From having a very low chance of qualification to the semi-final after losses to India and Zimbabwe, Pakistan are now just one victory away from lifting the T20 World Cup 2022 trophy.
Babar Azam’s side has reached the final, which will be played on Sunday at the MCG, by hammering New Zealand by 7 wickets in Sydney on Wednesday.
It was the opening pair of Babar and Mohammad Rizwan that was at the forefront of their win today. Both had faced plenty of criticism and trolling due to their poor strike rate, Babar in particular had had a dismal tournament – before this match, Babar had managed only 39 runs in 5 innings.
But the duo stepped up on the big night and raised half-centuries each before Mohammad Haris’ 30 took Pakistan to the finishing line in the chase of 153. Earlier, Shaheen Afridi starred with the ball with figures of 2/24 as Daryl Mitchell dug in and played well scoring 53 off 35 to take New Zealand to 152.
Suresh Raina’s lovely tweet for Babar and Rizwan’s comeback has gone viral
Former India batter Suresh Raina, who was at the SCG watching this semi-final, tweeted in praise for Babar and Rizwan after their stunning partnership of 105 runs in 12.4 overs that effectively sealed the game for Pakistan.
“Well played Babar and Rizwan, what a powerful performance you have showcased in today’s match, once again an important partnership between the two most composed and skilled players. Congratulations,” Raina tweeted.
Here is Raina’s tweet praising Babar and Rizwan:
Well played Babar and Rizwan, what a powerful performance you have showcased in today’s match, once again an important partnership between the two most composed and skilled players. Congratulations #PAKvsNZ #T20WorldCup2022
— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) November 9, 2022
Mohammad Rizwan, who scored 57 runs off 43 balls, was named the Player of the Match for his attacking innings, especially in the powerplay as Pakistan raced to 55/0 in the powerplay and 87/0 after 10 overs with first Rizwan taking on the Kiwi bowlers before Babar joined in.
“Luckily, the fifty was in the semifinal. Babar and I were struggling but we worked hard and believed. We kept fighting. When we crossed the boundary line, we decided to take the attack to the new ball bowlers. When we finished the powerplay, we knew one of us had to bat deep as it was a tricky pitch. Our start (to the tournament) wasn’t good, but the guys kept believing,” Rizwan said.
In the final, Pakistan will face the winner of the second semi-final, between India and England.
