T20 World Cup: Pakistan stun New Zealand to reach final

Gulf News

Pakistan are in the T20 World Cup final after a seven-wicket win over New Zealand in Sydney. They were chasing 153 to win and openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan hit half-centuries in an opening stand of 105 to tee up a stunning victory. Pakistan will now play England or India - who meet on Thursday - in Sunday's final in Melbourne. Gulf News cricket experts, Shyam, Satish and Ashfaq discuss the match and look ahead to tomorrow’s huge semifinal.  See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km  Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV  #UAEnews #cricket #t20worldcup

Transcript

00:00Hello and welcome to Golf News Straight Back.

00:09So Pakistan were probably still in shock that they made it to the semi-finals of the T20

00:13World Cup after they lost the two opening games.

00:16A week ago it looked like they were going to do their usual trick of choking when it

00:20counts the most, but they faced New Zealand today in the last four in Sydney and they

00:25won by seven wickets to book their spot into the final.

00:28Ashfaq, congratulations, what did you make of that performance from the team today?

00:32Thank you, Imran.

00:33Pakistan is not in shock, New Zealand is in shock.

00:36Let's put it this way.

00:39Shell shocked, actually.

00:41Yeah, they are shell shocked, actually, today.

00:44Because I saw it for the first time that New Zealand was outclassed in all the fields.

00:49I mean, they couldn't even feel today.

00:52That's their strongest point.

00:53They dropped two catches, they dropped Babar Azam on zero and that took a heavy toll on

00:57them.

00:58And then Babar got the luck and he was on the floor, he couldn't be stopped.

01:02As I said in the earlier comments also, Babar and Shaheen are the key to Pakistan cricket.

01:09If Babar stays, it means you're in a match.

01:12And if Shaheen Afridi performs, you're in a match.

01:15So luckily both of them performed today and that went in Pakistan's favour.

01:19The score was not bad, 152, but brilliant bowling by both pacers and spinners also.

01:27They restricted them to 152 and hats off to the OPNIC partnership also and the new sensation

01:35Haris, just to close it in brief, Haris was wonderful today again.

01:42Yeah, there was lots of good performances there.

01:44Shyam, do you think Pakistan have hit form when it really matters?

01:48I believe so.

01:49I mean, it looked like, if you look at today's performance, they hardly put a foot wrong.

01:56And their bowling has been doing well, now their batting was the worry and now batting

02:01has clicked into place.

02:02Batting, more importantly, the openers.

02:04So they have it in them to go all the way actually.

02:07In fact, they are the most formidable side in the fray.

02:13And so, New Zealand finished top of their group.

02:16They've had a really good Super 12, a really good World Cup all together.

02:19They got to the semi-final today, but where did it go wrong for them, for Kane Williamson's

02:23side today?

02:24I think Kane Williamson's three main batters, all three are power hitters basically.

02:32You have the opener, both the openers and Phillips, all failed today.

02:39And they all went in succession and that was before that 10th over.

02:42So that left with Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell to rebuild their innings.

02:48And I should say, one of the reasons for them to struggle was very brave and astute captaincy

02:55from Babar Azim.

02:57He kept the fielders almost 15 yards inside the boundary line and told them, rather through

03:03the gauntlet to the New Zealand batters to go after the bowling, which they didn't take.

03:08And the end result is, they were not able to convert the ones into twos.

03:13And that way, they restricted the New Zealand score to 152, which was about 20 runs short

03:19with of course, a good fielding also.

03:21So that was the key.

03:23Yeah.

03:24Speaking of the fieldings, Ashfaq, the boundaries just weren't coming for New Zealand today

03:28and credit goes to Pakistan's bowling and fielding today, doesn't it?

03:32Yeah, it's very unlike Pakistan's fielding.

03:34They were diving around and they caught catches as well.

03:37And they were like, it's a full coordination.

03:40As Satish said, they were inside the circle as well, but they were not letting the ball

03:44travel to boundary.

03:45It's an amazing fielding and they didn't drop catches, directed runouts, though Nawaz missed

03:54a runout, a big one, Williamson, but it didn't make a big difference.

03:58But I would say they were out there to win this match.

04:01They had this mind, they have to win.

04:02And the body language and everything was right on spot.

04:05And I think they wanted to win and they won.

04:09Yeah.

04:10And Shah, Ashfaq mentioned Williamson just there.

04:12He had a very important, well, very good knock.

04:15He was looking very good.

04:16He was on his way to his half century.

04:19He got out for 46 when Afridi struck.

04:22How important was that to break that partnership that he had formed?

04:28Williamson normally anchors the New Zealand innings, which is what he did today as well.

04:33Rarely have I seen him take that active position, which the last World Cup final was an exception

04:39actually.

04:40But otherwise, this is the kind of innings he plays.

04:42But what that requires is the batsmen at the other end to fire.

04:46So they have to go hammer on prongs.

04:49But like Satish said, all their pinch hitters or the big hitters are perished very early.

04:53So finally, the onus came on him also to go for the runs.

04:58So they have to fire from both ends.

05:00So with the dismissal which came out, a scoop, which is a very Williamson-like stroke.

05:08And I thought that was a sorry end to the fighting innings.

05:11Yeah.

05:12And Satish, I mean, there was a couple of decent knocks there, but Mitchell did really well.

05:16He got a quick-fire 50.

05:19How impressed was that batting from him today?

05:22It was good.

05:23A run 50 of 35 balls, yes.

05:25It was about 150.

05:26That's 150 strike rate is par for the course in any T20 game.

05:33That's where they missed it.

05:34Had somebody gone, one person gone 200-plus, at that point of time, maybe Jimmy Nisham

05:41was also not getting his timing.

05:43So that would have given them another 10 more runs, 15 more runs, which would have made

05:48the total that much more formidable.

05:50Because 160-plus, 165, would have been a lot bigger total than 152, which was…

05:56I think the opposition will think that, yes, we can achieve it with some good strike.

06:01So we will go for it.

06:02But 165 needs a bit of extension.

06:05That's where they failed.

06:07So Ash, they were chasing 153 to win.

06:11And I mean, the openers haven't had the best of tournaments.

06:14Babur Azam, in the last game, looked like he got 25, but it didn't look like he was

06:18playing too well.

06:19Today, he looked like the old Babur Azam that we all know.

06:22And also Rizwan, they both got half-centuries.

06:25How impressed was that partnership from the opening?

06:28It was stunning because it seemed like the old pair of Babur Azam and Rizwan reappeared

06:33today.

06:34And they performed very well.

06:36They rose to the OK and it was most required.

06:40Both were in good flow.

06:41If you look at Babur Azam's shots, if you see, they were amazing, amazing shots by him.

06:47He was in like superb touch.

06:50And Rizwan also hit big.

06:52And I think they had a strategy to score big in the first six hours.

06:57And they managed to do so, 54 runs in six hours, superb score.

07:03They had just a little over 100 to score in the next 15 hours, 14 hours.

07:08So they set the ground very well.

07:10And that was the key for Pakistan's win.

07:12Because as you see at the end, it was, New Zealand was choking the best man.

07:18But because the runs were less, so Haris managed to hit and ease the pressure.

07:23As Satish has said, if there was like 15, 20 more runs on New Zealand's score, it would

07:28have been a very, very tough match.

07:31But hats off to Babur Azam and Rizwan today for winning this match.

07:35But Sharm, I mean, yeah, Babur Azam did really well, but he was dropped on zero today.

07:40He made the most of that second chance.

07:43And I mean, it was the openers that laid down the foundation for the win today, wasn't it?

07:47Absolutely.

07:48Absolutely.

07:49And Babur Azam, I think, his struggles mirrored Kohli's struggles, although Kohli had an extended

07:58barren run.

08:00But I was looking at some of the clips on social media and on the Pakistan board site

08:05where they have posted of him playing in the nets.

08:10And he was striking the ball very well.

08:12So it was a surprise that he is not getting runs and he is not playing fluently.

08:18So it just looked one hit away from returning to form.

08:21And when you are out of form, you need a slice of luck.

08:25And that one, Conway provided.

08:27And Babur didn't look back after that.

08:29Yeah.

08:30True.

08:31Yeah.

08:32That's very true.

08:33OK.

08:34So congratulations to Pakistan.

08:35They've made it to the final.

08:36And they're going to be joined by either England or India, who play tomorrow.

08:39So, Abhishek, how do you see that second semi-final going tomorrow?

08:42I would say it is between the England bowlers versus the Indian batsmen.

08:47Because again, England is probably having the best bowling attack, the pacers coming

08:53in.

08:54It's got a very varied attack.

08:55So India could play to the potential as a batting unit and put up a good score if they

09:02bat first or while chasing also.

09:04So it's going to be a tussle between the Indian batting versus the famed Indian batting

09:09versus the famed England bowlers.

09:12That's what I would say.

09:13Because both of them have a reputation and they have to live up to that.

09:17But Shyam, there's been some worrying news from the England camp.

09:20They're going to be without David Mallon, who's got a groin injury.

09:24And possibly Mark Wood, they're going to be without a fast bowler.

09:28So if those two aren't playing, India will be very pleased, won't they?

09:32Very true.

09:33But I wouldn't worry too much about Mallon, because Mallon is actually mostly anchor sayings.

09:39And England has such a good batting depth, so losing a player there wouldn't hurt really.

09:44But what would hurt them is Mark Woods, because he's been bowling so quick.

09:50He's been clocking over 150.

09:52Not just that, he's been getting crucial wickets.

09:54So they will miss him badly actually.

09:57OK, we'll see what happens tomorrow.

10:00In the meantime, head to gulfnews.com for all the latest news and reviews.

10:03Of course, check out our social media channels as well.

10:07That's all from the guys and we'll see you again next time.

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