India, Pakistan, England, West Indies, South Africa, West Indies...
Those are the winners of the men’s T20 World Cup to date. We’ll have a new champion on Sunday, either Australia or New Zealand. Thanks for your company and emails throughout an immense game of cricket - congratulations to Australia, commiserations to Pakistan. Goodnight!
AUSTRALIA WIN!🎆
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 11, 2021
Stoinis, Wade turn game around for #Australia💪
They beat #Pakistan by five wickets with six balls to spare💪#T20WorldCup #PAKvAUS
📺 Watch 👉 https://t.co/17PpNgrwUC
📱💻 Live blog 👉 https://t.co/TIYLDPqhRr
📋 Scorecard👉 https://t.co/a4SWpYTEdF pic.twitter.com/OKgjlLQQ9v
And here’s Aaron Finch
“It was a great game of cricket. The way Matty Wade and Marcus Stoinis held their nerve was unbelievable. I thought we were pretty sloppy in the field today – we dropped a couple of difficult chances – but we played some really good cricket towards the end.
“Teams batting second have been so successful in this tournament. It’s really strange because there’s no dew but the lights take effect and speed up the wicket a little bit. The slower balls don’t grip as well. It was a nice toss to win. I was actually hoping I’d lose the toss and bat first, because I thought it would be nice to put a total on the board in a semi-final! But it’s great to chase it down, it was brilliant at the end.”
The thoughts of a disconsolate Babar Azam
“We were satisfied with how many runs we got, but at the back end of their innings they were too good. The margins are fine and the dropped catch affected the game. But overall I’m happy with how we played in the tournament. It’s very exciting for the future.”
That runchase was so similar to New Zealand’s yesterday. The result was identical, a victory by five wickets with six balls to spare. Pakistan have their what-ifs, just like England. Had Hassan Ali caught Matthew Wade in the penultimate over, Australia would have needed 20 from nine balls with only four wickets remaining. Instead it was 18 from nine, and Wade got them in three balls.
While we try to make sense of all that, here’s the latest in the Yorkshire scandal
The player of the match is Matthew Wade
“I was glad to get those two ramp shots out of the middle. They went pace-on a bit more than I expected, that’s why I premeditated the ramps. Marcus was really confident we’d get home - I was a bit unsure because the rate was getting up a little bit, but he reassured me that he’d take it deep and hopefully I could chip in at the end there.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet. When I sit down tonight it’ll probably sink in. I’m just happy I could contribute - I was out of the team for a while and then I got back in, so I’m just happy I could repay the faith a bit.”
By any standards, that was a spectacular game of T20 cricket
Stoinis, whose Zen-like innings shouldn’t be forgotten, finished with 40 not out from 31 balls. But Matthew Wade - belittled so often in this format, in every format - grabbed the bulk of the glory with an extraordinary 41 not out from 17 balls. It means that, for all the formidable brilliance of England and especially Pakistan in the group stages, it will be Australia v New Zealand in the final.
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AUSTRALIA WIN BY FIVE WICKETS!
19 overs: Australia 177-5 (Stoinis 40, Wade 41) The last ball was another outrageous ramp stroke, taken on the full and pinged over the keeper’s head for six. Shaheen Afridi’s first over was one for the ages, but so, alas, was his last: it went for 22 runs and will go down in Australian cricket folklore just like Saeed Anwar’s over to Michael Hussey in the 2010 semi-final.
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AUSTRALIA ARE IN THE WORLD CUP FINAL!
Matthew Wade complete an epic victory with three successive sixes!
18.5 overs: Australia 171-5 (need 6 from 7 balls) He’s done it again! Wade smacks Afridi high over square leg for another six! This is an homage to Mike Hussey in 2010 - he has made 35 not out from only 16 balls.
18.4 overs: Australia 165-5 (need 12 from 8 balls) Wade jumps across his stumps to ramp Afridi for six! That’s an outrageous shot, which takes Australia to the cusp of the World Cup final!
18.3 overs: Australia 159-5 (need 18 from 9 balls) Wade is dropped by Hassan Ali! It was a tricky running chance at deep midwicket, but at this level you’d expect it to be taken seven times out of 10. To compound Pakistan’s misery, Wade comes back for a second.
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18.2 overs: Australia 156-5 (need 20 from 10 balls) A leg-side wide! He went for the yorker but overreached and speared it past leg stump.
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STOINIS IS NOT OUT!
18.2 overs: Australia 156-5 (need 21 from 10 balls) Yep, it pitched outside leg. Just a leg bye to Australia.
PAKISTAN REVIEW FOR LBW AGAINST STOINIS! They have two left so it’s a tactical review - I’m pretty sure they know it pitched outside leg. Stoinis ran through for a leg bye.
18.1 overs: Australia 155-5 (need 22 from 11 balls) A dot ball! Stoinis bottom-edges a pull this far short of Rizwan, who immediately singles that it didn’t carry. As if you couldn’t love Rizwan any more.
The penultimate over will be bowled by Shaheen Afridi.
18th over: Australia 155-5 (need 22 from 12 balls; Stoinis 40, Wade 21) Hasan Ali’s last ball is worked behind square for four by Wade, another terrific shot. Pakistan urgently need a wicket.
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17.3 overs: Australia 149-5 (need 28 from 15 balls) Hassan Ali starts his final over. Stoinis can only take a single off the first ball, with Hassan Ali deliberately/accidentally getting in his way. Wade whips two off the second - and then clubs a slower ball into the crowd! With 15 balls remaining, Australia are favourites.
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17th over: Australia 140-5 (target 177; Stoinis 38, Wade 8) Stoinis blasts Rauf’s penultimate over for 13, including a sweet pulled six over midwicket and a vicious hit down the ground for four. Sheesh, this is exquisitely tense. Australia are slight favourites, I think.
I think Hasan Ali was sick at the end of that over. He still has one over left, at least in theory, and he’s staying on the field.
16th over: Australia 127-5 (target 177; Stoinis 25, Wade 8) Hassan Ali’s third over goes for 12 - but it could have been a lot worse for Pakistan. He started with a slower ball that Stoinis picked and clouted for four, and followed that with a no-ball. After that he was able to pull the over back with a mixture of yorkers and slower balls. Australia need 50 from 24 balls. They need a Neesham, they’re holding out for a Neesham till the end of the night.
15th over: Australia 115-5 (target 177; Stoinis 15, Wade 6) Pakistan miss a third run-out chance. This time it was the new bowler Shaheen Afridi in his follow through, with Stoinis well short of the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Stoinis has another escape when a leading edge loops tantalisingly past Hafeez at backward point. Six runs from the over, another very good one for Pakistan. Australia have scored 26 runs from five overs since the drinks break; they need 62 off the final five overs to win.
Best bowling in the #T20WorldCup Semifinal/Final stage.
— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) November 11, 2021
4/12 - Ajantha Mendis v WI at Colombo RPS in 2012 (Final)
4/26 - Shadab Khan v Aus at Dubai in 2021 (SF)#T20WorldCup21#PakvAus #PakvsAus #AusvPak #AUSvsPAK #T20WC
14th over: Australia 109-5 (target 177; Stoinis 11, Wade 5) Pakistan miss another run-out chance! Wade, sent back by Stoinis, was well short and had given up when Shadab’s throw missed the stumps.
Haris Rauf is back on, I should have said that earlier, and finds the edge of the new batter Matthew Wade. It drops short of Rizwan, who does well to save the boundary. Wade gets off the mark next ball, clubbing Rauf down the ground for a one-bounce four, and then mistimes a pull that drops short of long-on. All told that’s a fine over from Rauf, with only six from it.
13th over: Australia 103-5 (target 177; Stoinis 11, Wade 0) Just in case anyone needed reminding that Australia are still in this. Stoinis lifts Shadab over wide mid-on for six. As for Maxwell’s dismissal, Haris Rauf’s catch looks better with every replay. He almost ran past the ball, then slipped slightly, but was still able to change direction and take the catch. Shadab finishes a gamechanging spell with figures of 4-0-26-4. Australia need 74 from 42 balls.
WICKET! Australia 96-5 (Maxwell c Rauf b Shadab 7)
Shadab takes his fourth wicket! Maxwell heaved a reverse sweep towards deep point, where Haris Rauf swooped to his right to take a beautiful two-handed catch. Aggressive wristspin in the middle overs has always been one of Pakistan’s trump cards in white-ball cricket, but rarely has it been as effective as this. Shadab has taken a wicket in every over!
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12th over: Australia 95-4 (target 177; Maxwell 7, Stoinis 3) With Warner gone and two right-handers at the crease, it’s safe for Imad Wasim to come back into the attack. He starts with three dot balls to Stoinis, who forces the fourth for a single. A gloved reverse sweep brings Maxwell two more, but overall that’s a great over for Pakistan. Australia need 82 from 48 balls.
“I think,” says Simon McMahon, “that Warner was given out for his moustache.”
11th over: Australia 92-4 (target 177; Maxwell 5, Stoinis 2) Just three singles and the wicket from Shadab, who has great figures of 3-0-18-3. I’m still trying to make sense of that Warner wicket. There was a noise but all the evidence suggests he didn’t nick it. Maybe it was a rogue aglet.
The plot thickens - there was nothing on UltraEdge for Warner’s dismissal, and it looks like there is daylight between bat and ball. Warner didn’t review it, didn’t even discuss a review, and Pakistan were also certain he edged it. That is so strange.
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WICKET! Australia 89-4 (Warner c Rizwan b Shadab 49)
Pivotal moment my foot: Warner has gone next ball! He flashed outside off stump at Shadab and got a thin edge that was gleefully taken by Rizwan. That’s Shadab’s third wicket and a huge one for Pakistan, because Warner was playing magnificently.
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10th over: Australia 89-3 (target 177; Warner 49, Maxwell 4) Hassan Ali returns to the attack. Warner helps his first ball over short fine leg for four, another marvellous stroke, and then survives a big run-out chance. Maxwell called him through for a crazy single on the off side, and Warner was barely in the frame when Fakhar Zaman’s throw missed the stumps. With the form Warner’s in, that feels like a pivotal moment.
9th over: Australia 80-3 (target 177; Warner 43, Maxwell 1) Glenn Maxwell is the new batter. This is the game, right here. Australia need 97 from 66 balls.
WICKET! Australia 77-3 (Smith c Zaman b Shadab 5)
Another slog-sweep off Shadab, another top-edge, another wicket. Smith swished his bat in disgust as soon as he made contact, a couple of seconds before Fakhar Zaman calmly took the catch at deep midwicket. Australia are three down - but crucially they still have Warner, who is in glorious touch and drove Shadab for a straight six earlier in the over.
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8th over: Australia 70-2 (target 177; Warner 34, Smith 5) The offspinner Mohammad Hafeez comes into the attack, and starts his spell with a hideous delivery. It slips out of his hands, bounces twice and is butchered over midwicket for six by Warner. It’s also a no-ball, because it bounced twice, and Warner gets two more off the free hit. A wide and a handful of singles complete an excellent over for Australia - 13 from it.
Allan Border will have loved that six by Warner. He did the same to Phil Simmons (I think) in a Test match.
7th over: Australia 57-2 (target 177; Warner 24, Smith 4) Steve Smith is the new batter. He almost becomes the old one when he edges his second ball from Shadab, but it flashes past the keeper Rizwan and goes for four runs.
WICKET! Australia 52-2 (Marsh c Asif Ali b Shadab 28)
Mitch Marsh has a poor record against legspin - and it has taken Shadab Khan just two balls to dismiss him! Marsh top-edged a slog-sweep towards deep square leg, where Asif Ali held his nerve to take a very awkward catch with both hands. Marsh goes for a useful 28 from 22 balls.
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6th over: Australia 52-1 (target 177; Warner 23, Marsh 28) Hassan Ali comes on for the last over of the Powerplay. The second ball is a filthy half-tracker which Marsh swivel-pulls for four. After a torrid start to the innings, he has sped to 28 from 20 balls. And it’s been a really good Powerplay for Australia, who are ahead both on the comparison and win predictor. They need 125 from 84 balls.
5th over: Australia 44-1 (target 177; Warner 21, Marsh 22) Haris Rauf replaces Shaheen Afridi. His first ball is pulled flat and hard for six by Marsh, a cracking stroke, and the next flies off the edge for four. The mood of the match has changed dramatically in the last 10 minutes, and the Pakistan captain Babar Azam looks rattled. Four singles make it 14 from the over and 30 from the last 11 deliveries. So much for a cautious Powerplay.
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4th over: Australia 30-1 (target 177; Warner 19, Marsh 10) Warner has a great record against Imad Wasim, and it just got a bit better. He spanks Imad for 14 in three balls - a mighty slog-sweep for six, a light-footed thump through the covers and a muscular scoop/pull to fine leg. That’s a very good for Australia, 20 from it.
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We’ve just seen a replay of Finch’s LBW, and it wasn’t as plumb as I thought. It was still out, but it was umpire’s call on impact with the stumps.
3rd over: Australia 13-1 (target 177; Warner 4, Marsh 8) Warner crunches Afridi for a single. It’s a no-ball, which means a free hit for Marsh. Or, rather, a free miss: he can’t lay bat on a lovely slower bouncer. Marsh gets hold of the next ball, however, driving handsomely through extra cover for four. That’s a great shot.
An inside-edge flies just past leg stump, with Haris Rauf doing well to save the boundary, and then Marsh takes a risky single on the off side. Another pulsating over ends with a sizzling yorker that Warner digs out. This is terrific stuff.
2nd over: Australia 6-1 (target 177; Warner 3, Marsh 3) And now for something completely different. The slow left-armer Imad Wasim starts around the wicket to Warner, who works a single. That’s the first of five runs from the over, three singles and a two. I wonder if, with the dew and the threat of Afridi in mind, Australia might be relatively cautious in the Powerplay.
1st over: Australia 1-1 (Warner 1, Marsh 0) The next ball is a huge inswinger that beats Marsh on the inside. An awesome over from Afridi, one for the books, ends with Australia happy to be only one wicket down.
MARSH IS NOT OUT!
I don’t believe it! The impact was umpire’s call, and Marsh survives. I think that’s a poor decision from Chris Gaffaney, in truth, but on we go.
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It was a blistering inswinging yorker from Afridi which hit Marsh on the boot. Pakistan couldn’t believe it was given not out, and in the chaos Marsh was almost run out as well. It looked plumb LBW.
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PAKISTAN REVIEW FOR LBW AGAINST MARSH! I think this is another golden duck!
WICKET! Australia 1-1 (Finch LBW b Afridi 0)
Shaheen Afridi is a superstar! He has pinned Aaron Finch LBW for a golden duck with a classic inswinger. It was as plumb as plumb will ever be, and Finch walked straight off the field without even considering a review. As in the 2019 World Cup, he has gone first ball.
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“I don’t back Australia’s chances of chasing 177 tonight, although I am hoping,” says Laura Daw. “What’s their largest total of the world cup?”
I think it’s 161/2 against West Indies, though they had 22 balls to spare.
What do you reckon, then? I’d make Pakistan slight favourites, even with the dew, but it’s so hard to call.
Time for a very quick coffee run before the chase begins. Here’s a freshly baked piece for you to read during the break.
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Australia need 177 to reach the final!
20th over: Pakistan 176-4 (Zaman 55, Hafeez 1) Fakhar Zaman finishes the innings in style! He smokes Starc for two humongous sixes to bring up a savage 31-ball fifty, and then mows the last delivery of the innings for a single. That takes Fakhar to 55 not out from 32 balls, including 38 off the last 15. The last four overs went for 54.
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WICKET! Pakistan 162-4 (Malik b Starc 1)
Malik misses, Starc hits. Four balls remaining.
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19th over: Pakistan 161-3 (Zaman 41, Malik 1) Fakhar Zaman is dropped at long off by Smith! It should have been two wickets in two balls for Cummins. The batters crossed, which meant Zaman was on strike when Shoaib Malik walked to the crease. He blasted another slower ball (I think) towards long off, where Smith dropped a relatively straightforward low chance.
No matter - Cummins’s last over is quite brilliant, with only two runs and a leg-bye from it. And even the leg-bye came when he pinned Zaman in the grille with a bouncer. Cummins finishes with figures of 4-0-30-1.
“Regarding your comment on Darren Stevens (16th over) I feel you’ve done your esteemed colleague Jonathan Lew a disservice by not linking his wonderful article on the subject,” says Matthew Dunnill. “Do our man Joe Meade a favour and pop this link up – just so he knows what’s on offer!”
‘What’s on offer’ - you make Darren Stevens sound like a kooky backstreet deli.
WICKET! Pakistan 158-3 (Asif Ali c Smith b Cummins 0)
Asif Ali goes for a golden duck. He cuffed a slower ball from Cummins straight to long on, where Smith took an easy catch. As golden ducks go, that was pretty noble - no messing, just straight into six-hitting mode.
18th over: Pakistan 158-2 (Zaman 40, Ali 0) Asif Ali is the new batter. Before he can take strike, Zaman blasts Starc for a monstrous straight six. After a slow start, he is hitting the ball savagely. An attempted yorker from Starc is smeared whence it came for four, with the umpire Chris Gaffaney hitting the deck in self-preservation.
Starc, suddenly rattled, bowls a leg-side wide, and Zaman digs out a yorker for two off the final ball. For the most part, that was a textbook death over from Starc, and it cost 15.
WICKET! Pakistan 143-2 (Rizwan c Smith b Starc 67)
Brilliant from Mitchell Starc. He beat Rizwan first up with a wide yorker from round the wicket, and stuck with the same line next ball. Rizwan, desperate to force the issue, clunked a big shot straight to mid-off. He walks off feeling his cheek, where he struck by Starc earlier in the innings. It was a lovely innings, rich in flair and fun: 67 from 52 balls with three fours and four sixes.
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17th over: Pakistan 143-1 (Rizwan 67, Zaman 26) Josh Hazlewood’s final over has disappeared for 21! Fakhar Zaman got things started by muscling a full ball over long off, a shot of mildly frightening power. Hazlewood then bowled a high full toss that Rizwan pulled through midwicket for four. That meant another free hit - and this time Rizwan pinged it over wide mid-on for a huge six!
“Afternoon Rob,” says Guy Hornsby. “This isn’t mere tiresome England fan gammonism, but I really do hope Pakistan can do this. With the Black Caps already in the final, surely – unless you’re from India or Aus, maybe – NZ v Pakistan is a final we can all get behind. The Mavericks v The Good Guys. I just have a horrible feeling that a combination of a late flush of form and, well, being Australia may tip things with batting second. I’ll be a bit aghast, especially as Australia’s selection seems so 2000s with most of the Test team in there, but what the hell do I know?”
I guess it helps when the Test team includes Warner, Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins.
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16th over: Pakistan 122-1 (Rizwan 56, Zaman 17) Zampa comes on to finish his spell. Pakistan have really struggled to get him away, with Rizwan’s slog-sweep the only boundary, and there are only five singles in his final over. He finished with excellent and thoroughly deserved figures of 4-0-22-1.
“As a fresh-faced cricket fan I have decided to support Pakistan internationally,” writes Joe Meade. “However I can’t decide which domestic county team to support. Who do you recommend? I live in Hertfordshire so I could stay local. At least the tickets would be cheap.”
Right now the most exciting team in county cricket is probably Darren Stevens.
15th over: Pakistan 117-1 (Rizwan 54, Zaman 14) A filthy delivery from Cummins, a high full toss, is steered for four by Fakhar. It’s a no-ball, too, which means a free hit. Cummins bowls a slower bouncer that Fakhar can only heave for a single, the start of a decent comeback from Cummins - the last five balls of the over went for a respectable five runs. Rizwan has 54 from 45 balls, Fakhar 14 from 12.
14th over: Pakistan 106-1 (Rizwan 50, Zaman 8) Fakhar gets his first boundary, mowing Hazlewood through midwicket. Rizwan sees that shot and raises it by launching a slower ball into the crowd at square leg. Pick that out!
A single off the last ball takes Rizwan to a sparkling fifty from 41 balls. His record as an opener in IT20s is absurd - he averages 82, with Jos Buttler’s 57 the next best (min: 10 innings).
“Good to see a wicket, it becomes more exciting, but how do you know Warner growled?” says John Starbuck. “They can’t have microphones on all the players and he’s some way away from the wicket mics, so we deduce you’ve been adding literary flourish.”
I don’t know how I know, but trust me, he growled. He was almost growling in celebration before the ball reached him, like Justin Langer at the Gabba in the 2006-07 Ashes.
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13th over: Pakistan 92-1 (Rizwan 42, Zaman 3) Rizwan already has some swelling below the right eye. He doesn’t look in any pain, though, and is laughing with Aaron Finch as he puts his helmet back on. Starc bowls the last two balls of a very good over, just three from it. The new batter Fakhar Zaman, who has had a poor tournament, is struggling a bit: he has 3 from 6 balls, Rizwan 42 from 38.
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12.4 overs: Pakistan 91-1 (Rizwan 41, Zaman 3) Mitchell Starc, who has still three overs left, returns to the attack. A short ball beats Rizwan’s attempted hook and thumps into the grille, so there’s a break in play while he is treated by the physio. He looks okay.
“I’m an Englishman and Yorkshireman, recently moved to Auckland, NZ,” says Aaron. “I stayed up last night to watch the match and pretty gutted about the result, but NZ probably deserved it! Having watched pretty much every match while in quarantine in NZ, Pakistan have been my favourites for the team of the tournament and the eventual winners. I’m a little bit concerned they won’t have that opportunity because of the toss, but hopeful their quality will win out. They’re an exceptional side.”
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12th over: Pakistan 89-1 (Rizwan 40, Zaman 2) A Pakistan batter finally gets hold of Zampa, with Rizwan blasting a slog-sweep into the crowd for six. That was some shot, the product of extraordinary handspeed. The next ball, a wider, flighted legbreak, beats both Rizwan and Wade on its way for four byes. The usual ones and twos make it 14 from the over.
“This start from Pakistan has me very nervous as an Australian supporter,” says Laura Daw. “I’m nearly regretting my decision to stay up to midnight to watch this.”
Watching sport in the small hours - vital, can’t-miss sport, not just any old rubbish - is one of life’s underappreciated pleasures.
11th over: Pakistan 75-1 (Rizwan 31, Zaman 1) Rizwan is beaten, trying to dab Maxwell to third man, and then Fakhar Zaman survives an appeal for a catch down the leg side. Only five runs from the over, which is fine for Australia. Maxwell (3-0-20-0) and Marsh (1-0-11-0) have done their job with the ball.
10th over: Pakistan 71-1 (Rizwan 28) That was the last ball of a terrific over from Zampa, who has stunning figures of 2-0-7-1.
WICKET! Pakistan 71-1 (Babar c Warner b Zampa 39)
Adam Zampa is rewarded for some brilliant bowling! Pakistan couldn’t get him away for anything other than singles and their frustration was increasingly clear. Babar resorted to a slightly desperate slog sweep that was taken by Warner at long-on. Warner growled with delight, knowing Babar is the biggest wicket of all. He played really nicely to make 39 from 34 balls, but in the end Zampa was too good.
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9th over: Pakistan 68-0 (Rizwan 27, Babar 38) Another bowling change - Zampa off, Maxwell on. Aaron Finch is understandably keen to get Maxwell and Marsh in and out of the attack as soon as possible. Maxwell goes round the wicket for his second over and is milked for six singles; Australia will take that all day/night long.
8th over: Pakistan 62-0 (Rizwan 24, Babar 35) Mitch Marsh’s first over goes for 10. His second ball is a fraction short - if that - and Babar plays a delightful, almost tender pull stroke through midwicket for four. The timing and placement of that shot were as near perfect as dammit. The calmness of his innings must be doing wonders for the Pakistan dressing-room.
“1.30am here in Aus and I can’t shake this feeling,” says Lee Henderson, whose specialist subject clearly isn’t REO Speedwagon. “I’d like Pakistan to win and then I’d like NZ to beat them and take the prize. It’s positively unAustralian I know but there it is. I hope this doesn’t continue or I’ll be singing with the Barmies in a month’s time.”
7th over: Pakistan 51-0 (Rizwan 23, Babar 26) With the Powerplay complete, the legspinner Adam Zampa comes into the attack. He is played respectfully by the Pakistan openers, with just four low-risk singles from the over. The third of those singles brought up another fifty partnership between Babar and Rizwan. When they get to fifty, they usually go big.
6th over: Pakistan 47-0 (Rizwan 21, Babar 24) Babar makes room to drive Cummins for three off the back foot, another high-class stroke, and then Rizwan pings a low full toss off the pads for four. The sprawling Maxwell did brilliantly to stop the ball, only for it to hit him on the chest and dribble onto the rope.
Rizwan is dropped again off the last ball of the Powerplay! He whipped Cummins down to fine leg, where Zampa couldn’t hold on to a very tricky chance diving forward. But he did save three runs.
“I have just got into cricket this last year,” says Joe Meade. “Pakistan haven’t lost since I bought my hat. Coincidence? Seems unlikely.”
You’re not familiar with how the Pakistan cricket team works, are you?
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5th over: Pakistan 38-0 (Rizwan 15, Babar 21) Hazlewood changes ends to bowl his second over. Rizwan finally nails one, dismissing Hazlewood’s first delivery over backward square leg for a flat six. Beautiful shot. He tries again later in the over but is beaten by a slower ball. Then Babar, who has suddenly started to look a bit skittish himself, edges on the bounce to the man at short third.
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4th over: Pakistan 29-0 (Rizwan 7, Babar 20) Rizwan is all over the show. He’s so excitable that he’s struggling to mistime the ball, never mind time it, and he keeps setting off for absurd singles before being sent back by Babar. Thing is, Rizwan doesn’t need to force it because Babar is taking good care of the scoreboard. He rolls the wrists to flick the new bowler Cummins round the corner for another boundary, his fourth in as many overs. He has 20 from 15 balls, Rizwan 7 from 9.
“I suspect perfect league tables are pretty common in the group stages of Rugby Union World Cups,” says Gareth Owen, “because of the scarcity of upsets and the way the seedings feed into group structures. See Pool A in 2019 and Pools A, C and D in 2015. The other thing to note is that if the number of wins goes 5-4-3-2-1-0, for example, then it’s mathematically impossible for any team to have beaten a team above them in the table. The proof, as it used to say in my undergraduate algebra textbooks, is left as an exercise for the reader.”
That is an exceedingly good point.
3rd over: Pakistan 21-0 (Rizwan 5, Babar 15) Aaron Finch brings Glenn Maxwell into the attack, a deviation from the usual Starc-Hazlewood-Cummins method. And his third ball amost brings a wicket when Rizwan is dropped by Warner! Rizwan, still on 0, charged down the track and launched the ball into orbit. Warner hurtled back towards long-off and dived forward, but all he could do was punch the ball for four. It was a seriously tough chance, even for someone like Maxwell.
If Rizwan has made a horrible start to his innings, then Babar is batting like a dream. He turns a reasonable over into a good one for Pakistan by dumping Maxwell’s last delivery over backward square leg for four.
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2nd over: Pakistan 11-0 (Rizwan 0, Babar 10) Here comes Josh Hazlewood, who has a very good record against Babar Azam - and a strike rate of 12 in this tournament. His second ball is a generous outswinger that Babar drives through the covers for four, a quite gorgoues stroke. Babar is now the leading runscorer in this tournament, having moved back ahead of Jos Buttler.
While Babar has started serenely, Rizwan looks nervous and fidgety. He’s desperate to get off the mark, but he can’t do so in that over. The boundary aside, that was good from Hazlewood.
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1st over: Pakistan 6-0 (Rizwan 0, Babar 5) Starc’s first ball, wide of off stump, tempts Rizwan into a lusty smear that he inside-edges for a single. In fact it’s been given as a bye, though I thought he edged it. Babar plays a couple of lovely strokes without piercing the infield and then flicks a loose delivery to fine leg for four. Starc won’t be unhappy with that over, especially as there was some inswing to the right-handers. Rizwan is beaten on the inside by the final delivery.
“Hello from Pakistan,” writes Shoaib. “It seems to me like Pakistan have a mountain to climb from here on having lost the toss. As you mentioned already, 10 out of 11 games in Dubai have been won by teams batting second. That means even a total of 170 by Pakistan might not be enough. And Australia won’t allow more than that! Nevertheless, onwards and upwards.”
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Mitchell Starc is going to bowl the first over. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are statistically the best opening partnership in IT20 history (min: 10 innings), so this Powerplay is even more important than usual.
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“The points table in the second group stage seems like a rare ‘perfect’ league result,” writes Smylers. “The teams respectively won five, four, three, two, one and zero matches, each one having beaten all the teams below it and lost to those above — an unambiguous ranking of the teams (and obviously no need to
bother with net run rate). How often does a league table end up so perfectly ordered, in any sport?
You ask me to research that now? (It’s a great spot though, and I’m imagine it’s exceedingly rare.
“As an Indian, completely gutted to see my team on a flight back to India,” writes Venu Vedam. “But I would like Pakistan to win this comprehensively. Babar and Shaheen Afridi will take them to the finishing line I hope. Go Pakistan, Go – bring the cup to the subcontinent!”
That’s an admirable sentiment, doubtless shared by all Indians.
The players line up for the national anthems. There’s a really good crowd at the Dubai International Stadium, the majority Pakistan fans.
A quick pre-match plug
If you like cricket, and you like the past, you’ll probably like this podcast. It’s hosted beautifully by OBO legend/fictitious character Gary Naylor; it also has some terrific guests and me.
Nehru Cup and England Nearly Men XIs https://t.co/HTAjpZXetV
— The 80s and 90s Cricket Show (@CricShow80s90s) November 8, 2021
Derek Pringle's Nearly Men XI includes Rob Bailey, Geoff Humpage and Dean Headley. Listen to hear the other eight players and three more XIs.
Who would you pick?
The first email of the semi-final!
“Good evening,” says Akbar Jamil. It surely is: I cannot wait for this game.
Team news
Both teams are unchanged. Next!
Pakistan Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Australia Finch (c), Warner, Marsh, Smith, Maxwell, Stoinis, Wade (wk), Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, Zampa.
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Australia win the toss and bowl
“It’s a nice-looking wicket, don’t feel it’ll change much,” says Aaron Finch, somehow resisting the urge to shout “YOU BEAUTY!” That is a great toss to win.
Pre-match reading
Preamble
It’s Pakistan v Australia, dear reader, but not as we know it. The roles of the two teams have been reversed at this World Cup. Pakistan are a formidable winning machine, who have lived up to their pre-tournament form and hype. Australia - who lost five T20 series in a row before this competition - are the intriguing outsiders. They started slowly, took one spectacular beating but then got their act together to reach the final four.
That’s usually how Pakistan do things. All of their major tournaments wins (1992, 2009, 2017) have come after shambolic starts, so it’s almost unnerving to see them play with such serene control. In reports of their matches, the word ‘mercurial’ has been conspicuous by its absence.
They have still all the hallmarks of a great Pakistan side. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are the best opening pair around; Babar is a future all-time great and Rizwan might be the world’s most joyous cricketer. Their bowling attack has a level of variety (LF, RF, LBG, RFM, OB and occasionally WTF) that should be illegal. And while their Nos 4-6 have a combined age of 110, they can all still belt the ball 100 metres.
Shoaib Malik has an average of 99 and a strike-rate of 187 in this competition. Asif Ali doesn’t have an average, as he hasn’t been dismissed, but he does have a strike rate of 248. (Malik and Rizwan missed training yesterday with mild flu symptoms, but they tested negative for Covid, and Pakistan expect them to play today.)
So far, so ominous for Australia, but they should be at peace with their form after a clear improvement over the past fortnight. David Warner looks as good as new, with the bat and in the field, Adam Zampa has quietly been one of the bowlers of the tournament and Aaron Finch one of the best captains. He and the rest of the team have probably enjoyed a rare chance to go under the radar.
Australia, who have won all four knockout games against Pakistan at ICC tournaments, might be inspired by two precedents in particular. The semi-final in 2010, when Mike Hussey redefined what was possible in a T20 runchase, and most of all the 50-over final in 1999. Then, as now, Pakistan started the formidably and Australia struggled through to the final stages. Eventually they met in the final, which Australia won with 29.5 overs to spare.
The toss was crucial that day. Pakistan won it, but Wasim Akram made the wrong decision in batting first on a sweaty pitch and they were rolled for 132. It’s likely be even more important today. Ten of the 11 games in Dubai have been won by the team batting second. I’m a bit surprised, in these wordplayful times, that some wag hasn’t christened it Dewbai.
The odds are pretty close: Pakistan 4/5, Australia 1/1. But whoever wins the toss will instantly become strongish favourites to face New Zealand in the final on Sunday.
Play starts at 6pm local time, midnight AEST, 2pm GMT.
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