Are you kidding me? Pakistan cricket team is in the finals of the T20 World Cup 2022. The team who was supposed to be knocked out of the tournament, but rose from the ashes and showcased their underdog performance against all odds.
It’s a big victory for the greens and most importantly the opening pair is back in form. Yes! Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan’s partnership returned in the most important match in style.
In the first semi-final, Pakistani bowlers exhibited their true class, Shaheen broke the deadlock in his first over, and then others did their work.
The way Pakistani players fielded throughout the match no one can forget that and the direct hit by Shadab was exceptional.
Shaheen shut everyone’s mouths and stated that he was not fit at all. He changed the game when he bowled the skipper Kane Williamson.
Pakistan Beats New Zealand In Semi Final
The toss went in favor of New Zealand and they chose to bat first. Pakistani pacers totally thrashed New Zealand by taking early wickets and stopped them to score runs in powerplay overs.
Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell held the charge to lead their team to a better score. Kane Williamson bowled and couldn’t make a half-century.
But Mitchell then took the responsibility and led his side to a fine total of 152.
For Pakistan surely it was chasing able, but everyone’s doubting the opening pair as they weren’t performing well in the past couple of matches.
But the way both Rizwan and Babar played throughout powerplay and scored half-centuries surely shut everyone’s mouth.
Pakistan needed to win this semi-final because in the previous edition Australia had beaten Pakistan in a nail-biting match and knocked them out of the final race.
Babar Azam Thanked The Crowd
Babar Azam who legit played like a skipper thanked the crowd for their support. “Thanks to the crowd. We feel like we’re playing at home. Got a good start with the first 6 overs with the ball.
Later on, the ball didn’t come on well. Fast bowlers finished well. We planned before going that we’ll utilize the powerplay.”
Last year’s ICC T20 Player of the Year winner Muhammad Rizwan also expressed his emotions after winning the match and receiving the player of the match award.
He said, “Luckily, the fifty was in the semifinal. Babar and I were struggling but we worked hard and believed. We kept fighting. When we crossed the boundary line, we decided to take the attack to the new ball bowlers. When we finished the powerplay, we knew one of us had to bat deep as it was a tricky pitch.”
We Weren’t Good, Kane Williamson
New Zealand’s skipper Kane Williamson looked unhappy with the team’s performance. He said, “We were put under pressure early.
Pakistan bowled very nicely. We managed to wrestle back some momentum with an unbelievable knock from Mitchell. At the halfway stage we were feeling it was a competitive total. The wicket was a bit tough – used surface. Very disappointing to not make Pakistan work a lot harder. They were outstanding. We were outplayed. It’s a tough pill for us to swallow.”
Now, let’s wait for another big match between India and England in the second semi-final. Who will join Pakistan at MCG stadium? Find out tomorrow.
What do you think of the story? Tell us in the comments section below.
