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Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Afridi sends Dutch spinning to defeat

Younis Khan was a relieved man at the end of the must-win match — AP photo.

Shahid Afridi starred for Pakistan with the ball as the Test side ensured the end of theNetherlands’s fairytale performance at the World Twenty20 at Lord’s here on Tuesday.Leg-spinner Afridi took four wickets for just 11 runs in his four overs — the fourth best return in all Twenty20 internationals — as 2007 finalists Pakistan won by 82 runs to book their place in the second phase Super Eights.The Dutch, shock four-wicket winners over England at Lord’s in Friday’s tournament opener and with a better run-rate at the start, needed to make 151 to get through and so deny Pakistan the minimum 25-run margin of victory they required.But Afridi, well supported by fellow spinner Saeed Ajmal (three for 20), sparked a collapse that saw the Dutch decline from 42 for one to 93 all out.Victory saw Pakistan, beaten by 48 runs by England at the Oval on Sunday, join the hosts in the second phase after they had made 175 for five with wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal, who later made four stumpings, top-score with 41.By contrast, no Dutch batsman made more than Alexei Kervezee’s 21.‘Afridi was outstanding and we struggled on this wicket,’ said Dutch skipper Jeroen Smits.‘We talked about Afridi and that we had to play him straight, but we didn’t do it.‘However, it’s still been a privilege to be here even if we didn’t make it to the Super Eights.’Pakistan captain Younus Khan was relieved that his team had avoided suffering the fate ofAustralia who lost both their matches and were eliminated.‘We were much better today and the partnerships were important,’ said Younus. ‘Our spinners bowled very well.’ The Dutch chase started briskly with Darron Reekers striking fours off left-arm quicks Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad Aamir.But Afridi struck with his first ball when he bowled former Sussex batsman Bas Zuiderent for 13.That left the Dutch 42 for two in the eighth over.It was the start of a collapse from which they never recovered.Tom de Grooth, who made 49 against England, could not repeat his heroics this time and was bowled by Afridi, better known as a hard-hitting batsman, who took three wickets in the space of 10 balls.

Army sends helicopters to back villagers' revolt against Taliban

Pakistan's military sent helicopter gunships to a northwest region Tuesday to support armed villagers who have risen up against Taliban to avenge a deadly mosque blast, an official said.Hundreds of tribesmen in Upper Dir district took up arms Saturday, a day after 38 people were killed in a mosque suicide bombing there, and have stormed villages where extremists are holed up killing 14 fighters, the army has said.The militia -- known locally as a lashkar -- were on Tuesday surrounding Shatkas and Ghazigai villages, where militants are believed to be hiding.Upper Dir borders Swat valley, the centre of a fierce six-week military offensive aimed at crushing a Taliban insurgency."Lashkar men are positioned on surrounding mountains and keeping a vigil on the movement of Taliban militants," said a military official who did not want to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.He said army helicopter gunships and artillery pounded suspected militant hideouts in Upper Dir, adding: "The shelling was in support of the lashkar."Pakistan's government has in the past encouraged the formation of lashkar militias to help the official armed forces in their fight against militants, and say they want to build up and arm such community forces in the northwest.Up to 1,200 villagers carrying firearms are reported to have taken on about 200 Taliban in a handful of remote Upper Dir hamlets.Friday's mosque bombing was the latest in a series of attacks on civilian and security targets -- attacks widely seen as retribution by Islamist extremists for a blistering offensive by the Pakistan army. Pakistan launched its northwest push after the Taliban advanced to within 100 kilometres (60 miles) of Islamabad in early April, violating a deal to put three million people under sharia law in exchange for peace.The offensive has the backing of the United States and enjoys broad popular support among Pakistanis exasperated by worsening Taliban-linked attacks, which have killed more than 1,960 people since July 2007.

Blast at Luxury Pakistan Hotel Kills at Least 5

Gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Peshawar, then set off a huge blast that killed at least five people and wounded dozens more Tuesday in the latest of a string of suicide attacks in Pakistani cities, officials said.No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in the largest city in Pakistan's restive northwest, but it fit with Taliban threats to stage a campaign of assaults in retaliation for a military campaign against militants in the Swat Valley region.Local television networks showed a scene of pandemonium outside the hotel, with armed police rushing around and Pakistani men standing by looking stunned. One man held a bloodied rag to his head.An Associated Press reporter at the scene said he saw several foreigners being walked out of the hotel with injuries.Police official Liaqat Ali said an unknown number of gunmen ran into the Pearl Continental Hotel in downtown Peshawar on Tuesday night just before "a big bomb went off." He said it was a suicide attack.Sahibzada Anis, a top government official in Peshawar, said at least five people were killed and 25 wounded.The Pearl Continental, affectionately called the "PC" by Pakistanis, is relatively well-guarded and set far back from the main road and overlooking a golf course and a historic fort. It is located just over a mile from the city's airport.Parking in front of the structure is heavily restricted, and to get to the front doors of the building, a car has to undergo security checks and travel around concrete and metal barriers.The hotel is a favorite place for foreigners and elite Pakistanis to stay and socialize, making it a high-profile target for militants.Last year, a massive bombing at Islamabad's Marriott Hotel killed more than 50 people and wounded dozens, rattling the nation.