SYDNEY – Pakistan beat New Zealand by 7 wickets in the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday to reach the final of the big tournament.
Playing first, New Zealand scored 152 runs at the loss of 4 wickets in 20 overs. Chasing the target, Pakistan scored 153 runs at the loss of 3 wickets in 19.1 overs.
Earlier, New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat first as they take on Pakistan in the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022 that is being played at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, Australia, today (Wednesday).
Pakistan’s opening batsman Muhammad Rizwan was given the Man of the Match award.
Soon after Pakistan beat New Zealand, celebrations began across Pakistan as well as in the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Amid all the hype about the Pakistan-New Zealand encounter in the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup being played in Sydney today, there was a consensus among cricket experts that winning the toss was vital for Pakistan.
However, New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first, giving the first shock to Pakistani cricket fans and experts.
Address this issue, former Pakistani skipper Younis Khan said the Pakistani team could win the match against New Zealand despite losing the toss.
Speaking on a live sports show on ARY News slightly before the coin was tossed into the air, Khan said Pakistan have done it before and they can do it again. In the 2009 T20 World Cup, he said, Pakistan lost the toss, but won the match.
“In case Pakistan lose the toss, they should first think about restricting New Zealand batsmen to a minimum total. Once the first innings comes to an end, then they should think about how to achieve that total,” Khan explained.
🚨 T O S S A L E R T 🚨
New Zealand win the toss and elect to bat first 🏏#WeHaveWeWill | #T20WorldCup | #NZvPAK pic.twitter.com/h3ECCruqBd
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) November 9, 2022
Speaking before the match, Pakistani skipper Babar Azam said, “Toss is not in our hand and we will look to put pressure on them. Same team. We have a lot of confidence from the triangular series, but NZ have quality players and we will play according to the situation. We have not played last two finals, but we’re focussing on this match.”
Lovely sunwashed evening at the SCG, where we're told it's a full house. Expect this place to be rocking in an hour's time. #PakvsNZ pic.twitter.com/uepEoGa4vN
— Danyal Rasool (@Danny61000) November 9, 2022