T20 ICC WORLD TWENTY20 WEST INDIES 2010 - Super Eight: NZ Vs Pak

T20 ICC

World Cup

Twenty20

West Indies

PAK UP TIME?

Butt's Effort Not Enough As NZ Win By 1 Run

Bridgetown: Defending champions Pakistan suffered their third straight defeat, including two devastating ones in the Super Eight, to be on the brink of elimination here in the T20 World Cup on Saturday morning. Chasing New Zealand's 133, after electing to bowl first, Pakistan fell short by just one run in match full of twists and turns. In the last over, with four wickets in hand, they just needed 11 runs to stay afloat in the tournament.

          But opening batsman Salman Butt, who was on strike with 59, managed only two dot balls and two boundaries off the first four deliveries. More alarmingly, he found himself at the wrong end after the fifth as a sharp Yorker results in a bye.

         Last ball. Two to get; or at least one to force a tie, and the eliminator. But Abdur Rehman, attempts a swipe and manages to sky it to deep square leg for a heart-breaking defeat. Ian Butler, who bowled the high-pressure over was named man of the match, for his haul of three for 19.

         Pakistan have already lost to England: their only hope of sneaking into the semifinal hinges on an England sweep in the pool.They will, of course, need to win their last game against South Africa too to bring net run-rate into the picture.

        New Zealand made a quiet but effective start, enen as Pakistan came out with all their pacers blazing. Brendon McCullum (33) and Jesse Ryder added 34 for the first wicket before the game's first twist: Mohammad Sami and Rehman picked up two wickets each to grab the upper hand.

         At 58 for four, Daniel Vettori (38) was again called to play a captain's knock; alnong with Scott Styris (21), he added 40 runs in the crucial middle overs.

        Spinners Shahid Afridi and Saaeed Ajmal continued the good work started by Mohammed Hafeez to squeeze New Zealand into a corner. 133 for seven were surely not adequate.