T20 World Cup: How Pakistan dismantled New Zealand to power into final | Cricket News – Times of India

Babar, Rizwan rediscover form as efficient Pakistan dismantle Kiwis to make T20 WC final
For all those waiting in earnest for the Sunday blockbuster, Pakistan have kept their part of the bargain and the ball is now in India’s court.
Over the years, all the good qualities that we have associated with Pakistan cricket were on display at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday as they blew away New Zealand by seven wickets with five balls to spare. The fearlessness, the ability to rise to the occasion and the incredible belief that nothing can stop them now that they have come so far put Pakistan in the final after 12 difficult years.
AS IT HAPPENED
TOI looks at how Pakistan dismantled an efficient, well-oiled New Zealand machine in a semifinal performance that can rank among their best.
Opening partnership coming back to life: Babar Azam still hadn’t opened his account when wicketkeeper Devon Conway, diving to right, failed to grasp a chance off Trent Boult. Chasing 153, this was the chance that the skipper, struggling horribly for form throughout the tournament, was waiting for.
Initially his opening partner Mohammad Rizwan (57 off 43 balls) took the attack to the Kiwi pacers Tim Southee, Boult and Ferguson, allowing Babar the time to settle down. Once Babar (53 off 42 balls) got his eye in, it was like batting practice for the dynamic opening duo. Babar looked beautifully balanced at the crease, played those trademark drives on the off-side and once it was 55-0 after the Powerplay, New Zealand knew it would be difficult to come back.
Still, the pitch was slowing down, and it wasn’t easy to take on the spinners Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi. Babar and Rizwan knew it was not necessary to take undue risks and kept rotating the strike, which took the game completely away from the Kiwis.
The partnership was finally broken on 105 off 12. 4 overs, and all Pakistan batters had to do from there was to keep their heads.

Bowling unit delivers too: Shaheen Afridi‘s first ball was driven by opener Finn Allen for a boundary, but the paceman refused to shift from his area of strength with the new ball. The next two deliveries were full and straight, at a greater pace, and Allen, after surviving a close LBW off the second ball, was dismissed off the third.
It was evident right away that Pakistan bowlers h ad arrived with a gameplan from which they would not shift. While Afridi (2/24) seems to have got the confidence back to bowl full and straight, Haris Rauf’s intelligent change of pace always kept the Kiwi batters guessing. Naseem Shah showed he is developing as a bowler who can bowl those yorkers at pace in the death, something that we have always associated with great Pakistan bowlers. New Zealand could manage only59-3 in their first 10 overs and that’s where the game was lost. The spinners Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz were getting a bit of help from the track and the inspired fielding kept the Kiwis under a tight leash.

Finishing touches by a talented No. 3: In 1992, Pakistan unearthed Inzamam-ul-Haq en route their ODI World Cup triumph. This time around, 21-year-old Mohammad Haris (30 off 26 balls) is showing that he has the temperament to play on the big stage. After Babar and Rizwan got out, Haris showed a cool head and the ability to play the odd innovative shot that made it a memorable night for Pakistan.