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After suffering a close three-wicket loss to Pakistan in the T20 World Cup opener, Netherlands' Paul Van Meekeren said his side could have sent the Salman Ali Agha-led side home after delivering a decisive performance.
Van Meekeren also expressed disappointment after his team fell short against the 2009 T20 World Cup champions. "We deserved to win that game and we should have sent potentially Pakistan home after today, so yeah it's a shame but it is what it is," Paul Van Meekeren said during the post-match press conference. Van Meekeren expressed support for his teammates after their T20 World Cup loss to Pakistan, urging the squad to perform at its best in the upcoming group stage match against Namibia on February 10. "I mean, we're very close team so obviously there are a few guys who actually disappointed in the changing room, but we stand behind them, we back them all the way for the next game to turn it around - they don't even need to turn it around, just to be the best they can be and win the next game for us in against Namibia," he said. Van Meekeren expressed pride in his team's performance despite their loss to Pakistan, highlighting the squad's resilience and fighting spirit. "I'm very proud of the guys, I mean, I think we probably didn't get the runs on the board that we wanted, but to fight back after a strong start from Pakistan with the bat, it shows how the culture that we've created in the team and the never-give-up attitude. So yeah, I'm super proud - obviously catches win matches. I want to be very clear, Pakistan didn't win the game today; we lost the game against ourselves. We were the better team today, especially in the bowling department, and we should have deserved to win that game," he said. Pakistan narrowly avoided a major upset against a resilient Netherlands after bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf got the team over the line from a tricky situation. Batting first, Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards (37) and Bas de Leede (30) appeared to be guiding the team toward a formidable 170+ total. However, the Pakistani spinners, led by Abrar Ahmed (2/23) and Saim Ayub (2/7), triggered a catastrophic collapse. The Netherlands lost their final six wickets for just 20 runs, finishing 147 all out in 19.5 overs. Pakistan's pursuit of 148 began with Saim Ayub (24) hammering a hat-trick of boundaries in the second over, and Sahibzada Farhan looked in sublime touch, blasting 47 off 31 balls. At 98/2, the result seemed a formality for the 2009 T20 World Cup champions. Pakistan lost Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan and Babar Azam in quick succession as Pakistan suddenly found themselves at 105/5 in 13 overs. Paul van Meekeren and Aryan Dutt then turned the screws as the score slipped to 114/7, with Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan also departing. With 29 runs needed off 12 balls, Faheem Ashraf scored 24 runs in the penultimate over, bowled by Logan van Beek, and then hit the winning boundary off the third ball of the last over to give his team the first points of the tournament. Despite the scare, the 2009 champions will be relieved to start their campaign with a win, especially after having announced a boycott of their group-stage match against India. (ANI)
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