On any given day, one would bet on Pakistan beating the Dutch by 25 runs or more, but considering their performance in the World T20 so far (including the warm ups), not many were confident they could do it.

But they did! and how!

They crushed the poor Dutch.

So what worked for them?

1. For starters they got their XI right

Makes me wonder why they didn't pick this team before.

The team that played was the one everyone was talking about. I was, other bloggers were, media was, then what kept the team management from doing it?

I guess we will never know how the Pakistani cricket team functions.

2. They got their batting order spot on

Again this was something I and many others had mentioned, but the team management didn't implement it till today.

Akmal opened and it allowed Malik, Younis, and Misbah to bat at higher positions.

Malik and Younis slowed things down again; in their defence however, they were trying to set things up for the big hitting of Misbah and Afridi.

That six of Nannes will do Afridi a lot of good.

3. The bowling attack looked impressive

Thank heavens Yasir Arafat did not play, and hence did not take the new ball.

Sohail Tanvir swung it around and kept the Dutch in check. He seemed a bit unfit though; why didn't he go off the field after his spell?

Aamer took some stick but its heartening to watch a quick 17 year old bursting into the scene.

So far he's managed a wicket in his first over in both the games he's played. He's a genuine quick and should be persisted with.

The spinners were at their usual best; the Dutch were always going to have trouble against Afridi and Ajmal.

Figures of 4-11 will do a world of good to Afridi. It was top stuff from him and he delivered when it was required.

Boom boomed with the ball!

He needs to be at his best with the ball for the Super 8s.

Despite all this, there are still a lot of concerns, which need to be addressed before taking on the tougher opposition in the Super 8s.

Salman Butt is the biggest problem.

He needs to learn that he's not alone out there when batting; he has partners with him. Push the ball into the gaps and run, you are not a stroke player!

Butt also needs a one-on-one fielding coach. But that the whole team needs really.

Pakistan's fielding will have to be a lot sharper against the likes of Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

And don't forget, they'll be playing IRELAND as well!

Intikhab Alam will have some sleepless nights leading up to that game.

Misbah is another concern that I have. He has come out to bat in the last 5-7 overs of the matches. He is a great striker of the ball, but he needs some time to settle down to be completely effective.

I reckon he should be batting ahead of Younis. Or maybe Younis at 3 followed by Misbah and Malik.

If these things stand corrected, we have a good chance to get into the semi finals.

For now though, lets cherish this victory and thank heavens that we are not joining Australia on the way out.

At least they have walked into the match with the right team.

Fawad Alam and Sohail Tanvir are in, while Ahmed Shehzad and Yasir Arafat are out.

This is what we wanted.

Actually not really. We wanted Fawad to replace Salman, but as long as he's in.

Akmal will open, Fawad will come into the middle order, and Tanvir will probably take the new ball.

Sound familiar?

I said it here in a 9-point strategic plan.

I wasn't the only one; many others wanted the same team and finally the team management has thunk like us.

Hope its not too late for them!

We're the same but we've made some changes. Not too many, but some changes none the less.

7 of the 8 spots for the World T20 Super 8s stage have been decided, and this is what Groups E and F look like:

Group E: India, South Africa, West Indies, England

Group F: New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland, X

The 'X' will be filled in by either Pakistan or the Netherlands, depending on the outcome of their match tomorrow.

Pakistan have to win by atleast 25 runs or chase down their target with 3 overs to spare in order to qualify.

If they don't do that or the Dutch beat them, then it will more or less garantee semi final spots for New Zealand and Sri Lanka!

Leaving Group E with intense battles towards the race to the other 2 semi final spots.

This ICC World Twenty20 has surely turned the cricket world upside down, and I think there are even more surprises in store.

For the record, I got both my calls wrong again today and now I stand at 6-2, wrong to right!

"It won't be a disaster even if we exit before the Super Eights," said Younis. "It would be sad if we don't make it, but I have never attached too much importance to Twenty20 cricket, as it is fun cricket. I mean it is more for entertainment, even if it is international cricket. It is all for the crowd. Twenty20 is all about fun. Everybody expects players to come out and entertain."

Well if that is the attitude our captain has after the embarassing defeat to England, then they might as well not turn up to play against the Dutch!

And this so different from the tune he was singing a few days back.

25 runs, 3 overs to spare, net run rate calculations, all are meaningless if the Pakistan captain doesn't even care about qualifying for the Super 8s.