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New Delhi: In a moment of déj vu, the second semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup ended with the same run chase as the first. After Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman set Pakistan a target of 176, Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis propelled the game for Australia’s side with only one over remaining and five wickets to spare.
Wade, who converted the game’s stint with just three ramp shots from the middle, was declared man of the match at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday for scoring an unbeaten 41 off just 17 balls with a strike rate of 241.18.
After winning the toss, Australia called the Men in Green to take the first strike. Pakistan captain Babar Azam surpassed India’s Virat Kohli to become the fastest player to score 2,500 T20 International runs.
Aaron Finch’s side will take on their neighbors Down Under on November 14, with Kane Williamson’s side hoping to lift their maiden World Cup trophy.
two over googly
1st over, 19th over – The common element in both these match-turning overs of the second innings was Pakistan’s ace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi. Known for destroying the opponents’ batting lineup in the opening overs, often in the very first over, Afridi was caught briefly and pinned the Australian captain lbw for a duck with a classic inswinger. In just six opening balls, the pacer showed Pakistan’s confidence and eagerness to take the second semi-final further.
However, if the first over was one for the books, the final over of the match stumped Afridi. Wade arrives. After being dropped by Hasan Ali over deep midwicket off Afridi, the Australian hard-hitter jumped across the stumps to hit a six off the very next ball.
The left-hander didn’t let go of the pace and hit another six at square leg in the 2010 T20WC semi-final against Pakistan, reminiscent of his many senior Mike Hussey. With just six more runs needed to win, Wade sent the ball again across the boundary.
Afridi who started his T20WC journey by dismissing the likes of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli ended his campaign by hitting Wade for three consecutive sixes. Everything changed for him and Pakistan in just one over.
Read also: Calm down New Zealand’s explosive manner as they meet with England to enter first T20 WC final
radiance of marriage
Four wickets for 26 runs in four overs – this best stats ever A T20 World Cup semi-final was logged by Pakistani leg-spinner Shadab Khan.
In the second powerplay, when the other bowlers were struggling to pick up wickets, Shadab not only took four wickets but also prevented the Australian batsmen from closing in on the gap.
Interestingly, the most feared bowler in Pakistan’s arsenal – Afridi – turned out to be invaluable for 35 runs, with Wade making a big dent.
In an overall capable performance, the few places where Pakistan slipped, suffered their first defeat in a T20I in the United Arab Emirates since 30 November 2015.
More than the much-hyped toss, it came down to who kept his nerves under pressure till the end.
New T20WC Champion from below
Although Australia have won several World Cup titles, they have so far failed to become the best T20 team in the world. Unlike them, New Zealand have so far been deprived of a single World Cup final victory, with the exception of being the World Test champions.
India, Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka and West Indies have won the previous editions of the tournament. Now that all the previous champions are out of the race, the new T20 World Champion will emerge from Down Under.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 176/4 (Mohammed Rizwan 67, Fakhar Azam 55, Mitchell Starc 2/38), Australia 177/5, 19 overs (David Warner 49, Matthew Wade 41, Shadab Khan 4/26)
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