New Zealand defy critics, injuries and Pakistan to reach final
Daniel Vettori was the main man for New Zealand, taking 3-43 and scoring a run-a-ball 41
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Saturday, 03, Oct 2009 09:54
By Huw Davies.
New Zealand completed a perfectly paced run chase to beat Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final and set up a final against neighbours and arch rivals Australia.
Daniel Vettori led his unfancied injury-ravaged side to a five-wicket win, successfully chasing 234.
After losing the toss Vettori said he would be happy to restrict Pakistan to 300, but that was never on the cards once their top order failed.
Ian Butler, brought into the team to replace the injured Darryl Tuffey, who in turn was replacing the injured Jacob Oram, took career-best one-day international figures of 4-44 as Pakistan made a mess of setting a total on a beautiful batting pitch.
The usually superb Mohammad Yousuf never got going and dug his team into a hole by batting slowly in the middle overs, then getting out once the runs needed to come. His painful 45 from 78 balls put the batting side under pressure, and when 19-year-old Umar Akmal was given a bad LBW decision after making an excellent 55, Pakistan lost the plot.
Batsman after batsman got himself out immediately after hitting a boundary, and having hoped for 270 plus Pakistan found themselves floundering on 198-9. It took a brilliant, and unbeaten, last-wicket stand of 35 between numbers 10 and 11 to get them up to 233-9. Saeed Ajmal hit 14 and 17-year-old Mohammad Aamer 19, both at a run a ball.
New Zealand stuttered in reply, with Aaron Redmond's dismissal on 31 leaving them 71-3. Ross Taylor hit the biggest six of the tournament but otherwise crawled to 38 from 61 deliveries, and New Zealand seemed to struggle to keep up with the rate. Grant Elliott, in particular, was scratching around at a run every two balls.
But it was, in fact, a brilliant strategy from the Black Caps. As the run rate crept up to seven an over they seemed to have thrown the game away, but a well-taken PowerPlay and some superb hitting from Elliott catapulted his strike rate from around 40 to 75 and New Zealand towards the target.
Elliott was dropped with 69 still needed to win, with captain Younis Khan putting down an absolute sitter, and held his nerve to finish on 75 not out.
Vettori deservedly won Man of the Match for adding a run-a-ball 41 to his excellent 3-43 with the ball. He and Elliott put on 104 for the fifth wicket, and the total was reached with two overs to spare.
England could learn from watching New Zealand's perfectly timed run chase and intuitive use of the PowerPlay. Neither Pakistan nor England have won the Champions Trophy before, but both were left defeated semi-finalists as New Zealand and Australia set up an all-antipodean final.