PAK vs NZ Live Commentary and Cricket Score, T20 WC 2022 Semi-Final: Pakistan take on New Zealand in 1st semi.Pakistan vs New Zealand Live Cricket Score, T20 WC 2022, 1st Semi-Final: After losing the toss, Pakistan took control of the semifinal with Shaheen Shah Afridi removing Finn Allen in the first over and Devon Conway being run out by Shadab Khan off the last ball of the powerplay. Kane Williamson (46) and Daryl Mitchell (53) added much needed runs to the board as New Zealand finished at 152/4 in their quota of 20 overs.
Skipper Babar Azam (53) and Mohammad Rizwan (57) added 105 runs for the first wicket to all but seal the win for Pakistan. The men in green eventually finished the match with five balls to spare and seven wickets in hand.
Follow PAK vs NZ live score & updates from Sydney below.
Match EndedICC Men's T20 World Cup, Australia, 2022 - 1st Semi-Final
New Zealand
152/4 (20.0)vs
Pakistan
153/3 (19.1)Match Ended ( Day - 1st Semi-Final )
Pakistan beat New Zealand by 7 wickets
Pakistan beat New Zealand by 7 wickets
Live Blog
(L-R) Pakistan cricketers Mohammad Hairs, Babar Azam and Mohammad Nawaz
Kane Williamson: "We were put under pressure early. Pakistan bowled very nicely. We managed to wrestle back some momentum with an unbelievable knock from Mitchell. At the halfway stage we were feeling it was a competitive total. Wicket was a bit tough - used surface. Very disappointing to not make Pakistan work a lot harder. They were outstanding. We were outplayed. It's a tough pill for us to swallow."
Babar Azam: "Thanks to the crowd. We feel like we're playing at home. Got a good start with the first 6 overs with the ball. Later on the ball didn't come on well. Fast bowlers finished well. We planned before going that we'll utilise the powerplay."
After featuring in the first two T20 World Cup semifinals, losing to India in 2007 and beating Sri Lanka in 2009, Pakistan are back for the big title match in 2022. Since 2009, the men in green qualified for the final four in three out of the five occasions, losing all three. In 2010, a late show from Michael Hussey powered Australia to a three-wicket win in the last over. In 2012, hosts Sri Lanka bested them by 16 runs. And in 2021, the Aussies would come back to haunt them in dying stages of the game as Matthew Wade took the eventual defending champions across the line. Come 2022, Pakistan didn't leave anything to chance in a comprehensive seven wicket win vs New Zealand.
18: Pakistan vs New Zealand
17: India vs West Indies
17: India vs Sri Lanka
Mohammad Rizwan: "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."
Loss vs IND: by four wickets
Loss vs ZIM: by one run
Win vs NED: by six wickets
Win vs SA: by 33 runs (DLS)
Win vs BAN: by five wickets
Win vs NZ (SF): by seven wickets
Screengrab: Hotstar
Following a leave off the first ball that was deemed wide, as poetic as it is, Shan Masood pushes it down the ground to complete a single and Pakistan are into the World Cup final. A win by seven wickets. That was a thumping. A statement. For England or India (whomsoever it may concern). They await the other for the summit clash in Melbourne.
A few jitters in the legs for Pakistan fans have been cleared out at the Sydney Cricket Ground, thanks to Mohammad Haris. Facing Lockie Ferguson, clears the front leg and hammers one through extra cover. Follows it with a swashbuckling pull for a maximum. What a revelation this boy has been for Pakistan!
8 needed off 12 balls now.
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Screengrab: Hotstar
One that Pakistan can afford owing to their openers doing the heavy lifting early on. Five runs from Tim Southee's third over. No boundaries off the last 18 balls but the men in green are still on their way to another final appearance in the T20 World Cup. 26 needed off the last 24 balls.
Mohammad Rizwan brings up his 23rd T20I fifty. Another well timed innings this for the men in green, who look in complete control of this chase. 113/1 after 14 overs.
Trent Boult brought into the attack and the left armer strikes as Babar is caught by the other fifty scorer of this contest, Daryl Mitchell. Change of fortunes? Not really. Mohammad Haris gets off the mark with a boundary to finish the 13th over. Pakistan, 109/1.
A third 100-plus partnership up between Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan. First pair to do so in the T20Is. Pakistan, 102/0 after 12 overs.
Finally. After five games in the Super 12, the semifinal has been graced with the opening stand that Pakistan fans have been raving about over the last couple of years. The opening stand that got them across the line last year in Dubai to their first World Cup win against India. The opening stand that guided Pakistan to a 10 wicket win chasing over 200 against England in the recent seven match T20I series at home. The opening stand that has taken the scoreboard to 87/0 halway through the chase of 153 at the SCG.
Sriram Veera: Mitch Santner’s fourth ball in his first over, and team’s 7th, was rather interesting. Usually, he doesn’t toss them up as much. But realising the need for the wicket, he ripped that above the eye line. A beautiful ball that would have gladdened the hearts of Bishen Bedi. It looped and dipped rapidly on Rizwan who squirted it to midwicket. Post a 4, then came the final ball - another classy ball, flighted, landing on off stump line, landing on a length and drifted in to beat the intended drive by Babar Azam. The umpire Erasmus didn’t concur with the lbw appeal and they went upstairs. For all money, it looked like a dead duck at point of impact. No bat, right in front of the stumps, and this Sydney pitch hadn’t shown much bounce so far in the game. Yet the ball-tracker showed it bouncing over the stumps. Finally, now, we have a contest in the chase. It’s going to be New Zealand spinners vs Pakistan batsmen.
Nihal Koshie: Kane Williamson is a bit poker-faced but even the ice-cool Kiwi captain let it show. All he did was frown a wee bit and crank his neck to one side. Wicketkeeper Devon Conway had got his gloves to an outside edge from the out-of-form Babar Azam. The bowler Trent Boult had swung the ball in and a tentative Pakistan captain was deceived. It was a momentum-shifting moment. Tim Southee kept it quiet in the next over but when Boult came back, the struggling Babar played his shot of the tournament. A slash through the point region which sounded like a bazooka had gone off. Rizwan got on strike two balls later and found two 4s. The last of those other cracking shots through backward point. Pakistan had just stamped their authority during the powerplay. New Zealand suddenly looked deflated. Babar had found his timing and Mohammad Rizwan was punching his way to quick singles and fours.
Good couple of overs from the New Zealand spinners, who have 14 tournament wickets between them in four appearances each. New Zealand give away only 13 off the last two. 68/0 after eight overs.
NZ lose a review as Babar survives an lbw appeal off Mitchell Santner. The ball tracker shows the trajectory post impact missing the stumps. The openers going strong after seven overs. 63/0.
Screengrab: Hotstar