Pakistan vs New Zealand: Pakistan’s biggest stars shone at the right moment, with Shaheen Afridi leading the way in restricting New Zealand to 152/4 and then Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s 105-run opening stand taking the wind out of the Kiwis’ sails.
Pakistan vs New Zealand: PAK win by seven wickets, fifties from Babar & Rizwan
After losing the toss, Pakistan took control of the semifinal with Shaheen Shah Afridi removing Finn Allen in the first over and Devon Conway being run out by Shadab Khan off the last ball of the powerplay. Kane Williamson (46) and Daryl Mitchell (53) added much-needed runs to the board as New Zealand finished at 152/4 in their quota of 20 overs.
Skipper Babar Azam (53) and Mohammad Rizwan (57) added 105 runs for the first wicket to all but seal the win for Pakistan. The men in green eventually finished the match with five balls to spare and seven wickets in hand.
Also Read | Check the full scorecard of Pakistan vs New Zealand 1st Semifinal, T20 World Cup 2022
Pakistan vs New Zealand, T20 world Cup, 1st Semifinal
While Pakistan’s biggest stars – Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, and captain Babar Azam, failed to perform throughout this tournament, they brought out their best at exactly the right time. Afridi led the way as Pakistan restricted New Zealand to a total of 152/4 after which Babar and Rizwan’s sensational 105-run opening stand knocked the wind out of the Kiwis’ sails. While the match went down to the last over, the run of play was hardly ever against Pakistan and they have gone through to the final for the first time since 2009, which was also the last time they won the tournament.
Pakistan vs New Zealand: Struggling Start for Kiwis
A dramatic start to New Zealand’s innings as we have seen Shaheen Shah Afridi draw first blood as the swing bowler traps Finn Allen to give Pakistan an early breakthrough. Allen began with a lovely boundary and was trapped leg-before but the batsman took a successful review as an inside edge saved him. However, Afridi strikes the very next ball, bringing the ball into the batsman as Allen flicks only to miss the ball.
Pakistan vs New Zealand: Williamson, Conway rebuild
Kane Williamson and Devon Conway somehow rebuild the inning after a very slow and struggling start, Kiwis lost their first wicket very early in their innings, After which both these batsmen managed to take out their team from that struggling phase and put a small partnership of 34 runs after which Shadab khan removed Conway on 21 with a brilliant throw from the 30 yards circle to the bowler’s end, Conway tried his best to save his wicket but failed to do so by a small margin.
Pakistan vs New Zealand: Williamson joins hands with Daryl Mitchell
After the fall of the third wicket for New Zealand, their captain Cane Williamson joined hands with Daryl Mitchell both the batsmen tried their best to take their team at a good total but unfortunately can’t make the most of it, they together put a 68 runs partnership and somehow managed to put a respective total in the first semifinal of T20 World Cup 2022, Williamson made 46 and missed his half-ton by just 4 runs while Daryl Mitchell remained unbeaten as he made 53 off just 35 with 3 fours and 1 six as a result, NZ managed to score 152/4 in their 20 overs.
Pakistan vs New Zealand: Babar, Rizwan Gave a Solid Start
In reply to the KIwi’s total of 152, Pakistan started their innings with a bang as Rizwan put the very first delivery to the extra cover boundary, this shot from Rizwan showed Pakistan’s aggression to seal the victory against the Kiwis, Both Babar, and Rizwan provide a solid start to their team in the first semifinal of T20 World Cup 2022, they together put a 105 runs opening stand in 12.4 overs then Pakistan lost Captain Babar Azam on 53 off 42.
Pakistan vs New Zealand: Fifties for Babar and Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam have put on a batting show in Sydney with the green army backing the Pakistan openers, who have almost taken the game away from New Zealand. The Kane Williamson-led side is playing catch-up at the moment as both Babar and Rizwan are batting with great control and authority with half-centuries on the horizon. Babar has cashed in on the life he received early in the innings and has slowly and steadily climbed back into form.
Rizwan was striking the ball beautifully and Pakistan’s dig out firmly believes they will travel to Melbourne for the final.
Skipper Babar Azam (53) and Mohammad Rizwan (57) added 105 runs for the first wicket to all but seal the win for Pakistan. The men in green eventually finished the match with five balls to spare and seven wickets in hand.
Pakistan vs New Zealand: Babar talks
“The way the team performed in the last three matches…. Thanks to the crowd, feels like we are playing at home. We had a good start in the first six overs and later on we had a good spin attack. The fast bowlers also finished very well. Our plan before going inside was to utilize the first six overs and later on everyone can come and chip in. I think he [Haris] is a young guy and showing his aggression. We will enjoy this moment, but at the same time we will focus on the final.”
Pakistan vs New Zealand: Williamson talks
“I thought Pakistan played nicely and then we managed to wrestle back some momentum. At the halfway mark we thought we had a competitive total but disappointing not to make Pakistan work harder [in the chase]. It’s a tough pill to swallow. Fielding was okay…but I think if we want to be honest, we wanted to be more disciplined in our areas. As I said, Pakistan deserved to win. Throughout the round-robin stages, we played nicely and today we weren’t at our best. Having said that, we know the fickle nature of T20 cricket.”
Pakistan vs New Zealand: PAKISTAN BEAT NEW ZEALAND BY 7 WICKETS, REACH 2022 T20 WORLD CUP FINAL
Pakistan vs New Zealand: Their first final since 2009, their third T20 World Cup final overall, and it has been achieved in the end by Shan Masood calmly pushing it down the ground and taking the single. A little fist pump from him is all the emotion we see, there may have been tension in the stands and even in the dugout, but he knew exactly what he needed to do. He knew probably knew that the bulk of the heavy lifting has already been done by three of Pakistan’s biggest stars, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, and their captain Babar Azam. He just needed to get them over the line. Pakistan was looking unbeatable today, and judging by what happens when they look dangerous after looking bereft earlier in the tournament, their opponents in the final have to be very, very afraid.
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