
Pakistan lost to Australia in the second semi-final in the T20 World Cup 2021 edition, being held in the UAE. On Thursday evening (November 10), the two sides met each other at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai to book a place in the final, with New Zealand already confirming their spot.
While many believed Babar Azam-led Pakistan were favourites to win the semi-final face-off and enter the summit clash, being the only unbeaten team in the competition, the Men in Green lost to Aaron Finch-led Australia by five wickets, failing to defend 176 on board.
Being asked to bat first, Babar & Co. posted a competitive 176-4 riding on Mohammad Rizwan's 67 and Fakhar Zaman's 55 not out. In reply, Australia were tottering at 96-5 and needed 50 off 4 fours. However, Marcus Stoinis (40 not out) and Matthew Wade (unbeaten 41) took their side home with an over to spare.
Following the heartbreaking defeat, a young Pakistani kid was left devastated. He was in tears following Babar & Co.'s semi-final exit as Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar shared the video of the same.
Akhtar shared the clip on Instagram and captioned it, "This is what happens when your team plays well. Fans get engaged. Thats why this World Cup was so important for us."
A post shared by Shoaib Akhtar (@imshoaibakhtar)
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At the post-match presentation, Babar said, "I thought we scored as many runs as we had planned in the first innings. I think if we give such teams a chance in the back end, it is going to be costly. The turning point was that dropped catch. Had we taken it, the scenario could have been different. The way we gelled and played the entire tournament, I am satisfied as a captain. Hopefully we'll learn from this for the next tournament. When you play so well throughout, there were small mistakes that cost us the match in the end. We gave players roles and they executed it really well. The way the crowds supported us, we enjoyed a lot as a team. We always enjoy playing here."
Australia will now face New Zealand in the T20 WC finale, on November 14 (Sunday) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai. Thus, the cricketing fraternity will surely get a new winner in the tournament-history on Sunday evening.