England, New Zealand, Pakistan and Australia were the four teams that made the semifinals of the ICC T20 World Cup after former champions West Indies, India, Sri Lanka were eliminated. For some of us, this made for good cricket and a stress-free viewing experience. So here is what happened in the two semifinal matches featuring England v New Zealand and Pakistan v Australia along with some of the best memes of the matches:
For NZ it was personal – remember the 2019 World Cup Final where England had won based on some obscure rule?
The Kiwis bowled first after winning the toss. England made 166 for 4 but a lot of Indians weren't rooting for either team.
The major contributors to the England score were Moeen Ali (51 off 37) and Dawid Malan (41 off 30)
Opener Martin Guptill (4 of 3) and then skipper Kane Williamson (5 off 11) went quickly. Daryl Mitchell played through the innings to remain not out at 72 off 47. James Neesham scored a vital 27 off just 11 balls.
New Zealand won by five wickets and with one over left in the end. Perhaps because of Williamson’s unique popularity, no one seemed to mind
The Kiwis, with their comprehensive wins, including the one against India are looking like champs. Mitchell was man of the match.
New Zealand booked a berth for themselves in the finals of the ICC T20 World Cup.
Australia bowled first after winning the toss. Pakistan made a good total of 176 for 4. Pat Cummins’ 19th over conceded just three runs and took a wicket --- perhaps a game-changer in hindsight.
Opener Aaron Finch departed without scoring though David Warner made 49. Steve Smith also didn’t perform, scoring just 5 runs. When four wickets were down, things seemed bad for Australia.
Marcus Stonis dug in and made 41 off 31.
Wicketkeeper batsman Matthew Wade made all the difference with his mighty sixes when it really mattered.
Wade’s fearless 41 off just 17 balls made all the difference and Australia won by 5 wickets with 6 balls to spare. Fittingly, he was named man of the match.
Indian fans, still smarting from the humiliating defeat handed to us by the Pakistanis were really, really happy.
Australian fans love him right now – so do Indian cricket fans.
It will now be another world cup final for Australia on 14th November 2021 when they take on New Zealand. I don’t know about you, but I'm rooting for the Kiwis – and not just because of Kane Williamson!
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