Shoaib Malik and Asif Ali steered Pakistan to their second successive win in T20 World Cup 2021. Chasing 135, Pakistan needed 44 runs from five overs, and half the side were back in the pavilion. Asif hammered back-to-back sixes off Tim Southee, while Malik went after Mitchell Santner as Pakistan wrapped the victory with eight balls to spare. Malik remained unbeaten on 26, while Asif’s 27* came off just 12 balls.
Haris Rauf was the destructor-in-chief with the ball at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The 27-year-old, who claimed his maiden T20I four-wicket haul, grabbed the wickets of Martin Guptill, Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, and Santner. Shaheen Shah Afridi picked up from where he left off against India on Sunday. He gave away just 21 runs off his four overs, bowled a maiden, and removed Tim Seifert.
New Zealand batters Daryl Mitchell, Conway, and Williamson got starts but couldn’t convert it into big scores. Ish Sodhi kept the Kiwis in the hunt after picking up two crucial wickets. However, Trent Boult and Tim Southee had an outing to forget.
Stop-start
New Zealand struggled to put together a big partnership after Babar Azam opted to bowl first for the second match in a row. Guptill and Daryl made 36 for the opening wicket before the former perished in the final over of the powerplay. The new man Williamson looked solid, while Daryl managed to clear the ropes off Imad Wasim. But the left-arm spinner had the final laugh. Daryl holed out to Fakhar at long-on off Wasim.
Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez got rid of James Neesham, who holed out to Fakhar near the boundary line. The New Zealand captain and Conway led the recovery, adding 34 runs for the fourth wicket. Williamson scored 11 runs off Hafeez, and Conway spoiled Shadab Khan’s figures by hitting a hat-trick of boundaries in his third over. However, Hasan Ali broke the partnership after his direct hit found Williamson just short of the crease.
Conway and Phillips kept the scorecard ticking. But Rauf’s twin strikes in the 18th over ended New Zealand’s hopes of posting 150. Pakistan managed to remove Tim Seifert and Santner in the final two overs. The Kiwis had to settle for 134/8 in their 20 overs.
Batting depth
With Mohammad Rizwan and Babar in excellent form, New Zealand had to break the partnership early. Southee cleaned up the Pakistan skipper for just nine runs in the fifth over. Fakhar, who slog-swept Sodhi for a six, departed to the pavilion three overs later. The 2009 champions found themselves in a spot of bother after Santner and Sodhi dismissed Hafeez and Rizwan, respectively, in quick succession.
Wasim, who registered figures of 1/24, joined Malik at the crease. The duo kept the scorecard moving by taking singles. But the asking rate was touching nine. Boult trapped Wasim in front of the wicket as Pakistan lost the fifth wicket, needing another 48 from 31 balls. Asif got off the mark with a four, while Malik released the pressure after scoring a boundary in the next over.
Pakistan turned the match in their favor in the 17th and 18th overs. Southee and Santner conceded 28 runs from those two overs. Asif clobbered Boult for a six in the penultimate over and wrapped up the chase in the fourth ball. Pakistan will square off against Afghanistan on Friday, while New Zealand take on India on Sunday.
Player of the Match – Haris Rauf
Rauf proved his detractors wrong with another excellent performance in the T20 World Cup. He used his pace to clean up Guptill in the powerplay. The pacer grabbed three wickets in the death overs, which dented New Zealand’s hopes of posting a challenging score. Rauf, who made his T20I debut last year, has picked up five wickets in the tournament at an economy of 5.87.
Top Fantasy Points scorers
Rauf brought delight to 30% of fantasy cricket fans who had selected him in their playing 11 on Tuesday. The Pakistan fast bowler bagged 114 pts to finish top of the fantasy points scorers chart. Sodhi and Hafeez are the only other players to reach 50 points in the match. Babar and Rizwan were the most selected players, but the duo combined scored only 64 points.
The Top Fantasy XI: H Rauf – 114 pts, I Sodhi – 56 pts, M Hafeez – 50 pts, I Wasim – 43 pts, M Rizwan – 42 pts, D Conway – 42 pts, S Shah Afridi – 39 pts, Asif A – 38 pts, M Santner – 36 pts, D Mitchell – 36 pts, S Malik – 34 pts
Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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