Matthew Wade hits Shaheen Shah Afridi with a hat-trick of sixes to take Australia to the final of 2021 t20 world cup With a 5 wicket win over Pakistan at the Dubai International on Thursday Cricket Stadium. Australia needed 22 runs from the last two overs and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam went on to bowl the final over with Shaheen Afridi, his best bowler of the tournament. Wade hit the left-arm seamer for back-to-back sixes off the last three balls of the over to seal the game for Australia.
Wade put on a crucial 81*-run partnership for Marcus Stoinis for the sixth wicket and shifted the momentum in Australia’s favour. Stoinis, who played the attacker in the partnership, saw some brutal power-hitting from Wade from the other end. Wade remained unbeaten on 41 off just 17 balls as his innings was studded with four sixes and a four. While Stonis scored 40* in 31 balls.
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Chasing a target of 177, Australia lost their captain Aaron Finch early as Shaheen dismissed him for a golden duck in the second ball of the chase. Pakistan put pressure on the Australian batsmen for the first three overs, but David Warner took charge of the innings with Imad Wasim hitting sixes and a couple of fours.
Warner stitched a crucial 51-run partnership with Mitchell Marsh to revive the chase for Australia. However, Shadab Khan laid his net in the middle overs to cheaply wrap up Australia’s middle-order. The Aussies were 96/5 at one point and the momentum was completely in Pakistan’s favor but Wade and Stoinis changed the script to guide Australia to their second final of the T20 World Cup.
Earlier, Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman smashed half-centuries to take Pakistan to 176 for four against Australia in the second semi-final.
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Rizwan, who scored 67, and Zaman, who scored an unbeaten 55 off 32 balls, shared a 72-run stand for the second wicket to help Pakistan post a challenging total after batting first in Dubai.
Rizwan’s 71-run opening stand with skipper Babar Azam, who scored 39 runs, destabilized the Australian bowling in the first six overs of the powerplay.
Australia will now take on New Zealand in the summit clash of the T20 World Cup final where the new champions will be crowned in Dubai on November 14.
(with agency input)
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