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Pakistan progress as Dutch crumble
17:45, Jun 9 2009
Holland's World Twenty20 dream was cruelly shattered as Pakistan thrashed them by 82 runs at Lord's to progress to the Super Eights.
Set 176 to win the match, the Dutch began their chase knowing reaching 151 would be enough to send them into the second stage alongside England, due to their superior net run rate.
Having surprisingly overhauled the tournament hosts' 162 for five on the same ground last Friday, Jeroen Smits' predominantly amateur side would have fancied their chances at the halfway stage. But they were blown away by the Pakistan spinners and all-rounder Shahid Afridi in particular during a spell of seven wickets for 32 runs in just six overs.
They had progressed to 42 for one when Afridi was introduced into the attack for the eighth over and he highlighted the gulf in class between the teams when he produced a yorker first ball which fizzed under the bat of Bas Zuiderent.
Unable to get the spinners away, the middle-order batsmen then fell in quick succession to shots of increasing desperation.
Tim de Grooth, hero of the opening night chase against England with an aggressive 49, was one of the quartet to perish to Afridi, who finished with figures of 4-0-11-4.
With the Dutch batsmen regularly drawn out of their crease in their bid to up the run rate, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal saw plenty of action and finished with four stumpings, including one stunning take off Afridi's quicker ball.
Although they played without fear in their first outing of the competition, with a target in front of them, Holland choked.
Only Darron Reekers, whose beefy early blows gave brief hope, and Ryan ten Doeschate, who hit the only six of the pursuit, scored at better than a run a ball.
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