Pakistan into final after clinical Babar, Rizwan stand

Pakistan's improbable T20 World Cup tilt is alive after cricket's most enigmatic team stunned tournament standouts New Zealand with a clinical semi-final triumph at the SCG.

Captain Babar Azam and opening sidekick Mohammad Rizwan rode a wave of fervent support from an SCG decked out in green, before their middle order iced the run chase and secured victory with five balls to spare to put their side into Sunday's final in Melbourne.

It came on the back of a suffocating bowling effort from Pakistan's formidable pace brigade led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, with the Kiwis unable to come to terms with a worn Sydney pitch nor able to repeat the dominance they displayed on the same surface used for their tournament opener against Australia.

Image Id: 3296330D7C4E4E70874FD6CF81416012 Image Caption: Babar and Rizwan became the first pair to notch three 100-run partnerships in T20 World Cups // Getty

Mohammad Haris, the 21-year-old playing just his fourth T20I who last week was not even in the Pakistan squad, played a crucial late hand (30 off 26) and while he was out in the penultimate over, Shan Masood hit the winning runs to see Pakistan comfortably overhaul NZ's 3-153.

The Kiwis’ defeat adds to their catalogue of near misses at ICC white-ball events and will sting even more given they arguably had the best of the conditions after their captain Kane Williamson won the toss and batted. Only once from the previous six T20s at the venue had the chasing team won.

"We've played in a number of different finals and put out really good performances – probably good enough to win and either got met by a side that played a little bit better or played about equal," said Williamson.

"You accept some of those things. The frustrating part about today is that we weren't quite on top of our game ... That's the frustrating part." 

It leaves open the tantalising prospect of a Pakistan-India final at the MCG – a rematch of their epic earlier in the campaign – with Rohit Sharma's men needing to get over England in their semi at Adelaide Oval on Thursday to set up another showdown between the rivals.

Image Id: CDD45BD032E24B9C8B238C9251784B02 Image Caption: Daryl Mitchell (53 off 35) was New Zealand's most influential player on the night // Getty

Pakistan's performance now has them on track to repeat their 1992 ODI World Cup triumph in this country, while they will be hunting their second men's T20 crown after winning their first at Lord’s back in 2009.

It is a remarkable turnaround given they lost their first two matches of this tournament – to India in an astonishing final-over implosion and then to unfancied Zimbabwe – and only qualified for the semi-finals because South Africa inexplicably lost to the Netherlands on Sunday.

Their reversal is no better encapsulated by Babar and Rizwan, who had averaged 7.80 and 20.60 for the tournament respectively coming into Wednesday's do-or-die clash, while their strike-rates of 62 and 100 inspired little more confidence.

But, against new-ball veterans Trent Boult and Tim Southee who have run riot in helpful conditions over recent weeks, Pakistan's openers brought the SCG to life with an exhilarating 105-run stand.

The right-handers blazed 55 from the Powerplay, with Southee and Boult's second overs each going for 15, as the Black Caps were made to pay dearly for wicketkeeper Devon Conway's drop of Babar from the first ball he faced (off Boult).

By the time Boult got his revenge to have Babar caught at long-on for 52 (off 42), the Pakistan maestro had fulfilled batting coach Matthew Hayden's prophecy that "something special" was in the offing after his middling Super 12 returns.

Rizwan too got a life (from Mitchell Santner, who put him down off Southee at point) after he had passed fifty, while Conway let through crucial byes in the penultimate over to cap a ragged fielding performance from last year's T20 World Cup runners-up.

While their results had been haphazard leading into the knockout clash, it was a red-hot Pakistani outfit that showed up from the first ball of the match.

Finn Allen torched Mitchell Starc's first over at this venue two-and-a-half weeks ago in an onslaught effectively ended Australia's tournament, and there might have been a sense of déjà vu when he pummelled the first ball from another left-armer, Shaheen Shah Afridi, for four through mid-on.

Yet the star quick's prodigious ability to shift the ball in the air meant the script was immediately flipped – Allen was given out lbw on ensuing two deliveries and, while a review saved him the first time, he was plumb when Shaheen lasered in another textbook in-dipper.

"He set the tone," Babar said of Shaheen, who came into the tournament fresh off a knee injury.

"After the injury, day by day there's been improvement. He's had a little bit of time, so he's using his experience.

"Now everyone knows he's the best bowler in Pakistan – and the world."

Image Id: A0C46369494F4FBA8D9C39CB5C09E4AF Image Caption: Shaheen Shah Afridi removed Finn Allen on just the third delivery of the night // Getty

The sense that Pakistan had shown up like lions at feeding time only grew as Shadab Khan threw down the bowler's end stumps to run out Conway, who had struck an unbeaten 92 at this venue in NZ’s tournament opener.

Enraged by a series of sightscreen faux-pas early in his innings, Williamson (46 off 42) was equally frustrated by the proceedings on the ground hitting just a single four and a single six before Shaheen (2-24) capped a terrific outing by clean-bowling the NZ skipper.

Perth-product Daryl Mitchell found the rope (which was only 55 metres away in one corner) almost as difficult to find (three fours, one six) yet kept his strike-rate above 150 to push the Black Caps to a defendable total.

Men's T20 World Cup 2022

Semi-final 1: Pakistan def New Zealand by seven wickets

Semi-final 2: Thursday, India v England, Adelaide Oval, 7pm AEDT

Final: Sunday November 13, MCG, 7pm AEDT

Click here for all 2022 T20 World Cup results