The 6th match of the World Cup saw the Kenyans face the Pakistanis at Hambantota. With Shahid Afridi's future as captain being questioned, and the Kenyans looking to avoid further embarrassment, there would be a lot riding on this match for both teams.
Pakistan got off to a particularly mediocre start, quite like Australia in their match vs. Zimbabwe, and I have to admit, that with the early wickets of Ahmad Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez, I did actually switch over the channel to Sky News; why should I waste my time watching my team lose, when I could be catching up with vital news stories? Only on forcing from my mum did I actually switch the channel back, and I can admit that it was probably the best decision I made that day!
From that point on, 4 batsmen had reached their half-centuries (Y. Khan, K. Akmal, M. Ul-Haq and U.Akmal), including debutant Umar Akmal, who scored the highest number of runs at 71 runs not out, a remarkable feat by the twenty year old, not only that, but he was also a key fielder for the Kenyan innings, taking the catch of Patel, and his quick reaction also led to a fantastic run out of Waters.
All-in-all, I think the Pakistan team really pulled their socks up when it came to the bowling attack. The bowlers bowled well, only to be let down sometimes by mis-fields which could have been easily avoided, apart from that, there was some beautiful bowling in this match, and when better to mention the beast himself, Shahid Khan Afridi, who really did lead from the front, as a captain should in his bowling spell. With figures of 5-16, a captain's best in the world cup, how could he not have been grinning like a Cheshire cat at the post-match ceremony?
One thing I did notice this time when Pakistan were fielding was the fact that for the first time in what seemed like an age, they really gelled together as a team. Never had I seen them like that since perhaps when they won the 2009 T20 World Cup, or maybe even earlier. They may have given the Kenyans some easy runs, but seeing them like this was really heart-warming. I only hope that they keep strong and together as team, because that is what can make or break their chances of being world champions.
As for the Kenyans, they put up a brave fight, but it was not good enough, although they looked strong at first, they gave away 46 extras in the Pakistan innings, consisting of 3 leg-byes, a record 37 wides and 6 no-balls. By golly gosh. And I thought Umar Gul was the king of no-balls, well how wrong I was!! However, instead of being sore losers, the Kenyans just grinned and beared it, which is the most they could do at that point, having lost previously by a massive margin to New Zealand. But hey Kenya, don't get down in the dumps, it's the participating that counts, and just by competing, you are laying the foundations to keep the associate teams in the world cup. If the associate teams can perform to the best of their ability, they will do a whole world of good to those teams who still have yet to make a breakthrough (such as Afghanistan, UAE etc.)
What really made my heart happy was seeing the school children, and also just the general public, supporting both countries, regardless of their own support for Sri Lanka. It was really beautiful to see the love and hospitality of the Sri Lankan supporters in Hambantota for this match, and they have shown what it means to be true cricket fans. It's not about just supporting your own country, its about embracing every aspect of the game with an intense passion and appreciating the hard work and effort that all the players put into their matches, regardless of their country of origin. And for this, those at Hambantota and just in Sri Lanka in general get my salute in honour of their incredibly high level of understanding and love of cricket.
A win of 205 runs has placed Pakistan in the third spot for the highest run-margin win and for their total of 317, they are also ranked third highest in total runs made by a team in an innings, behind India on 370 runs and Sri Lanka on 332 runs. Us Pakistani fans can only hope and pray that they do not continue taking the associates and minnows as easy bait, because during this tournament, the associates and minnows will be hell-bent on the mission of proving their worth in order to stay in the championship come 2015.
So thats all from me for this match. Join Osiris for his report on the West Indies vs. South Africa match!
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