Taylor's birthday ton sinks hapless Pakistan

Pallekele: As expected, there were plenty of gags and ribald comments about Kamran Akmal’s hand in giving Ross Taylor a World Cup birthday gift to remember.
Or as a wag in an email from Taylor’s Lower Hutt turf suggested, while Akmal baked the cake, Shoaib Akhtar provided the glitter with the candles and Shahid Afridi player mater of ceremonies to blow them out. It was that sort of Alice in Wonderland style of birthday party with the Mad Hatter, aka Pakistan wicketkeeper Akmal, wondering how he let this one get away.

There were no magic tricks. The Kiwis had a touch of luck and frankly, you cannot drop Ross Taylor twice and expect to get away with such fielding howlers. Little wonder the was a grimace and then a scowl. Result, New Zealand move to the top of Group A with victory by 110 runs with 9.2 overs to spare and better run overs rate.
Pakistan will also wonder how the side they (struggled to) beat 3-2 in the recent ODI series came at them so hard and Taylor made the most of some of the most appalling bowling tactics you will see this World Cup. While the victory will also help Sri Lanka’s cause, it should be remembered how New Zealand won the game without their skipper, Daniel Vettori, having his knee scanned after falling on his right knee early in the Pakistan innings.
If finding the 10 overs needed to fill in for the injured skipper is one thing, it was Vettori who on Monday predicted how Taylor, turning 27 by telling the media, "Ross Taylor is one of the best batsmen and there are high expectations of a big innings from him and win the game for us."
Just the sort of clairvoyant comment to reflect on as New Zealand, even written off in some cases by their own media, created the opportunities needed to win the game and with it show just how capable they are in performing above their so-called lightweight image. As the Kiwis have a chance to qualify for the quarterfinals, it will be a challenge to maintain such momentum.
In 2009 they pulled off some quality victories in the Champions Trophy in South Africa; the semi-final win over Pakistan a game to remember. Some eighteen months later, in a venue which was far from finished in Sri Lanka, provided another high point in an International Cricket Council event. Pallekele may in future see similar upsets, but the first century at the venue in the tea island’s hill country, is one to remember.
Not so much for its early struggles as there was an edge to Akmal that was dropped followed by an enticing edge that flew between Akmal and Younus Khan when he was on eight. Oh, deary me. You cannot toss away such gifts offered by a class batsman an expect not to suffer a form of retribution.
And just how Pakistan did suffer, a large portion of it of their own making. While Martin Guptill anchored the innings early on, it was a case of Taylor surviving. He needed to find his rhythm and get his footwork as well as handwork moving. He has those silky skills which when in flow can produce an avalanche of runs. In this case, it was a tornado.
After all, in the 33rd over of the New Zealand innings when the second drinks break was taken, he had 47 and the score limping along at 135 for four.
So, when the total reached 200 in the 45th over, the dam, although not having quite burst, the slow flood was ready to turn into a tsunami of scary proportions. Bowling yorkers, full tosses and wides and Taylor on the rampage making the most of some of the rubbish bowling you are going to see. Not surprising, the rate of 20 runs an over during the final five overs of the innings explains where Pakistan not only lost the plot, you began to wonder of they had one in the first place such was the carnage wrought on a hapless trio of hopefuls who were wannabe heroes.
Can any one explain why no one bowled around the wicket to Taylor? He was allowed a free hand to pull the ball over mid-wicket without thought given to curbing the pull shot. Five of his seven sixes went high, wide and handsome into the crowded western embankment where the locals cheered, knowing how a Kiwi win would aid their own team’s cause.
Taylor’s batting style was reminiscent of former New Zealand captain John Reid, who was also big hitter of the ball when needed. There were punches down the ground that left the fieldsmen grasping and groping as well and diving to pull off cover, square drives and square cuts that Reid would have been proud to admit were as good as his own pugnacious, crunching style of mugging a hapless bowler into submission.
His 131 was a World Cup debut ton and one to remember. No wonder Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach grumbles how Akmal, aka the Mad Hatter, cost his side the game. Just what sort of fine he will end up with is an interesting point. Little wonder The Mad Hatter was not smiling.
As for Pakistan’s reply, even with the Kiwis needing to find 10 overs to make up for the absence of Vettori didn’t prove a handicap.
Allan Donald’s work on the seamers and swing bowlers has paid off. He watched as well as Tim Southee and Kylie Mills tore through the top order. Its mental fragility was all too apparent. Their control of pace and seam and working hard at Pakistan stunned their top-order. At five for 45 it was a matter of brushing up the debris from the remaining batsmen.
It was good evening for Kiwis.

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