Australia beat Pakistan by five wickets to secure a place in the ICC T20 World Cup Finals. Pakistan made a superb total of 176 batting first but a linkup between Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade gave Australia the win against the odds.
Rizwan anchors, Zaman finishes
Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam added 71 runs for the first wicket in 10 Overs, a start that looks rather slow in retrospect. Once Azam got out making a rather below-par 39 runs in 34 balls, Zaman and Rizwan took control. Rizwan made 67 runs in 52 balls but it was Fakhar Zaman’s 55 runs in 32 balls that allowed Pakistan to make 176.
Pat Cummins bowled a superb 19th Over, conceding just 3 runs which proved to be a difference-maker. Adam Zampa continued his great run with the ball, conceding just 22 runs in four overs for a wicket. Starc took two wickets but gave away 38 runs in his four while Hazelwood returned the most expensive figures of 49 runs in four overs.
Hasan Ali dropped the World Cup
Shaheen Shah Afridi once again got a wicket in the first over, removing Aaron Finch on just the third delivery. Meanwhile, David Warner continued to be a big-game player for the Aussies and carted Pakistan bowlers for his 49 runs in 30 balls. After Maxwell, Smith, and Marsh failed to make contributions, Pakistan looked favorites to snatch a win.
But Wade and Stoinis had other plans. With 50 runs needed off 24 balls, Stoinis hit Haris Rauf for 13 runs. Then Hasan Ali’s over went for 15 runs with both Stoinis and Wade hammering boundaries. With the team needing 18 runs off just 10 balls, Wade mistimed a slog and the ball went sky-high but Hasan Ali dropped a simple chance. Then Matthew finished the game, nailing three sixes in a row and willing Australia to a memorable victory.
Wade made 41 runs off just 17 deliveries while Stoinis played an important hand, making 40 runs off 31 balls. Shadab Khan took four wickets after conceding just 26 runs while Shaheen Shah Afridi took a wicket and spent 35 runs in his four. It is clear that the team lost steam in the last few overs.