Empires Win the Semifinal Against PAKISTAN
A perfect chance to qualify for the finals, all gone to waste. Pakistan’s mental toughness came to test and they failed. All the top order batsmen played slower than usual, including the dynamic Imran Nazir. The only person who played with confidence was Umar Akmal, unfortunate to be given out L.B.W. by Simon Taufel. However, that is not an excuse for Pakistan’s loss and poor overall performance.
Pakistan’s biggest disaster came when Younus Khan dropped Grant Elliot, which would have exposed kiwi tail enders. Elliot went on to make an unbeaten 75 and New Zealand won the match. Along with the dropped catch, there were also a few run-out opportunities that were wasted.
One thing that I do not understand is why Pakistan delayed taking the power play when Mohammad Yousuf and Umar Akmal were set and going strong.
The biggest surprise was Mohammad Aamir’s and Saeed Ajmal’s batting. They came in at number 10 and 11 respectively to take Pakistan to 233 when they did not look like they would reach 200. Pakistan’s top order batsmen can learn something from their tail enders.
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