NZ respect Pakistan in T20 semis despite struggle; advance Netherland.
“When you get to the top four, every side has a chance,” Southee said. “We’ve played a lot against underestimate Pakistan recently, and we know they’re a dangerous side.” “Credit to them; they probably came in thinking they didn’t stand a chance, but they put on another strong performance and will be a major threat in the semi-final.” New Zealand began their campaign with an 89-run victory over defending champions Australia, followed by a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka, with a game against Afghanistan cancelled in between.
A win over Pakistan in Sydney would put New Zealand in a final against either England or India in Melbourne, but Southee said the Black Caps, who were defeated by Australia in last year’s final, were taking things one game at a time.
“There’s a lot of cricket to be played before we get to that point,” he said. “Pakistan are a good team, and we’ll have to be on top of our game to beat them on Wednesday.””Semi-final cricket is exciting; it’s why you come to watch these last few games.” Hopefully, we can keep playing like this and have another good performance in the semi-finals.”One of the side’s consistents is that we approach things pretty much the same way no matter what game it is.” That’s something to remember, and it’s something we excel at.”
New Zealand Relies on Past Experience.
New Zealand Captain Kane Williamson is banking on experience to propel New Zealand to their second consecutive Twenty20 World Cup final as they seek glory for the first time. The Black Caps have long been a force in white-ball cricket, but they have yet to convert that into world titles, despite coming agonisingly close in recent years, including a last-gasp defeat to Australia last year. It was their best performance in a T20 World Cup, following final defeats in the 50-over World Cup in both 2015 and 2019. Williamson believes the silverware drought will end this year.
“The team has played some excellent cricket.” “As long as the team keeps looking to improve and build on some of these performances, we should be able to move on,” he said. “Teams — you need a bat, you need a ball, and the guys have been operating well, really well adjusting to the surfaces, which I think is always very important in tournament cricket,” said the captain. “They’ve been outstanding… that’s the camp experience.” “Every team you play has different strengths, and you play on different grounds, so you have to think on your feet and adjust your plans.” “However, they’ve all been doing it for a long time.”
Pakistani Honour
Last-ball defeats to India and Zimbabwe appeared to have put an end to Pakistan’s tournament before it even began. However, Azam’s men came back to defeat the Netherlands and South Africa. Then, against all odds, they won when the Proteas were stunned by the Dutch and Pakistan easily defeated Bangladesh. It unexpectedly advanced the 2009 champions to the tournament’s final four for the second time.n “Losing two games was difficult, but I believe the team responded well in doing whatever they could control,” said Shan Masood, the standout performer among some shaky batting. Spinner Shadab Khan (10 wickets) and pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi (8) have also played important roles in Pakistan’s comeback.
“Just playing for your country, putting that shirt on, I think it means a lot to every individual in this camp,” Masood said. “You play for pride, for yourself, and for your country.” We don’t need to look at anything else. “All we have to do is look in the mirror. We need to give our best effort, and we’ll try to make up for what we didn’t achieve previously.”
Published in “Dawn News”
