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.
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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.