A blessed Pakistan have charged into the T20 World Cup final, beating New Zealand in a rowdy semi-final sellout at the SCG on Wednesday night to set up a potential showdown with electric rivals India at the MCG on Sunday.
India meet England in the second semi-final at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday night.
Mohammad Rizwan in action for Pakistan during their T20 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand at the SCG.Credit:Getty Images
Having made the playoffs on the back of the Netherlands beating South Africa, dreadfully out-of-touch captain Babar Azam was dropped first ball before going on to score 53 in 42 balls as Pakistan cruised to a seven-wicket win with four balls to spare. Pakistan made 3/152 in reply to New Zealand’s 4/152.
It continued plucky New Zealand’s role as the bridesmaid of international events. The Kiwis have been finalists in three of the last four white-ball ICC men’s tournaments – including in last year’s T20 World Cup against Australia – but have never won.
Pakistan will be looking to replicate their first World Cup triumph, at the MCG in 1992, when they came from the clouds to qualify for the playoffs by a single point from a washout, beat New Zealand in their semi-final, and toppled England in the final of the 50-over tournament.
This remains a live scenario with England semi-finalists, but the popular final would be Pakistan against India, particularly after their amazing early round match in Melbourne17 days ago in front of more than 90,000 screaming fans. Virat Kohli was brilliant in controlling India’s last-gasp run chase.
Babar and Mohammad Rizwan (57 from 43 balls) had a helter-skelter opening partnership of 105 in 12.1 overs after most of the Pakistan batsmen spent all tournament struggling to make an impact.
Having made tournament scores of 0, 4, 4, 6 and 25, with a strike rate of 61.90 going into Wednesday night’s match, Babar nicked an inswinger off the first ball he faced from Trent Boult in Pakistan’s opening over.
Wicketkeeper Devon Conway was unable to hold the tough chance diving low to his right.
New Zealand’s innings was built around Daryl Mitchell’s free-flowing 53 not out from 35 balls after captain Kane Williamson won the toss and batted on a worn pitch.
New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips takes a catch to dismiss Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan.Credit:AP
Mitchell and Williamson (46 from 42 balls) had an important fourth-wicket partnership of 68 to stabilise the Kiwi innings before the skipper was skittled by Pakistan’s best bowler Shaheen Afridi (2-24) in the 17th over attempting to scoop a slower ball to leg.
Finn Allen was unable to ambush the Pakistanis in the same way he did the Australians during the opening match of the tournament proper on the same ground 18 days earlier.
Allen gave a glimpse of what may be to come when he thumped the first ball of the match down the ground to the boundary from Afridi’s attempted yorker.
It was the best moment of a short but eventful stay for the brash young Kiwi as Afridi persisted with a very full length, trapping him leg before wicket, according contemplative umpire Marais Erasmus.
Allen’s review showed a fine edge, which the umpire would never have heard given the raucous crowd.
Another yorker, another miss by Allen, another lbw decision, and this time the review didn’t save him.
Allen basically put Australia out of the T20 World Cup three overs into the competition as he blazed a 16-ball 42 that set the Kiwis up for 200 and an 89-run victory. It ultimately cost Australia a semi-final place on negative run rate.
But Allen was very hit-and-miss during the tournament. His next best effort was an 18-ball 32 against Ireland.
Conway, who scored an unbeaten 92 in 58 balls against Australia, was run out for 21 in 20 balls by a direct hit from Shadab Khan. Glenn Phillips, the breakthrough hitter for the Kiwis in this tournament with 201 runs at a strike rate of 158, managed just six before bunting a simple catch back to spinner Mohammad Nawaz.
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