Farhan stars as Pakistan down US at T20 WC, Netherlands and NZ win

Opener Sahibzada Farhan hit a solid half-century while spinner Usman Tariq grabbed three wickets as Pakistan downed the US by 32 runs in a T20 World Cup Group A game in Colombo on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old hit five sixes and six fours in his 41-ball 73 and was aided by a brilliant 32-ball 46 by Babar Azam (four fours, one six) to guide Pakistan to a strong 190-9 total at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground.

Their spinners then checked the inexperienced USA batting with Tariq taking 3-27 and Shadab Khan 2-26 to restrict their opponents to 158-8 in 20 overs.

The win avenged Pakistan’s shock defeat at the hands of US in the T20 World Cup two years ago and handed them a second win in as many games following their close three-wicket win over the Netherlands on Saturday.

For the US, Shubham Ranjane top scored with a valiant 30-ball 51 including three sixes and as many fours before he fell to pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was playing his 100th T20 international.

Opener Shayan Jahangir muscled his way to an attractive 34-ball 49 studded with two sixes and five fours while Milind Kumar scored 29 before US were derailed from 123-3 to lose the match.

Earlier, Farhan and fellow opener Saim Ayub, who scored a 17-ball 19 with two sixes, put on 54 in five overs.

Pakistan then lost two wickets in the sixth over of their innings, bowled by Shadley van Schalkwyk.

Ayub was caught off a slower one while skipper Salman Agha holed out on the deep square-leg boundary for one.

Farhan and Azam took control with an 81-run third-wicket stand as Pakistan cut loose in the middle overs.

Farhan passed 1,000 T20 international runs in his 41st match before he was caught in the covers off spinner Harmeet Singh in the 16th over.

Shadab Khan launched an assault to score 30 off 12 balls before Pakistan lost five wickets for just 13 runs in the last two overs.

Schalkwyk was the best USA bowler with 4-25, following his four-wicket haul against India in the 29-run defeat on Saturday.

De Leede takes Netherlands to big win over Namibia

Bas de Leede scored an unbeaten 72 and took two wickets as the Netherlands hammered Namibia by seven wickets for their first win at the T20 World Cup.

The experienced all-rounder struck key blows with his pace bowling to help restrict Namibia to 156-8 at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.

De Leede then turned up with the bat to hit five fours and four sixes in his 48-ball knock to help the Netherlands chase down their target with 12 balls to spare.

His third-wicket partnership of 70 with Colin Ackermann, who scored 32, set up the chase before he polished it off with skipper Scott Edwards (18 not out).

It was the Netherlands’ biggest win by wickets at a T20 World Cup.

“I think we were lucky to bowl first, it gave us a good look at the wicket and I thought we adjusted really well as a bowling group,” said player of the match De Leede.

Edwards called De Leede’s all-round effort ‘sensational’ as the Dutch bounced back from their narrow loss to Pakistan in their opener in Group A.

Namibia lost wickets at regular intervals after being put in to bat in their first match of the tournament.

Only Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton stood out with his 42.

Logan van Beek returned figures of 2-13 in his three overs of seam bowling and De Leede took 2-20.

New Zealand win

Finn Allen and Tim Seifert posted a T20 World Cup record partnership of 175 as New Zealand defeated the UAE by 10 wickets with almost five overs to spare in Chennai.

Chasing the UAE’s 173-6, Seifert struck an unbeaten 89 and Allen scored 84 not out as they pummelled the UAE bowling to all parts of the ground in an unbroken opening stand.

The opening pair crashed 78 from the first six-over power play and posted their century stand off only 8.3 overs.

Seifert hit one of his three huge sixes to clinch the contest after just 15.2 overs, he also struck 12 fours. Allen had five sixes and five fours.

They beat the previous record for any wicket at a T20 World Cup -- an unbroken 170 by England openers Alex Hales and Jos Buttler against India in the semi-final of the 2022 edition at the Adelaide Oval.

“The main thing is that we’re playing how we want to play, especially me and Finn putting pressure on the bowlers in the power play,” said Seifert, who was named player of the match.

“Every game’s going to be a little bit different, every ground’s going to be different.

“So in a World Cup, you’ve just got to be able to adapt to the conditions you’re playing in.”

Seifert said he was unaware the pair had posted a new World Cup record partnership for any wicket.

“No, I didn’t know that,” he said. “I’m not much of a stats guy, but look, we’ll take it.”

The UAE’s 173-6 was largely thanks to their captain Muhammad Waseem’s 66 not out.

Choosing to bat first, Waseem and Alishan Sharafu put on 107 for the second wicket.

It took a sensational piece of New Zealand fielding to break the partnership.

Mark Chapman intercepted a Sharafu slog-sweep a whisker inside the boundary and before he stepped over the ropes relayed the ball to Daryl Mitchell to complete the dismissal.

The 31-year-old Waseem, who was one of only three current UAE players to play in their last appearance in a T20 World Cup in 2022, hit four fours and three sixes in facing 45 balls.

Agencies