Afridi powers Pak win against Holland

COLOMBO: Shahid Afridi tore into the Dutch bowling attack to plunder the second fastest One-day half century for the second time in his career as Pakistan raced to a nine-wicket win in the last Pool D match of the ICC Champions Trophy at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground here on Saturday.
Afridi blasted six sixers and four boundaries to reach 55 off just 18 balls.He could have easily done better had he not played some dot balls towards the end of his knock. In the event, the man-of-the-match again fell short of Sanath Jayasuriya’s feat by one delivery.
Afridi’s first attempt to break the Lankan captain’s record had met with similar fate in Nairobi in 1996. Then too, he had missed the mark by one delivery, that too against Jayasuriya’s side.
However, the Pakistani still holds the record for the fastest hundred (37 balls) and shares the second fastest half century record with Australian Simon O’Donnell. Before Afridi, Imran Nazir (59) looked all set to guide Pakistan to a ten-wicket win. However, he turned too greedy and paid the price.
Trying to finish the match inside 15 overs, he went after the bowlers only to hole out to square leg off Kloppenburg. Saeed Anwar remained a quiet partner to both and finished with an unbeaten 28.
Afridi’s knock and Pakistan’s victory brought forth the chasm between the top nations and the three minnows viz Holland, Bangladesh and Kenya.
The Dutch, playing only their seventh one-day international, had the satisfaction of lasting the entire 50 overs after electing to bat against a strong team.
Extras top-scored with 33 in the Dutch total as only skipper Roland Lefebvre (32 not out), Tim de Leede (24), Luuk van Troost (16) and Reinout Scholte (11) reached double-figures.
The Netherlands did not have bowlers to put pressure on the seasoned Pakistani batsmen as Nazir went for big shots early in the innings, hitting seamer Edgar Schiferli for three fours in the opening over.
Earlier, Pakistani fast bowler Waqar Younis missed a hat-trick as Pakistan restricted their opponents.
Younis dismissed Zuiderent and Henk-Jan Mol off successive deliveries in his fifth over before being denied a hat-trick by Troost with a defensive push to mid-off.
Pakistan gained valuable practice ahead of their three-Test series against Australia as leg-spinner Afridi (3-18) and Younis (2-14) struck it rich.
The opening Test will be played here in the first week of October and the last two at Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.
Leede, who has figured in all the seven one-day internationals played by his team, made a 50-ball 24 with one six and two boundaries.
The 34-year-old middle-order batsman played the shot of the innings, powerfully swinging Afridi over the roof of a mid-wicket stand for a six. Leede was involved in a 55-run stand for the fifth wicket with left-handed Troost after Younis had reduced the European team to 23-4.