T20 WC 2022: Pakistan beat NZ by 7 wickets to storm into final, to play winner of India-England tie

Pakistan have always fancied playing against New Zealand in Men's ICC semi-finals. Having a 3-2 lead over the Black Caps, the Babar Azam-led Pakistan locked horns with the 2021 T20 World Cup's runners-up New Zealand on Wednesday (November 09) in the first semi-final at the SCG, Sydney. Having lost the toss, Babar & Co. rode on Shaheen Afridi's two-wicket haul and fifties from openers Babar and Mohd Rizwan to beat the Kiwis by seven wickets and storm into the final.

Opting to bat first, Kane Williamson & Co. lost Finn Allen early with Shaheen trapping him leg before.Devon Conway and skipper Williamson tried to stitch a partnership but the former departed for a 20-ball 21, failing to accelerate from his end. The NZ skipper was joined by Daryl Mitchell who looked in his elements and tried hard to up the ante. Mitchell slammed an impressive 35-ball 53 not out whereas Williamson was dismissed for a 42-ball 46 as Pakistan were at their very best in the fielding unit whereas their bowlers also curtailed the run-flow.

Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf were economical as NZ never got going or looked threatening in the end overs. Eventually, they managed 152 for 4 courtesy of Mitchell's blitz.

In reply, Babar and Rizwan -- who have been criticised for their slow batting approach at the top -- stitched their ninth 100-run stand to guide Pakistan past the finish line, with five balls to spare. Babar gota reprieve onthe very first delivery he faced and there was no stopping him after that. There was not much help for the bowlers as NZ pacers didn't impress and Rizwan-Babar started to make them pay heavily.

Babar returned with an impressive 42-ball 53, laced with seven fours but Rizwan carried on from his end for a few more overs before eventually returning back to the pavilion for a 43-ball 57.Mohammad Haris, came out to bat at No. 3, and looked at his very best from the word go. He kept his calm, with the NZ bowlers trying to stretch the game till the end, and played his shots to bring down the equation before falling for30, off 26 balls. Shan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmed ended the formalities to take the Men in Green to the final.

This is Pakistan's first win in the T20 WC semi-final since the 2009 edition when they went on to lift the trophy.

STATS: Most wins vs a team in T20Is
18 Pak vs NZ
17 Ind vs WI
17 Ind vs SL
17 Eng vs Pak

At the post-match presentation, Player-of-the-MatchRizwan said, "Luckily, the fifty was in the semifinal. Babar and I were struggling but we worked hard and believed. We kept fighting. When we crossed the boundary line, we decided to take the attack to the new ball bowlers. When we finished the powerplay, we knew one of us had to bat deep as it was a tricky pitch. Our start (to the tournament) wasn't good, but the guys kept believing."