SUPREME PAKISTAN SEE OFF NEW ZEALAND TO SEAL FINAL BERTH | MATCH HIGHLIGHTS | T20WC 2022
It was Pakistan’s best performance of the tournament so far, with opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan turning up when it mattered most to set up a successful chase.
But aside from the brilliance of Babar and Rizwan there were some crucial moments that sent Pakistan to the final.
WHEN Pakistan needed their champion, Mohammad Rizwan raised his hand. Punching, swiping and axe-cutting in the best tradition of Ijaz Ahmed,
Rizwan extinguished New Zealand’s hopes and in the process said, “Hello, remember me?”
The national debate on Babar Azam’s batting overlooked one major detail,
and that was the influence of Rizwan on Pakistan’s success in T20 cricket – as well as his effect on Babar.
Under the bright lights of Sydney, on a comfortably paced pitch, before a crowd packed with jubilant supporters, Pakistan of this year’s T20 World Cup.
Rizwan,
Pakistan’s pocket rocket, led the charge to victory, quelling doubts about Pakistan’s top order. Those doubts won’t disappear with one performance, but when
‘The Rizwan and Babar Show’ is hitting its cues, Pakistan fans should always be ready to celebrate good times.
Rizwan is a perfectly orthodox batsman – that’s how he first caught the eye – but he has adapted his game to play unorthodox shots perfectly.
The surprise is how confident and consistent he is in this abstract stroke making. From the first ball of the Pakistan innings, Rizwan was after New Zealand,
aggression oozing from every swing of his blade, batting like he had already scored a hundred. Perhaps twenty overs behind the stumps sets Rizwan up perfectly for an innings.
It was some turnaround from the dithering strokeplay of Pakistan’s last group game against Bangladesh, although Babar’s start was still a sharp contrast to Rizwan
By the end of his innings, we saw the Babar of old, killing them softly, caressing his team towards victory.
Their hundred partnership displayed a familiar rhythm: Rizwan forcing the pace early on, and Babar picking up the rate as the innings progressed and Rizwan eased off.
The pair ran aggressively, and much. New Zealand were unable to contain the prods and dashes that maintained Pakistan’s momentum.
This was a different opening partnership, aggressive in its run seeking, not one that was hanging in for a late charge.
Babar’s return to form was significant, but it didn’t settle the argument about his batting position. In recent times, Babar has scored most heavily in the middle overs and he did so again.
But his stubborn streak is to be admired; without it he wouldn’t be the world class player that he is.
Cricket is a public examination of a sportsman’s mental state, and Babar’s personal struggles are captured in ultra high definition in front of an audience of billions.
It takes some guts, some courage, some bloody mindedness, and no little skill to back yourself again and again when the world is calling for you to change what you do.
Under the spotlight of billions you have to overcome your trials and tribulations.
As welcome as Babar’s rejuvenation was, it was equally welcome to see Muhammad Haris striding out to replace his captain. Incredible how one man has flipped the mood 180 degrees from anxiety to
Haris rode his luck but never changed his attitude from the carefree positivity
that has won admirers and influenced three successive games in Pakistan’s march to Melbourne.
With Babar and Rizwan gone, there was a moment, a brief glimmer of apprehension that Pakistan might still stumble even with wickets in hand and under a run a ball required.
But Haris didn’t succumb to the nerves in the stadium, instead he powered up when others might have faded.
First, Haris stepped to leg and drove Lockie Ferguson’s yorker through a tight gap at extra cover. Next ball, he pulled New Zealand’s paceman emphatically over the square leg boundary for six. Ten runs that settled the match.
The crowd erupted and Pakistan’s players and staff leapt for joy in the dugout. These moments of high pressure define cricketers.
It’s hard to say that New Zealand performed badly but they were never at their most intense. Pakistan’s bowlers were outstanding again, of course, with key wickets from Shaheen Shah Afridi, but New Zealand’s batsmen,
other than Daryl Mitchell, were overcautious.
They will look back with some regret at the risks they didn’t take, although scoring runs against this Pakistan attack is difficult especially when their fielding is also on form.
Perhaps New Zealand underestimated Pakistan’s batting? Kane Williamson believed that they had achieved a competitive total.
But it never looked that way, and once Pakistan’s
openers had taken control with determined intent during the powerplay, New Zealand bore the look of a team awaiting the gallows.
That isn’t how Pakistan look; they now expect to win. And with their openers finding form, this Pakistan team has all the capabilities to lift its second World Cup title.
It was good to see Babar nearing his imperious form in a major tournament semi-final, but it was Mohammad Rizwan, the pocket rocket behind Babar’s throne,
who pushed Pakistan one step closer to recreating history at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
key moments in Pakistan’s stunning semi-final win
Babar and Rizwan
It was Pakistan’s best performance of the tournament so far,
with opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan turning up when it mattered most to set up a successful chase.
But aside from the brilliance of Babar and Rizwan there were some crucial moments that sent Pakistan to the final.
Haris and his timely hits
Pakistan had looked in complete control throughout their chase, but there was just a hint of pressure beginning to build when the target went to 19 from 15 balls.
If that sort of required number had drifted into Mitchel Santner
and Tim Southee’s final two overs then there would have been a chance for New Zealand to snatch it at the last, but Mohammad Haris removed the pressure at the precise moment it surfaced.
This was only the 21-year-old’s fourth T20I, but he stepped up big time with back-to-back boundaries in the 18th over,
following up a flowing four with a huge hook that sailed over square leg for six.
Glenn Phillips has been in seriously decent form throughout this tournament and could have taken the Kiwis to a challenging total.
But he was fooled in the flight by Nawaz, chipping a return catch back to the bowler.
The Black Caps were restricted throughout the Powerplay, missing out on the opportunity for a fast start
And yet, with Devon Conway and Kane Williamson established at the crease,
there was a platform on which the Kiwis would have hoped to build a sizeable total.
Conway is the key to New Zealand’s batting order and the third-ranked batter in world cricket right now,
so to dismiss him via a run out was a huge and decisive moment in the match.
It wasn’t even particularly an error of judgement by New Zealand to take the run;
it required a piece of fielding of the absolute highest quality to take the wicket.
Deserved high for Mohammad Nawaz
It has been a tricky tournament at times for Mohammad Nawaz, with the all-rounder involved in some tough moments during his side’s losses during the group stage.
So there was something particularly heart-warming to see the left-arm spinner make a big impact.
Shadab’s run out
Shadab Khan is one of the best fielders in the world, but even for him the swoop and direct hit was magical.
Restricting New Zealand in the Powerplay was always going to be key for Pakistan,
and early wickets were high on the wish list after being asked to bowl first.
If you had to choose one player to take that new ball in world cricket it’s probably Shaheen Afridi, and Pakistan’s strike bowler delivered on the big stage as he nearly always does.
The finger was raised twice inside the opening three balls of the innings as wicked inswingers had Finn Allen in all sorts of trouble.
A big inside edge off the first decision gave the opener a one-ball reprieve, but the dismissal of New Zealand’s big-hitting right-hander pegged the innings back right from the start.
Shaheen’s first over
Shaheen took just that one wicket in the Powerplay, but his first over set the tone.
Restricting New Zealand in the Powerplay was always going to be key for Pakistan,
and early wickets were high on the wish list after being asked to bowl first.
If you had to choose one player to take that new ball in world cricket it’s probably
Shaheen Afridi, and Pakistan’s strike bowler delivered on the big stage as he nearly always does.
The finger was raised twice inside the opening three balls of the innings as wicked inswingers had Finn Allen in all sorts of trouble.
A big inside edge off the first decision gave the opener a one-ball reprieve,
but the dismissal of New Zealand’s big-hitting right-hander pegged the innings back right from the start.
Shaheen took just that one wicket in the Powerplay, but his first over set the tone.