On Thursday, Australia put an end to the winning streak of Pakistan in the T20 World Cup after snatching up a 5-wicket victory in the semi-finals 2. After an outstanding run throughout the ICC campaign, Pakistan suffered at the death overs putting an end to their World Cup journey.
After Pakistan ended their innings with a total of 176 for 4 riding on Mohammad Rizwan (67 off 52, Babar Azam (39 off 34), and Fakar Zaman (55 off 32), all the eyes were on David Warner (49 off 30) and he played beautifully to give Australia the much-needed boost in the initial overs. However, when he did not review his caught behind decision and left the pitch, the situation was looking detrimental for Australia’s future.
In Dubai’s flat pitch, Pakistani bowlers exposed some weak links and Australian batters Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis perfectly utilized such an opportunity in their favour. The duo launched an assault that resulted in their unbroken 81-run partnership leading Australia to their second T20 WC finals.
Shaheen Afridi’s last over proved quite expensive for Pakistan after Hasan Ali dropped Wade’s catch. Wade, in the same over, hit three sixes and finished the match with an unbeaten 41 off 17 balls. On the other end, Stoinis remained not out at 40 off 31 like an adept partner.
Wade, the 33-year old wicketkeeper shared his nervousness on the crease after sealing the victory for Australia. In the post-match press conference, he said, “I don’t feel like it’s on the line anymore because I’m not 23 anymore. And if this is it, this is it. It’s not really on the line for me. It’s going to be all over, I suppose.”
“I’m just happy to contribute. I was out of the team for a while, just happy I got an opportunity again,” he further told the press.
This year’s ICC event has proved to be fruitful for the Pakistan squad as they grabbed quite a few new records in the UAE. In the semis, skipper Babar beat Virat Kohli to become the fastest batsman to get past the 2500-run landmark in the shortest format of cricket. He took 62 innings to reach the landmark while Kohli had taken 68 matches. At the same time, the Babar-Rizwan partnership reached 400+ runs which are remarkable in the history of T20 WC Finals.
Australia will not meet the maiden finalists New Zealand in the finals of the WC on Sunday at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
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