From seemingly-insurmountable requirements of 48 off 18 balls, and 13 off 3, Virat Kohli’s great innings took India home at the MCG, and left Pakistan deflated, although their net run rate didn’t take a big hit, unlike Australia’s after their opening loss to New Zealand
- Advertisement -
v Zimbabwe, lost by 1 run
The worst of Pakistan’s tendencies came to the fore in Perth. Needing 43 off 38 balls with seven wickets in hand, their batting collapsed on a spicy pitch to lose by the narrowest of margins. At that stage, it looked as if their semifinal chances were all but gone
v Netherlands, won by 6 wickets
- Advertisement -
It seemed a case of too little too late as the Pakistan pacers ripped out Netherlands for just 91 in Perth. The batting was still far from satisfactory as Pakistan lost four wickets and took almost 14 overs to complete the small chase
v South Africa, won by 33 runs (DLS)
South Africa’s pace and bounce were proving too hot for Pakistan at the start, and at 43 for 4, they had one foot out of the T20 World Cup. But Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed counter-attacked to boost Pakistan to 185, before Shadab’s twin strikes derailed the Proteas’ chase
- Advertisement -
v Bangladesh, won by 5 wickets
South Africa’s shock defeat to the Netherlands opened the door for Pakistan and they barged in happily. Their bowlers restricted Bangladesh to 127 for 8 on a slow pitch and the batsmen hung in to get them over the line and into the semis
