as firebrand Shahid Afridi came close to beating Sanath Jayasuriya's world record of the fastest ODI fifty, making 55 not out off just 18 balls. It was an awesome display of stroke-play from Afridi, who struck half a dozen stunning sixes and four boundaries. Pakistan won the match by nine wickets with more than 33 overs to spare, and Afridi was expectedly named Man of the Match.

With Sri Lanka already having qualified for the semi-final from Pool Four, the result of this game was purely of academic interest. Chasing a modest Netherlands total of 136, Pakistan were steered firmly away from the course of an upset win by opening batsman Imran Nazir, who took the attack to the Dutch bowlers.

Nazir singled out Edgar Schiferli for some rough treatment, striking the ball cleanly to all parts of the field and hitting seven boundaries off the right-arm seamer. Nazir scored three boundaries off Schiferli's first over and then hit four more off his fourth.

Saeed Anwar, not as focused his young opening partner, started off slowly. But he did take a liking for de Leede's bowling, picking the ball off his toes for a couple of boundaries.

Meanwhile, Nazir had raced to his fifty off just 36 balls, but he was soon caught by Bas Zuiderent at deep backward square-leg off the bowling of Feiko Kloppenburg. Nazir's 59 runs came off 40 balls with 11 boundaries. The first-wicket partnership had added 89 runs in 11.3 overs, but if the sparse crowd thought that was quick, they were in for a rethink.

Afridi replaced Nazir in the middle and struck a couple of boundaries immediately off Kloppenburg. He then turned his attentions to Esmeijer's innocuous left-arm spin, smashing two fours through the on-side and bringing up Pakistan's 100 off 13.2 overs.

If Afridi will not forget this day, neither will Adeel Raja. Bowling gentle off-breaks to Afridi was only a recipe for disaster, and with a small contingent of Pakistani supporters screaming "We want sixer," it was only a matter of time before he struck. And when he did, it was like a tornado, Afridi taking four sixes off a single over. The first was a big one over midwicket, followed by towering hits straight down the ground.

In the next over, bowled by Esmeijer, another six was unleashed over long off, and victory came in the 17th over - Raja's yet again - Afridi bringing it up with a mighty six over long-on. Pakistan made 142 for one off just 16.2 overs, and Saeed Anwar remained unbeaten on 28 off 40 balls.

Afridi's fireworks could almost have been quenched by last night's rain, but the drainage at the Sinhalese Sports Club is of the very best type, and the match got underway on time, with Roland Lefebvre winning the toss and opting to bat. But the Dutch were soon in deep waters of a different kind, losing four wickets for 23 runs. Waqar Younis bowled with discipline and purpose, taking 2-14 and even finding himself on a hat-trick at one point.

Shoaib Akthar shared the new ball with his skipper, but he struggled to find a rhythm and turned out to be quite ineffective, notwithstanding the wicket he claimed of Daan van Bunge, caught at second slip by Misbah-ul-Haq.

Tim de Leede and Luuk van Troost set about defying the Pakistan attack and added 55 valuable runs for the fifth wicket. De Leede even gave Afridi some of his own treatment, smiting one over square leg for a massive six. But Afridi's bowling was just as rapid as his scoring, the googlies troubling the batsmen no end and the over rate hardly giving them time to think. He finally got rid of de Leede (24 off 50 balls) trapped in front of the wicket.

Van Troost (16 off 59 balls) survived one confident shout for caught behind off Afridi but not another, and Esmeijer too scraped through one leg-before scare to fall victim to another. It was left to Lefebvre to play a lone hand, and the skipper was instrumental in shepherding the Netherlands into playing out their allotted overs. Lefebvre remained unbeaten on 32 (70 balls, one six, one four) as Netherlands were finally dismissed for 136 in 50 overs. Afridi - for whom the day couldn't have been more satisfying if it were his birthday, Christmas and pay-day rolled into one - scalped three wickets.