Fighting a lost cause

A fighting knock in a lost cause is not always recognised. But when a young lad saunters into the playing arena with a swagger of confidence and plays an innings that takes his team close to victory in the semi-finals of a World Cup, one cannot help but sit up and take notice. The youngster who caught the eye in today's tense clash was Faisal Iqbal. Iqbal's 53 off 71 balls displayed the same poise that one is used to seeing in his uncle - Javed Miandad. His knock included five well placed boundaries and one crisply hit six. His innings gave Pakistan a platform on which they could go after the Sri Lankan target. However, at the end of the day, they simply did not have the firepower.

Iqbal's innings will stand out for the way he made his runs. Right from the moment he walked in, to the way he took strike and finally the way he was dismissed. Attempting to get on with the scoring, Iqbal hoicked a delivery to deep square leg, where Ganegama pulled of a blinder of a catch running along the boundary and plucking the ball out of the air just inches before the ropes. The attitude that Iqbal displayed suggests that he is destined for bigger things.