PAK VS AUS - 2nd Semi-Final, ICC Mens T20 World Cup 2021

And just like that, the two favourites have been knocked out. Here's how the story goes now -- New Zealand, heartbreakingly close in 2019, now with a WTC title under their belt, and with a chance to officially establish themselves as the current best all-format side. They might be the nice guys, but they now have a chance to avenge 2015 as well. Australia, clearly nowhere close to playing their best game, but playing with that champion mentality ingrained in their blood. Gee, a delicious Sunday awaits. So this was me, Vineet Anantharaman, signing off on behalf of Akshay Maanay, Pradeep Krishnamurthy, Kumar Abhisekh Das and our scorer, Mukesh Gowda. In the hope that the climax lives up to all the hype with a brand new champion, ta ta!!

Aaron Finch | Winning skipper: Never thought it was in the bag. It was a great game of cricket. The way Wade held his nerve at the end was amazing. That partnership with Stoinis was crucial. I got my feet in a tangle and opening batsmen do get a few good balls now and then in T20 cricket. We were sloppy today in the field, a couple of tough ones. We need the support of all 17 players to get across the line. We have played some really good cricket in the back end. Teams chasing have been successful. There is no dew, the lights take effect. I was hoping I'd lose the toss, bat first and put up a good score on the board.

Babar Azam | Losing skipper: 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.

Matthew Wade | Player of the Match: Absolutely (preempted the scoops). I was talking to Stoinis at the other end and tried to work out what they're doing. I got a little more pace on than expected, I probably could have used it a little bit earlier, but yeah.. glad to get a couple at the end. There wasn't a lot of chat before I went in as we lost quick wickets. But when I got out there, Me and Marcus had batted together in the first game and got some momentum today as well. I was a bit unsure but Marcus showed me the way out. There was one short side and I was confident that if I had to target that then I could pull it off, but it got down to two-a-ball and you had to hit everything in your arc. I got a boundary away early on and then stalled for 5-6 balls, but Marcus got the boundary away and got us to a total where I was confident in the last two overs. It hasn't sunk in but probably when I sit down tonight it might sink in. I was out of the two team for 2-3 years, just came back 20 games ago and happy to have repaid the faith.

Most runs scored in last 5 overs in a successful run chase (T20 WC)
75 Aus vs Pak Gros Islet 2010
62 Aus vs Pak Dubai 2021 *
60 SL vs Ind Gros Islet 2010
60 Pak vs SA Colombo 2012
60 NZ vs Eng Abu Dhabi 2021
Last 17 night T20 matches in Dubai
Batting 1st won: 1 (IPL final)
Batting 2nd won: 16 (9/9 in T20 WC 2021)
- 177 is the highest target successfully chased down in T20 World Cups without an individual 50+ score

21:42 Local Time, 17:42 GMT, 23:12 IST: Belted by the Babar-Rizwan opening stand, bruised some more by the Fakhar madness and then absolutely pinned to the ground by Shaheen Akram in that first over. You survive this and you survive anything in life. Australia have. Matthew Hussey has gotten them to. A proper breakneck speed game this -- wickets, recovery, wickets, funkiness, wickets, dropped catches, and then those two scoops. They say big runs on the board do it for you on a big night. Alas, tonight wasn't that night. Pakistan had 176, they didn't have a lot of dew to battle either, and for the first time in this tournament, their ghosts of the old, unpredictable, lose-from-anywhere Pakistan showed up. Okay, Warner and Marsh started the recovery, making sure the run-rate didn't dip after Finch fell. And then when Stoinis and Wade got together with over 80 to get in under eight overs, struck them clean, struck them big, and Pakistan just couldn't recover. Here come the presentations ..

Shaheen Afridi to Wade, SIX, madness. Absolute madness. It's only fitting that it ends with a scoop over fine leg. Just sheer audacity. New Zealand needed 20 off two yesterday, Australia needed 22 off two tonight, and both of them do it with one entire over to spare. 6.6.6. Matthew Wade, a three-fourth Remember the Name ..

Shaheen Afridi to Wade, SIX, pumped. That's Pakistan's boarding pass. 96 meters deep. Afridi dishes out an off-cutter, right in the slot, on a length, and Wade's swung it way over cow corner

Shaheen Afridi to Wade, SIX, shuffle, sit, scoop, cheek, and six. Wow. Things you do under pressure. Wade's happy showing his stumps, staying right low under the length and getting enough bat to get it over short fine

Shaheen Afridi to Wade, 2 runs, dropped! Hasan Ali once again. Oh, as if that last over wasn't bad enough on his resume already. It's whipped uppishly, right down his throat at deep mid-wicket, and he overruns it for some reason, gets hurried then while trying to grab. The ball slips right through his fingers

Shaheen Afridi to Wade, wide, a pretty good yorker, but drifting just down leg, past the attempted flick

Long-off. Long-on. Deep square leg. Deep mid-wicket. Sweeper. 21 runs | 10 balls

Shaheen Afridi to Stoinis, leg byes, 1 run, Pakistan review an LBW: It's always dodgy with these over the wicket lines from a leftie to a rightie, and this one has pitched well down leg as Stoinis crouches, swipes, misses and gets struck in front of off with the ball then rolling away to third man

Shaheen Afridi to Stoinis, no run, swivel-pull, slight under-edge, but dropping just short of the keeper. Rizwan immediately signals, and cuts short Afridi's celebration. Never mind, Pakistan will take a dot here

Shaheen Afridi [3.0-0-14-1] is back into the attack

Hasan Ali to Wade, FOUR, another loss in length. Hasan's clearly been the weakest link in this Pakistani bowling, and he does it again with an overcooked half volley on the legs. And all that with fine leg inside the ring. Wade flicks, gets it square enough

Hasan Ali to Stoinis, 1 run, slower back of a length, swivel, pull, along the ground, calm +1

Hasan Ali to Wade, 1 run, in the blockhole on off squeezed away with a swipe, mid-wicket

Hasan Ali to Wade, SIX, looked good, sounded better, is great! Hasan tries going full and wide outside Wade's V, but he's dished out length in the process and is pumped high, very high, and just long enough over long-on

Hasan Ali to Wade, 2 runs, full, leg-lined, whipped wide of deep mid-wicket