Over 60s World Cup
Pakistan lose the initiative against New Zealand
In a match that Pakistan were on top of in the New Zealand innings, the initiative changed hands when Pakistan batted. In the end New Zealand overcame Pakistan by a margin of 44 runs based on the Duckworth/Lewis method as the match was interrupted by rain.
In the second-round match being played in John Blanck Oval (Brisbane, Australia), New Zealand won the toss and batted first.
The Pakistani bowlers made inroads into a strong batting lineup to have them 71-3 and then 128-4. In the end they managed only 191-9 in their allotted 45 overs thanks chiefly to Russell Drake who showcased a quality knock of 75 runs which included seven fours. A cameo from Andrew Nuttall, in the end, bolstered the team total which appeared to be innocuous initially. For Pakistan, Basharat Ali Baber finished with 3-37.
The chase from the Pakistan Veterans soon lost momentum due to the fall of quick wickets, going from 21-0 in 4 overs to 38-3. The forced rain-break in the 20th over didn’t help either as the revised DLS total of 171 runs in 35 overs, became an even steeper task. The required run rate crept up from 4.87 to 6.63. Needing to go for their shots, Pakistan lost wickets and fell short by 44 runs, finishing on 126-9. Anthony Gray delivered an impressive spell, picking up three wickets. Michael Johnston & Roger Stachurski took two wickets each. Russell Drake was awarded ‘Player of the Match’.
Pakistan Veterans observed varying fortunes in a span of 24 hours. Yesterday, they rolled over West Indies to win their opening encounter. However, New Zealand today overcame them in the rain-affected second game.
Pakistan Over 60s team will be playing their third consecutive game tomorrow against the Rest of the World side. The result of that game now holds pivotal importance in Pakistan’s quest to reach the next stage.
In other matches played today in Pool-A: Australia decimated the Zimbabwean side winning by 9 wickets after getting them all out on mere 18 runs. Canada defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in a rain-hit match. Wales team won their match against India by a heavy margin of 169 runs.
In Pool-B, West Indies lost their second game on the trot as the Rest of the World team edged past them by 5 wickets. Meanwhile, USA defeated South Africa by 3 runs in a close match.