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Cricket PlayersA tale of two upsets: How Pakistan bounced back from verge of elimination to qualify for T20 World Cup final
Pakistan's campaign at the T20 World Cup saw a dramatic turnaround as Babar Azam and Co. now stand just one win away from lifting the silverware.
Pakistan's campaign at the T20 World Cup saw a dramatic turnaround as Babar Azam and Co. now stand just one win away from lifting the silverware. Pakistan edged New Zealand by seven wickets in the first semifinal in Sydney on Wednesday. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who were yet to fire big in the tournament, slammed half-centuries each as Pakistan chased down the 153-run target with five balls to spare.
Pakistan's entry to the final four was nothing short than drama as they endured a heart-breaking defeat in their tournament opener against arch-rivals India. The tie, which saw a record breaking crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, saw the contest swing from one side to the other, with the Men In Green eventually surrendering to Virat Kohli's brilliance.
In a closely fought encounter, which required India to chase 160, Kohli played a terrific knock of 82* from 53 balls. What made the innings special was Kohli's calculative approach as he dragged India from 31-4 in 6.1 overs to 160-6 as India wrapped up the proceedings in the final ball of the match. His innings also featured two immaculate sixes against star pacer Haris Rauf, the reels of which are still over social media.
What followed next was absolute disaster, as Babar's boys fell short by a run in the following encounter against Zimbabwe. Despite being handed a paltry 131-run target, Pakistan could only manage 130/8 in 20 overs, and many felt it was game over for the Asian giants.
The contest, which was depicted a “grudge” match over a fake Mr Bean, thanks to social media, saw the President and the Prime Minister from respective countries also get involve in their own banter.
With very little hope of qualifying for the semifinal, Babar and Co. opened their account with a handsome win over minnows Netherlands, who later played a key role in changing Pakistan's fortune at the tournament.
Pakistan defeated Netherlands by six wickets, and went to crush South Africa by 33 runs in a rain affected contest. The win could have possibly lifted the Pakistan camp, as South Africa until then were the only undefeated side in Group 2. The Men In Green outplayed the Proteas in both the departments and secured a 33-run win.
What came after this was almost unthinkable. With India sitting at top with six points followed by South Africa with five, most believed the two will advance from the group to the knockout round.
India were scheduled to play against Zimbabwe, while South Africa were locked with Netherlands. Pakistan, too, were scheduled to play on the same day against Bangladesh, but the outcome would have been inconsequential had South Africa overpowered Netherlands earlier in the day, chances of which were very high.
However, surprising everyone Netherlands, who were invited to bat first by Temba Bavuma, went to pile 158/4 on the board and then restricted South Africa to 145/8 in 20 overs. The World Cup had seen many upsets, but this was the biggest in terms of the impact it had, as it opened the gates for Babar and his unit, who at one stage were on the verge of elimination.
Pakistan then went to defeat Bangladesh by five wickets at Adelaide Oval in their final Super 12 encounter and today they stand as one of the finalist of the T20 World Cup 2022.
