AUSTRALIA: Pakistan’s dominant batting and bowling performances help them defeat New Zealand by 7 wickets in the semi-finals to reach the T20 World Cup final for the third time.
Pakistan will now face either England or India in the final on Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
New Zealand Innings
Early Trouble
New Zealand won the toss and decided to bat first. Pakistan were off to a great start as Shaheen Afridi removed Fin Allen in the third ball of the innings. NZ was in difficulty after Conway was run out on the last ball of the power play; they only managed to score 39 runs in six overs and lost two wickets as a result.
The in-form batsman Glenn Phillips was also out cheaply, leaving the New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell with a difficult task ahead of them. After 10 overs, New Zealand was 59-3.
A partnership
The New Zealand innings was knit together by Willamson and Mitchell, who then added 57 runs in the next five overs to help New Zealand reach 106 runs in 15 overs. These two were persistent, and their efforts kept the NZ innings steady.
Final Touch
New Zealand managed to score 47 runs in the final five overs, it was expected to be a little more but considering the sluggish pitch 152 was a decent total. Mitchell scored 53* runs and Williamson scored 46 runs. Jimmy Neesham remained unbeaten on 16* off 12 deliveries.
For Pakistan Shaheen Afridi took 2 wickets and Mohammad Nawaz took 1 wicket.
Pakistan Innings
A Blistering Power-Play
As soon as they got going, Babar and Rizwan were immediately on the job; they were timing the ball very nicely and scoring boundaries at ease. In the power-play, Pakistan scored 55 runs without losing a wicket.
The Fantastic Duo
Rizwan and Babar were looking unbreakable and continued scoring boundaries. New Zealand kept looking for a breakthrough but was unable to find it. By the end of the 10th over PAK was 87 without loss.
It was an easy win for PAK from here. Babar and Rizwan’s duo added a humongous 105 runs partenrship before Babar (53) got out.
Pakistan in the Finals
Following an excellent start from Babar and Rizwan (57). Now it was up to the remaining batsmen to seal the victory for Pakistan.
Sloppy fielding by New Zealand allowed Pakistan to win the game five balls early and by seven wickets. A team which was not even qualifying is now the first team to reach the World Cup T20 2022 finals.
Also Read: World Cup T20 2022 Semifinal: New Zealand Vs Pakistan Match Preview
