At the midway point of their innings against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup semifinal, New Zealand were 59/3. Kane Williamson, the captain of New Zealand, chose to bat first at the toss in order to challenge the Pakistani bowling lineup.
Shaheen Shah Afridi’s dismissal of the explosive Fin Allen on the third pitch of the innings, which left New Zealand at 4/1, gave Pakistan a quick advantage.The wicket caused New Zealand to play it safe during the powerplay by bringing Kane Williamson to the crease.Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Naseem Shah, and Shaheen all made tight overs to add to the pressure on the Blackcaps.
After losing opener Devon Conway on the final ball of the powerplay to end the first six at 38/2, things got worse for New Zealand.Once the powerplay was finished, Babar added some spin to the game, and it paid off when Mohammad Nawaz got rid of Glen Phillips in the ninth over to significantly reduce New Zealand’s score.Williamson and Daryl Mitchell are on the crease as New Zealand score 59/3 after the allotted 10 overs.
Playing XI
Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Shaheen Shah Afridi are Pakistan’s other key players.
Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, and Trent Boult are the New Zealand players on the field.
