T20 World Cup Semi-final: Pakistan in final after 7-wicket win over New Zealand | Cricket News

SYDNEY: A Rejuvenation Pakistan raised their game when it mattered most and attacked T20 World Cup the final with a convincing victory of seven sticks New Zealand here on Wednesday.
Pakistan first capped New Zealand at 152 for four on the slow SCG track and then chased the target with perfect ease, riding in the captain’s Babar Azam and Mohammad RizwanAttack of the 50s to get their place in the final after 13 years.
This will be Pakistan’s third time participating in the T20 World Cup finals. They finished second in India in the inaugural edition in 2007 before winning the title two years later.
As it happened: Pakistan vs New Zealand
Victory over New Zealand, the runner-up of the previous edition, also keeps the prospect of an intriguing India-Pakistan final in Melbourne on Sunday alive. Rohit SharmaTheir men beat England in their second semi-final in Adelaide on Thursday.
Chasing 153, Babar relied on luck to score his highest score of the tournament – 53 of 42 – while Rizwan made 57 of 43 serves as Pakistan rolled home with five spare balls.

Babar and Rizwan gave Pakistan a brilliant start, hammering and clamping against Kiwi archers. Unlike New Zealand, Pakistan’s opening team looks easy given the speed of the surface.
Known for their stellar fighting prowess, Kiwis looked in a different light on Wednesday as they struggled on the field.
However, Babar’s rounds were not as convincing as he initially struggled. He got a life in vain when he pushed a serve away from Trent Boult in the opening game but Devon Conway seized the opportunity with one hand.
Babar took the opportunity with both hands and gradually started his match, while Rizwan followed a slow trajectory.

The duo doesn’t like Boult, Tim Southee and Lockie Fergusson have a steady chance, racing to 55th without losing power.
When the spinning duo of Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi were introduced, Rizwan made good use of his sweeping shots, while Babar made excellent saves.
New Zealand finally got their breakthrough in the 13th round when Babar was overtaken by Daryll Mitchell in the Boult box but then Pakistan comfortably ranked 105th.
Rizwan was unable to finish the match, looking to Mitchell to get rid of the Boult but it was all over by that point.

Before that, Mitchell had achieved a 50-match unbeaten record in time to help New Zealand crowned with a score of 152 to 4 on the slow SCG field.
Choosing to hit the club, the New Zealanders found it difficult to compete on the used SCG track as they struggled to connect the ball due to the slow nature of the surface.
Mitchell (53 not out of 35) and captain Kane Williamson (46 out of 42) revived New Zealand’s innings after headers to take their team past the 150-run mark.
Finn Allen had a confident start to the game, beating Shaheen Afridi (2/24) with a perfect mid-range serve for a touchline.
However, Afridi put Allen on the cushion on the next serve and on-field referee Marius Erasmus took time before raising his finger. But the polisher received a bounce when TV replays showed it to be an inner edge of the pad.
But Afridi got his man in the next ball with another LBW scream and this time it died instantly, despite Allen’s unsuccessful review.
Another opener Conway (21) tried to tie the innings with three innings but was defeated by a direct throw from Shadab Khan in the middle of the game.
But new man Glenn Phillips only spans eight balls, the camera on the left has a top bezel Mohammad Nawaz straight back to him as New Zealand dropped to 49 for three of eight rounds.
After that, Williamson and Mitchell held rounds against each other and split 68 hits for 50 balls for the fourth game.
While Williamson acted as the anchor, mostly trading between the ones and the doubles with the occasional boundary in between, Mitchell was his most aggressive.
The duo took home their 50th place in just 36 balls but couldn’t squeeze the pace late in the game because of the unlikely boundaries and six.
Williamson conceded four goals and fifty, was bowled by Afridi in the 17th with a slower finish when the batter hit the keeper in the head.
After Williamson’s departure, Mitchell continued Kiwi innings and hit 50 of his 32 balls.
With James Neesham (16 not out), Mitchell stitched 35 of the 22 balls but failed to produce the final flourish as the Pakistani players came back strong.