Matches (29)
WBBL (1)
T20 WC (1)
Shield (2)
Nepal PM Cup (1)
Pro Twenty (2)
MLT (3-day) (12)
CSA 4-Day (5)
QEA Trophy (2)
PCB 4-Day (3)
RESULT
1st Semi-Final (N), Sydney, November 09, 2022, ICC Men's T20 World Cup
New Zealand FlagNew Zealand
152/4
Pakistan FlagPakistan
(19.1/20 ov, T:153) 153/3

Pakistan won by 7 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)

Player Of The Match
57 (43)
mohammad-rizwan
Cricinfo's MVP
65.84 ptsImpact List
shaheen-shah-afridi
Summary
Scorecard
MVP
Report
Commentary
Statistics
Overs
Table
News
Videos
Photos
Blog
  Timeline
Showing newest first

  • Pakistan finish it

  • A Haris special eases nerves

  • Rizwan goes now

  • Santner drops one

  • Rizwan gets his fifty

  • Finally a breakthrough

  • Pakistan's Pakistan-ing

  • It's all coming up Pakistan

  • A sea of green at the SCG

  • This tweet aged badly

  • Now Rizwan/Babar take Southee apart

  • Boult's second over flies for runs

  • Takeaways from the NZ innings

  • Babar gets lucky early

  • Pakistan close beautifully

  • Mitchell gets to fifty

  • NZ slow again

  • Shaheen gets Kane

  • A hectic 16th over, as New Zealand hustle

  • Mitchell and Williamson accelerate

  • First big over

  • Is Williamson batting long a bad sign for NZ?

  • Pakistan have Nw Zealand by the collar

  • Shadab special in the field

  • Conway has a close call too

  • Fireworks in the first three balls!

  • Spin to dominate again at SCG?

  • The ballad of Babar and Kane

  • New Zealand bat first

  • Pakistan the "big-tournament team"

  • Kia Ora. Salaam!

Updated 09-Nov-2022 • Published 09-Nov-2022

As it happened - New Zealand vs Pakistan, Men's T20 World Cup 2022, 1st semi-final

By Andrew Fidel Fernando

Pakistan finish it

Haris gets out with two to get, but Pakistan are in the World Cup final!
It was almost the perfect match from them. They got a wicket third ball, kept New Zealand to 38 for 2 in the powerplay. And even New Zealand's strongest partnership - the 58-run third wicket stand between Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell - could do little to lift New Zealand substantially.
Pakistan were outstanding in the last six overs, allowing just 53 runs off those 36 deliveries.
If you want more breakdown, our live show is on:
Then, with the bat, having had Babar dropped early on, they dominated. Babar and Rizwan raced through the powerplay, crashing 55 runs in those six overs. They put on 105 for the first wicket bringing the required chase down to a little over a run a ball, and essentially fool-proofing the rest of the chase.
There were a couple of late stutters, but Pakistan were deserved winners. They were better with the bat, better with the ball, and incredibly, given the opposition, substantially better in the field as well. Incredible for a team that had so little hope of making the semi-finals as recently as Sunday morning.
46
75
22
6

A Haris special eases nerves

A four drilled past mid off, and a big six into the deep square leg stand, and Pakistan are laughing again. Just a blip. Their back motoring on the road to the final.
10
47
12
7

Rizwan goes now

Hmm, do New Zealand have a fraction, of a sliver, of a tidbit of a chance?
Rizwan gets a waist-high full toss from Boult, that he can only belt into the hands of Glenn Phillips, at deep point. There's initially a little confusion as to whether that's a no-ball on height. But New Zealand cover their bases by effecting a run out at the non-striker's end anyway. It doesn't matter, because that's a fair delivery, and Riz is gone.
Mohammad Haris hasn't struck the ball particularly well since he's come to the crease. And now he'll have a new partner in Shan Masood.
9
10
2
3

Santner drops one

Mohammad Haris cuts one straight to Mitchell Santner at backward point, at about thigh-height. Santer is usually an excellent fielder, but he wrists this one into the ground. Pakistan were much more impressive in the field than New Zealand have been today.
14
14
9
8

Rizwan gets his fifty

He gets there off 36 balls, having struck five boundaries (he's run hard as well). It's his 21st in T20I cricket.
Pakistan will want him to stay there and finish it. And he seems intent on doing just that.
16
49
10
7

Finally a breakthrough

Trent Boult comes back into the attack, and Babar tries to lift him over long on for six. Doesn't get enough of it though, and ends up holing out to the fielder for 53 off 42 balls.
He's helped put Pakistan in sight of victory though.
6
14
8
7

Pakistan's Pakistan-ing

Every time Pakistan sneak into the knockouts of a global tournament, you've gotta watch out for them. They can't dominate the group stages, as they did last year. They've got to skid through, have a lot of luck, and create immense disappointment first. This is their process.
14
18
6
7

It's all coming up Pakistan

Babar gets to 50 off 38 balls - an outstanding innings in the context of the game. Babar and Riz are on the verge of putting on 100 together for the first wicket.
They basically only have to score a run a ball from here.
We've seen the absolute best of Pakistan today. And they've got the team to a position where even their absolute worst would struggle to lose it.
21
31
9
1

A sea of green at the SCG

While #RizBab make their way sagely through the middle overs, with the required rate now down to less than seven, the Pakistan supporters in the SCG stands (who dwarf the NZ supporters) are in voice.
8
34
4
4

This tweet aged badly

Or is it that Pakistan heeded ESPNcricinfo's advice?
Either way, they went at a spectacular 9.16 in the powerplay today, without losing a wicket. Their game to lose now, even as spin comes on.
13
18
6
6

Now Rizwan/Babar take Southee apart

It's not pretty for New Zealand - their go-to quicks have each been dismantled in the powerplay.
Here's the fifth over:
4
4
1
1w
•
4
Southee went straight at both right handers. Rizwan thumped him through midwicket the first two balls, before later in the over, Babar whipped him brutally through deep square leg. Pakistan are flying - 15 off that over.
10
26
11
4

Boult's second over flies for runs

•
4
1
4
2
4
The first of those boundaries is a wide-ish ball that's crashed through point by Babar.
The second is a full ball on leg stump, glanced fine of fine leg by Rizwan.
The third is smoked backward of point, again by Rizwan.
15 came off that over. And Boult's poor record against these two batters continues.
6
13
15
4

Takeaways from the NZ innings

KK would have liked to see NZ shake things up.
Meanwhile, apart from that missed run out of Daryl Mitchell sometime in the middle, Pakistan were excellent in the field.
7
9
5
1

Babar gets lucky early

Trent Boult moves one away from him first over, Babar gets an outside edge to it, and it goes wide of conway, who dives hard to his right, gets the webbing of his gloves to it, but can't get it to stick.
How much will that hurt NZ?
9
9
5
12

Pakistan close beautifully

Pakistan have allowed only 54 runs off the last six overs of the innings, despite New Zealand having seven wicket in hand at the start of that sequence. New Zealand are generally a fast-finishing team, while Pakistan have been excellent at keeping teams in check at the death. In this match, Pakistan's death bowling seems to have trumped New Zealand's hitting.
3 No. of boundaries Pakistan conceded in the last six overs.
New Zealand made sure to run extremely hard between the wickets though, and perhaps by doing so, have given their own outstanding attack a chance to defend this. Although they didn't find the boundary as often as they'd have liked, they've battled hard.
18
20
8
8

Mitchell gets to fifty

This is one of the hardest Mitchell will have had to work for a T20I half-century. Only eighteen of his runs have come from boundaries, which means he's been excellent at putting balls into space and running twos. He gets to the milestone off 32 balls.
6
8
2
4

NZ slow again

After having a good four overs immediately after the halfway stage, New Zealand have mustered only two fours between the end of the 14th over, and the end of the 18th, hitting 34 from those 24 balls, thanks largely to some excellent running between the wickets.
Those four overs:
•
•
4
1
1
1
2
1
2
2
2
1
1lb
W
•
2
2
2
4
1
1
2
1
1
17
22
10
20

Shaheen gets Kane

Kane gets low and tries to scoop Shaheen Afridi over his left shoulder for four, second ball of the 17th over.
Shaheen has slowed this one up though, and Williamson misjudges the pace. He misses, and the ball hits leg stump. Williamson is out for 46 off 42.
36 The number of runs Williamson got with singles and twos. He hit only two boundaries.
14
24
9
13

A hectic 16th over, as New Zealand hustle

2
1
2
2
2
1
First ball, there shouldn't have been a two to deep midwicket, but Haris Rauf can't collect the return throw that comes in on the bounce, and Pakistan let Daryl Mitchell survive (he would have been run out by 30 centimetres).
Third ball, Mitchell miscues one and mid off is running back to get under it, but it juust clears him.
Then last ball, an edge falls just short of wicketkeeper Rizwan, who does well to dive to his left and get a glove behind it.
No boundaries in that over, which will please Pakistan.
9
10
6
3

Mitchell and Williamson accelerate

40 New Zealand's runs in the four overs after the halfway stage
Mitchell took Shadab's 11th over down, then came down the track and launched him into the sightscreen in the 14th.
Even Williamson, so intent on running the singles and twos before, smoked a big six over deep midwicket, off the bowling of Mohammad Wasim.
New Zealand aren't flying. But they aren't limping any more either. A semblance of a solid platform here.
10
8
6
8

First big over

Daryll Mitchell gets the New Zealand innings shaking, at last. Here's the 11th over, bowled by Shadab.
1
4
2
2
4
1
The first four, off the second ball, is off the outside edge, but safe enough. The second four is much more convincing - he runs down the track, gets to the pitch, and pounds Shadab straight of long on, for four. Fourteen runs came off that 11th over. The previous best for this innings was eight.
9
5
4
10

Is Williamson batting long a bad sign for NZ?

He's dropping anchor again. Halfway through the innings, New Zealand are 59 for 3 - going at less than a run-a-ball.
Williamson's strike rate is similar. He's 23 off 24, with no boundaries to his name yet.
You can't be critical of his approach here, with the number of wickets that have gone down. But Williamson playing this kind of innings (or being forced to play this kind of innings), is definitely good signs for Pakistan.
Do New Zealand have a more explosive second 10 in them?
8
5
4
1

Pakistan have Nw Zealand by the collar

Glenn Phillips tries to whip Mohammad Nawaz through the legside, but Nawaz has turned this more than he expects, and the batter is a little quick through the shot. The ball takes the leading edge, and a catch sqirts out back towards the bowler, who gets on his knees to accept it.
New Zealand aren't hitting many boundaries either, which will irk them too.
5 Number of fours NZ have hit in the first eight overs. No sixes have been struck.
11
15
7
7

Shadab special in the field

It was going to be a quiet end to the powerplay, seemingly.
Until Devon Conway decided to push one to Shadab Khan at mid off, and take off. Should have known better, to be honest. That's Pakistan's gun fielder.
Shadab surges in from the circle, collects the ball on the bounce, and throws down the stumps with a direct hit. Conway doesn't dive, and he's about 10 centimetres short.
He and Williamson had run well through the powerplay, but this was a bridge too far.
Pakistan probably the happier team with that powerplay now - NZ at 38 for 2.
6
11
7

Conway has a close call too

Fifth ball of the second over, he's slightly late on a defensive shot against Naseem Shah, and the ball bounces away behind him, seemingly towards leg stump. He turns around to try and stop it, but he's way too late. The ball misses the stumps by the wing of a dragonfly - a few centimetres to the right, and the leg bail would have wobbled off. With two boundaries, the second over was pretty dramatic too.
•
•
•
4
•
4
13
10
18
8

Fireworks in the first three balls!

4
•
W
Incredible, adrenaline-pumping start from the SCG.
Shaheen Afridi pushes the first ball right up, outside the off stump, looking for swing. He gets it too, the ball curving away a little bit. But Finn Allen is there, meeting it with a beautifully-timed check drive, drilling it past mid on for four!
Next ball, Afridi pushes it up again, but this is on leg stump. Allen misses with his whip, and is given out -after some consideration - by Marais Erasmus. On review, he's nicked it. It looked like it might have pitched outside leg too, just marginally. Allen survives.
But there's no doubt about the third ball. This is full again, straightening in the air, pitching on middle and leg, hitting Allen right in front of the sticks. Erasmus is quick to raise the finger this time, and although the batter reviews again, this one is desperate. It's out. Crashing into middle and leg.
Three balls in, one four, two big lbw shouts, two reviews, one wicket.
If anyone can bring some calm, though, it's Kane Williamson. He's at the crease now.
8
12
10
3

Spin to dominate again at SCG?

While the teams walk out for the anthems, our number crunchers have worked out that spinners have a substantially better economy rate at this venue this World Cup, than seamers.
New Zealand have eight frontline spin overs, through Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner. Shadab Khan is Pakistan's only frontline option, though Mohammad Nawaz is there as well, and is likely to get a decent spell today.
4
3
3

The ballad of Babar and Kane

The captains are, almost undoubtedly, the best batters in each team. Both are excellent in other formats, but have been outstanding T20I batters in the past too.
But both have had issues at this World Cup. Williamson has been accused of dropping too heavy an anchor, weighing down the team's batting performances with his leaden innings, putting too much pressure on the players around him to explode. Through the course of the tournament, he has hit 132 runs at a modest strike rate of 119. Those numbers got substantially better only thanks to his 61 off 35 against Ireland, in the last Super 12 match.
Babar wishes he had those kinds of numbers. So far in the tournament, he has a top-score of 25. He's not only not scoring fast enough, he's just plain not scoring. Osman Samiuddin does a deep dive into him here. It feels like the first serious dip for Babar. Can he make a roaring comeback at the SCG?
These are the full teams, meanwhile.
2
5
2
2

New Zealand bat first

Kane Williamson gets the first piece of luck of this semi-final. Generally teams like to put runs on the board in big knockout matches, particularly on a worn track such as the one here at the SCG. As our guy at the ground Danyal Rasool says, it might be even more of an advantage given recent history here.
Both teams are unchanged. Teams in a second. But meanwhile, get over to our show, where we are previewing this game.
T20 Time Out LIVE - Tom Moody, Urooj Mumtaz and Anil Kumble with Raunak Kapoor
7
7
2
1

Pakistan the "big-tournament team"

While New Zealand have excelled in the Super 12s, and Pakistan have skidded their way into the final four, there's sort of a theory that when it comes to the knockouts, Pakistan know what they are doing. This was the case in the Champions Trophy 2017, for example. The 2009 T20 World Cup went that way too.
And history has been on Pakistan's side.
But this is a different New Zealand team. One that tied a World Cup final. One that won the Test Championship final. Maybe they know what they are doing in knockouts too.
10
5
2
1

Kia Ora. Salaam!

Welcome to ESPNcricinfo's coverage of this first semi final, between Pakistan, who snuck into the semis through the backest of doors, versus New Zealand, who have arguably been the team of the tournament so far.
While we wait for everything to start, you can read Karthik Krishnaswamy's preview here.
Those of you in the USA can watch this semi-final LIVE on ESPN+.
8
2
1
Language
English
Hindi
Win Probability
PAK 100%
NZPAK
100%50%100%NZ InningsPAK Innings

Over 20 • PAK 153/3

Pakistan won by 7 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)
Powered by Smart Stats
Match Coverage
All Match News

New Zealand 'challenged a little' with players lured by T20 franchises, says coach Stead

"In the next 12 months, we will continue to be challenged with our thinking around that, and what that looks like"

New Zealand 'challenged a little' with players lured by T20 franchises, says coach Stead

No chaos, all clinic: Pakistan rediscover their best selves to saunter past New Zealand

Dreams of a 1992 reprise gather steam as Pakistan's trusted template kicks into gear with Babar and Rizwan finding form

No chaos, all clinic: Pakistan rediscover their best selves to saunter past New Zealand

Williamson says it's time to reflect as New Zealand confront 'changing landscape'

The New Zealand captain's T20 future could be the source of renewed debate after the team's semi-final loss in Sydney

Williamson says it's time to reflect as New Zealand confront 'changing landscape'

Two first-over slips shape New Zealand's forgettable semi-final

It was not quite Mitchell Starc vs Brendon McCullum at the MCG, but another big early wicket set the tone for Pakistan's domination at the SCG

Two first-over slips shape New Zealand's forgettable semi-final

Kumble: Pakistan out-bowled, out-batted and most importantly out-fielded New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo's T20 Time Out panelists discuss how Pakistan bossed the semi-final against New Zealand

Kumble: Pakistan out-bowled, out-batted and most importantly out-fielded New Zealand
AskESPNcricinfo Logo
Instant answers to T20 questions
Ask a question
Pakistan Innings
PLAYER NAMERB
Mohammad Rizwancaught5743
Babar Azamcaught5342
Mohammad Hariscaught3026
Shan Masoodnot out34
Iftikhar Ahmednot out00
Extras(b 4, lb 3, w 3)
Total153(3 wkts; 19.1 ovs)
<1 / 3>
ICC Men's T20 World Cup
Group 1
TEAMMWLPTNRR
NZ53172.113
ENG53170.473
AUS5317-0.173
SL5234-0.422
IRE5133-1.615
AFG5032-0.571
Group 2
TEAMMWLPTNRR
INDIA54181.319
PAK53261.028
SA52250.874
NED5234-0.849
BAN5234-1.176
ZIM5133-1.138
Full Table
Terms of Use|Privacy Policy|Interest-Based Ads|Feedback
© 2022 ESPN Sports Media Ltd. All rights reserved