Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis put Pakistan bowlers to the sword as Australia sealed a place in the World Cup 2021 final. Needing 22 off 12 balls, Wade clobbered Shaheen Shah Afridi for three consecutive sixes and chased down 177 with six balls to spare. Wade and Stoinis added an unbroken 81-run stand for the sixth wicket. David Warner top-scored for Australia. Meanwhile, Shadab Khan’s four-wicket haul went in vain. The left-arm spinner's 4 for 26 are the best figures in a 20-over World Cup semi-final.
Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman hit half-centuries, and Babar Azam struck 39. The Pakistan skipper overtook Jos Buttler as the leading run-scorer. He also became the first player to cross 300 runs in the tournament. Adam Zampa was yet again economical and broke the opening stand. The pace trio took three wickets between them but leaked 117 runs in 12 overs.
The top-three delivers
Pakistan’s top-order produced another stellar performance in the tournament. Rizwan, Fakhar, and Babar made life difficult for Australian bowlers after Aaron Finch put Pakistan to bat first. The Pakistan wicket-keeper, who hammered four sixes and three boundaries, brought up his third half-century in the World Cup 2021. He stayed at the crease till the 18th over and was involved in two 70-plus partnerships.
The World Cup 2009 winners wouldn’t have posted a challenging total if not for Fakhar’s fierce hitting in the death overs. He cleared the ropes twice off Mitchell Starc in the final over. Josh Hazlewood, too, was taken to the cleaners by Fakhar. The left-handed batsman, who scored 17 off his first 16 deliveries, reached his fifty in 31 balls. He remained unbeaten on 55. Babar, too, made a pivotal contribution. The 27-year-old laid a solid platform with a 34-ball 39.
A see-saw run chase
Australia ran into trouble early in the run chase as they lost Finch in the opening over. Warner and Mitchell Marsh went after the Pakistan bowlers. They brought up 50 in the powerplay. However, Shadab struck to remove Marsh and Smith in the space of two overs. Warner, too, perished one run short of a half-century. He smashed three sixes and as many fours.
Shadab left Australia’s chase in tatters after picking up his fourth wicket. Glenn Maxwell holed out to Haris Rauf near deep square leg. Stoinis and Wade, who both survived run-out chances, were the last recognized batting pair. The pair managed to get 12 runs off Hasan Ali’s third over, leaving Australia needing 50 runs from 24 balls. Stoinis kept Australia in the hunt by scoring a six and a four in the next over.
Wade thrashed the ball over long-on for a six and added a boundary, too, off the bowling of Hasan Ali. Pakistan bowlers were under pressure for the first time in the match. Afridi, who conceded 14 off his three overs, brought on to bowl the 19th over. The left-arm pacer saw Hasan Ali drop a sitter at deep midwicket in the third ball. With 18 required off nine balls, Wade scooped the ball over fine leg for two sixes and hammered the ball over midwicket for another six.
Player of the Match - Matthew Wade
Wade played one of his finest knocks and gave a match to remember for the Australian fans. He came to the crease after Maxwell's departure, and Australia needed almost 11 runs per over. Shadab could have run out the wicketkeeper-batter for a duck. However, the Pakistan vice-captain missed the stumps, and the rest was history. Stoinis handed over the baton to Wade in the 18th over. The 33-year-old hit a maximum and a four off Hasan Ali and saw his team home with three consecutive sixes off Afridi in the penultimate over of the match.
Top Fantasy Points scorers
Shadab outscored his teammate Rizwan and finished top fantasy points scorer in the second semi-final. He racked up 112 points and became the third Pakistan player to register 100-plus points in a match in the tournament. Rizwan grabbed 98 points, while Fakhar sealed the third spot with 86 points. Four Australian players made 50-plus fantasy points as Warner, Wade, Starc, and Stoinis registered 70, 55, 52, and 50 points, respectively.
The top Fantasy XI: Shadab K - 112 pts, M Rizwan - 98 pts, F Zaman - 86 pts, D Warner - 70 pts, M Wade - 55 pts, M Starc - 52 pts, M Stoinis - 50 pts, B Azam - 48 pts, M Marsh - 37 pts, A Zampa - 31 pts, P Cummins - 29 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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