Pakistan were never quite the set team. In contrast, England seemed like a cohesive team, hunger and ready for the kill. And it made the world of difference in the first Super Eights match of the 2010 ICC World Twenty at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados.
kevin pietersen against pakistan
Kevin Pietersen played a brilliant knock for an unbeaten seventy runs from just fifty-two balls as he steered England past Pakistan's turbulent scoring for 147 runs.
If Pakistan's batting lacked inspiration, their fielding was atrocious to say the least. That even Lady Luck had deserted them had become fairly obvious as England had well conquered the run rate, and Pakistan could not effect the opportunities that would have got them the wickets to get vital breakthroughs.
Three catches went down and shockingly all to Saeed Ajmal while Kamran Akmal missed another stumping. If the Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi, was sympathetic the first time round, the second opportunity was difficult and the third only aggravated the situation for Pakistan as the England openers lived life on the edge with spunk.
England had sighted victory comfortably which came to them in the end with three balls to spare and six wickets still in hand. But it was Pakistan's over ambitious batting combined by disciplined, accurate bowling from the England bowlers that confounded the defending champions. Michael Yardy was the surprisingly outstanding bowler, picking two wickets for nineteen runs, conceding six runs less than Stuart Broad who picked up two wickets as well.
Pakistan's batting was essentially one of fits and starts, and while Salman Butt was looking good once more on thirty-four, the end of his knock from Graeme Swann seemed to have done Pakistan in. Umar Akmal batted for thirty before he became Ryan Sidebottom's first of two wickets and when Afridi himself walked, ran for a non existent run only to get comfortably stumped, it summed up Pakistan's helter-skelter approach to the match.
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