Australia pulls off breathtaking win over Pakistan to reach final – by Sunil Thenabadu (Sports editor – eLanka)
Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade combined together with an unbeaten 81 run partnership for the sixth wicket when defeat was staring at them to direct Australia to a fantastic five-wicket win to play New Zealand on Sunday who also won in spectacular fashion in an identical impossible run chase in pursuit against favourites England..In both games played to almost full houses the supporters of favourites England more particularly Pakistan were made speechless and dumfounded..
Both Stoinis and Wade played some well-calculated shots and took the game deep to launch an assault late in the run-chase against Pakistan pacers. Wade finished the game with three back-to-back sixes off Shaheen Shah Afridi two of them the last two balls of the penultimate over scooping over deep fine leg to finish the game with an over to spare having five wickets in hand which stunned the passionate fans and the players who could not believe as victory was glaring at them until the last few overs .
Chasing a rigid target of 177 runs, skipper Aaron Finch departed for a duck in the second ball of the innings adjudged plum leg before wicket the first ball he faced returning to the dug out even without opting a DRS reprieve off pacer Shaheen Afridi who bowled with hostility..He was almost unplayable in the very next ball hurled a yorker which hit Mitchel Marsh on his left boot..Umpire gave a good not out decision while the confident Pakistani’s went for DRS which revealed the ball had landed on the boot on his legside. The two David Warner and Mitchel Marsh repaired the innings gaining confidence batting in their own inimitable styles scoring freely both lofting the pacemen for sixes and a couple of boundaries.The pair took the total to 52 surviving the power play overs, But in the seventh over Marsh who was batting so well when spinner Shadab Khan was introduced lofted him in quest of quick runs to be caught by Asif Ali in the deep for quick fire 28 runs with 3 fours and a six..The wicket of Steve Smith was lost soon for 5.David Warner found Glen Maxwell as his partner but before long Warner edged Shadab Maxwell to keeper for a well made 49 with 3 fours and 3 sixes.Marcus Stoinis joined Maxwell who did not persist was out for 7 mistiming a reverse sweep off Shadab Khan to make Australians precariously placed at 5 for 96. In Shadab Khan’s fifth ball of the final over when Mathew Wade joined Stoinis as the last of the recognised batsman The off spinner Shadab Khan was spot on dictating in his quota of four overs. the last ball was played down defensively by Wade.Shadab Khan had impressive figures of 4-0-26-4 which has been the best bowling figures in the previous six editions of the T 20 WC semi- finals.
Mathew Wade had not been performing well at all with the bat in the recently concluded series with West Indies and Bangladesh. Had been selected for these tours purely as an opener for David Warner who was on the injured list…But this Thursday night was Wade’s night as when Rauf erred in length and overpitched Wade pumped flat and over the bowlers head.in the 14th over.
When Rauf erred in length and overpitched in the 14th over, Wade pushes them flat and straight over the bowler’s head. In the next over, though, Shaheen Shah Afridi dug the ball into the pitch to keep Wade quiet but Stoinis was batting confidently piling runs.Wade had scored only eight runs off nine balls; Australia need 50 off 24 to make to the T20 World Cup final. But both Stoinis and Wade were not accepted as bonafide finishes particularly as they were top order batsmen.Both accelerated the scoring rate scoring boundaries and sixes.In the last over Australia needed 20 runs the 19th over was bowled by Shaheen Shah Afridi who had lost a bit of the usual sting as the ball had become a bit soft for the dew.His first ball was despatched over the mid wicket fence while in the second ball Hassan Ali missed a sitter fielding in the deep mid-wicket area which was a turning point in the loss when Wade scooped the last two balls in the penultimate over deep into the air then to over the deep fine leg fence to give Australia a dramatic win in the second semi -final.All Pakistani fielders were in dismay and panic not believing the manner Wade and Stoinis took them to victory Mathew Wade was unbeaten with 41 made in just 17balls with 2 fours and 4 sixes while Stoinis was on 40 in 31 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes..Shaheen Afridi conceded 35 runs in his quota of 4 overs with the solitary wicket he took with the second ball of the innings.
After being sent to bat in the second semi-final by Australia, Pakistan piled 176 runs for the loss of only 4 wickets in 20 overs. Mohammad Rizwan top-scored for Pakistan with his impressive 67 runs. He added 71 runs with skipper Babar Azam (39) for the first wicket and 72 runs for the second wicket with Fakhar Zaman (55*). Babar ( 39 in 34 balls with 5 fours both batsmen entertained the huge Pakistani fans) and Rizwan have been in top form right from their first match of the tournament where Pakistan trounced arch-rivals India by 10 wickets. Babar has also surpassed England’s Jos Buttler to become the leading run-scorer in the ongoing tournament.
Meanwhile, Rizwan became the first batter to score 1000 runs in T20Is in a calendar year. After Rizwan ‘s demise in the 18th over for 67 with 3 fours and 4 sixes on 52 balls Zaman was unbeaten 55 with in 32 balls with 3 fours and 4 sixes. For Australia Mitchell Starc was the best bowler with 2 for 38 runs his two wickets. Pat Cummins and Adam Zampa picked one wicket each.Mathew Wade for his swashbuckling knock was unanimously adjudicated as the “Player of the Match”
Chief scores
Pakistan: 176/ in 20 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 67, Fakhar Zaman 55*, Babar Azam 39, Mitchell Starc 2/38, Adam Zampa 1/22, Pat Cummins 1/30)
Australia: 177/5 in 19 overs (David Warner 49, Matthew Wade 41*, Marcus Stoinis 40*, Shadab Khan 4/26)
