Pakistan beat New Zealand comfortably in the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Sydney on Wednesday.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bat first in the high-pressure game. Daryl Mitchell (53* off 35 balls) hit a fine half-century to guide his side to a respectable total of 152/4. Williamson (46) played a supporting role for him.
In response, Mohammad Rizwan (57) began the chase with a boundary on the first ball. He continued with the same momentum in the powerplay and scored briskly.
Babar Azam (53) got an early reprieve as Devon Conway dropped his catch. The Pakistan captain also found some rhythm after the incident. He hit a couple of boundaries to get his side off to a blazing start by complementing his partner.
The duo put on a match-defining 105-run partnership to put their side firmly in control of the chase. Trent Boult dismissed both set batters later on, but New Zealand were too far behind by then. Mohammad Haris (30) once again played a dynamic cameo to help his side cruise towards victory.
Cricket fans on social media enjoyed an entertaining contest between Pakistan and New Zealand in Sydney. They expressed their reactions through hilarious memes on social media.
Moment of the Day!!! Congratulations to Pakistan for the Finals!. A Team Many Thought is over Becomes the 1st Team to Reach in the Finals. This is how “Qudrat ka Nizam Works” ❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/hDc709eFWR
— Weather Updates PK (@WeatherWupk) November 9, 2022
#INDvsENG
“Pak vs Eng” Upset
“Kane Williamson”
“Congratulations Pakistan” pic.twitter.com/8OsNGbp6x8— Right Wing Nationalism (@rwingnat) November 9, 2022
Mubarak ho Karan Arjun form mei agaye hain pic.twitter.com/xtzwmwPzne
— BUNTY. (@atang_waddi) November 9, 2022
PAKISTAN WALKING INTO THE FINAL LETS GO pic.twitter.com/nm9S86UqrR
— Rana Talha Asfar ???????? (@RTAluvzAfridi) November 9, 2022
Babar: Boult ko jaib mein rakhta hun
Rizwan: pic.twitter.com/yeSJA1HvMj
— Abdullah (@michaelscottfc) November 9, 2022
“Tum loog aise target par 10 wickets se haaray thay na?” pic.twitter.com/0GEEGFQVMG
— PSL Memes (@PSLMemesWalay) November 9, 2022
Pakistanis before and after the semifinal #PakvsNz #T20Iworldcup2022 #SemiFinals #Pakistan #Cricket pic.twitter.com/qizVSf0IFe
— Mubashir Zaidi (@Xadeejournalist) November 9, 2022
Alhamdulilah… we’ve done it.
Congratulations Pakistan ❤️????????????????
Just a one step away to grab the trophy ????????#PakvsNz pic.twitter.com/07WJ1LgTN2— Sadiya (@Sadiyakhan02) November 9, 2022