ICC World T20 2016, Pakistan vs New Zealand, Highlights: Kiwis Beat Pakistan by 22 Runs, Seal Spot in Semi-Finals
New Zealand became the first team to seal their spot in the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 with a 22-run win over Pakistan. Relive all the moments here.
Highlights
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New Zealand have beaten India and Australia in World T20 2016
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Pakistan are grappling with injuries and sketchy form
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Kiwi spinners Santner and Sodhi have been finds of the World T20 2016
Sharjeel Khan gave Pakistan a fast start in the powerplay and it seemed that they would be on course to chase down New Zealand's 181. However, Milne dismissed Sharjeel and the spinners choked Pakistan's progress in the middle overs. In the end, the pressure mounted and Pakistan fell short by 22 runs. Relive all the exciting moments of the match between New Zealand and Pakistan here. (SCORECARD | NEWS | PHOTOS | VIDEOS | POINTS TABLE | WHERE TO WATCH LIVE STREAMING?)
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23:05 hrs IST: That is all we have from Mohali. New Zealand have sealed their spot in the semi-final and they will be aiming to finish on top of the group. Tomorrow is a crucial match between India and Bangladesh from Bangalore. The winner of that match comes closer to a spot in the semi-finals while England take on Afghanistan in Delhi.
22:58 hrs IST: Here are the quotes from the skippers during the presentation:
Kane Williamson: "It was a very good surface and off the back of Guptill's superior knocks, the batters played their roles nicely to get a very good score. And then the bowlers kept their composure after a tough start to pull it back. 180 we felt was above par."
Shahid Afridi: "We still keep repeating the same mistakes, every game we are making the mistakes. We have to forget this game and focus on Australia."
22:47 hrs IST: New Zealand win by 22 runs and they seal their spot in the semi-finals. Pakistan have an uphill task on their hands and they will have to rely on other mathematical equations to get them through to the semi-finals.
22:38 hrs IST: Pakistan are unable to get the boundaries. This game has slipped out of their grasp.
22:31 hrs IST: McClenaghan concedes just eight runs in his third over. The asking rate is mounting for Pakistan.
22:27 hrs IST: Ish Sodhi finishes with his spell. 4-0-25-1. It has been yet another brilliant performance.
22:23 hrs IST: WICKET! That is a massive wicket! Shahid Afridi falls and the Pakistan camp is dejected. Tossed up delivery outside off, Afridi dances down the track and whacks it to long off, Anderson moves to his left and leaps close to the boundary to take a splendid catch. Afridi c Anderson b Sodhi 19 (9), Pakistan 123/4 (15.1).
22:16 hrs IST: First rare loose ball and Afridi deposits it over deep mid wicket for a maximum. Pakistan are hanging in.
22:13 hrs IST: Dropped! Santner is denied Afridi's wicket first ball. The ball spun away and it got the edge, Ronchi is unable to hold on. Next ball, Afridi responds by slamming the spinner over deep extra cover.
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22:10 hrs IST: WICKET! The pressure mounts for Pakistan. Tossed up delivery on leg stump, Shehzad hoicks it to deep square leg and he finds the fielder. Shehzad c Guptill b Santner 30 (32). Pakistan 96/3 (12.2)
22:04 hrs IST: Santner gives away two runs in his third over. The pressure is slowly mounting on Pakistan.
21:58 hrs IST: WICKET! Santner gets another wicket. Tossed up delivery outside off, Latif goes down the track and launches it over wide long on, Elliott settles underneath it. Latif c Elliott b Santner 3 (7). Pakistan 79/2 in 8.2 overs.
21:54 hrs IST: Ish Sodhi is into the attack and he concedes just three runs in his first over. New Zealand will be aiming to pull things back.
21:52 hrs IST: Shehzad ensures that the tempo is maintained by cutting Grant Elliott for a boundary past backward point.
21:45 hrs IST: WICKET! New Zealand will heave a sigh of relief. Full ball outside off, Sharjeel goes for the lofted drive and he slices it to backward point where Guptill takes the catch. Sharjeel c Guptill b Milne 47 (25), Pakistan 65/1 (5.3).
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21:38 hrs IST: Carnage from Sharjeel! He whacks a huge six off McClenaghan and after a hat-trick of boundaries, Pakistan have notched up the team fifty in just the fourth over.
21:34 hrs IST: Mitchell McClenaghan is into the attack. Sharjeel greets him second ball with a pulled four through deep square leg.
21:32 hrs IST: Another good over from Pakistan. Sharjeel and Shehzad have helped Pakistan reach 33/0 in three overs. This is the first time that New Zealand are in pressure in the World Twenty20.
21:28 hrs IST: Anderson concedes nine runs in his first over. Sharjeel grows in confidence and he thumps Adam Milne for two boundaries.
21:22 hrs IST: Poor start for Santner. He concedes 15 runs in his first over. This puts pressure on New Zealand immediately.
21:19 hrs IST: Poor start for Santner. He dishes out a full toss and Sharjeel thumps it past Shehzad and to the long off fence. The non-striker had a narrow escape.
21:15 hrs IST: Sharjeel Khan and Ahmed Shehzad come out to open the bowling. Mitchell Santner will open the bowling with a slip in place.
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21:00 hrs IST: New Zealand have ended up on 180/5. Ross Taylor ends with a decent 36 off 23 balls. Amir concedes 16 runs in his final over. Will this total be enough for the Kiwis or will Pakistan fight back?
20:52 hrs IST: Ronchi breaks the shackles by slamming Irfan over long off for a six. New Zealand will be aiming for a score near 180.
20:45 hrs IST: Mohammad Amir concedes 11 runs in his third over. New Zealand are closing in on 50. Can they go past 170?
20:40 hrs IST: WICKET! Another one departs. Flighted delivery outside off, Corey Anderson mistimes the lofted shot to long-off where Malik takes the catch. New Zealand fizzling out a bit at the end. Corey Anderson c Malik b Afridi 21 (14), New Zealand 132/4 (15.2 ov).
20:34 hrs IST: WICKET! Oh dear, Guptill misses out on the ton. Back of a length ball outside off, Guptill looks to run it down to third man but he chops it back on to the stumps. Guptill b Sami 80 (48), New Zealand 127/3 (14.3 overs).
20:31 hrs IST: Guptill is unstoppable at the moment. He blasts two fours off Afridi and greets Sami by hammering him to deep extra cover.
20:26 hrs IST: Anderson blasts two fours off Irfan. New Zealand are setting themselves up for the final overs well.
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20:22 hrs IST: Both Anderson and Guptill are starting to get going for New Zealand. Pakistan are rotating the bowlers around.
20:16 hrs IST: Fifty for Martin Guptill. His 10th in this format. Brilliant knock from him. He pummels Afridi for two fours over deep mid wicket. Earlier in the over, he had survived an LBW shout. The ball would have just clipped the stumps.
20:13 hrs IST: Appeal for a run-out. However, Corey Anderson is safe. Imad Wasim concedes just five runs in his third over. New Zealand are 81/2 after 10 overs.
20:08 hrs IST: WICKET! Poor shot from Munro! Full and flat delivery on off stump, Munro unleashes the switch-hit again but he holes out to Sharjeel at deep point. Munro c Sharjeel b Afridi 7 (6). New Zealand 75/2 after 8.5 overs.
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20:02 hrs IST: WICKET! Irfan strikes in his second spell. Slow and full ball angled across outside off, Williamson moves to the off side and looks to drive on the up, the bat turns in his hand and Afridi at cover takes a simple catch. Williamson c Afridi b Irfan 17 (21).
19:59 hrs IST: Imad bounces back well as he concedes just five runs in his second over. However, Pakistan need to take wickets at regular intervals.
19:55 hrs IST: Guptill smashes another six and a four off Sami as he concedes 11 runs. New Zealand have notched up 55 runs in the powerplay with Guptill going strong. Can they maintain the momentum?
19:52 hrs IST: Imad Wasim is into the attack. The left-arm orthodox, who was omitted in the last game against India, starts off well but on the last ball, Guptill deposits him into the stands at long on.
19:48 hrs IST: Mohammad Sami is into the attack but he is not able to stop Guptill and Williamson's free-scoring. Pakistan need a wicket desperately.
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19:40 hrs IST: Guptill continues the assault by launching Amir over mid-on for a boundary. This is a great start.
19:37 hrs IST: Kane Williamson unleashes a classy square cut that bisects cover and point. Irfan concedes 13 runs in his first over.
19:34 hrs IST: Good start for Amir. The ball is going to the keeper at good pace and there is some decent bounce. Mohammad Irfan into the attack. Guptill launches him high over long on for a big six.
19:32 hrs IST: Mohammad Amir starts off proceedings and he is bowling with pace. There is an attempt at a run-out but Kane Williamson was safe.
19:12 hrs IST: This is a typical Mohali wicket. It will have pace and bounce. There is a fair covering of grass but that is to hold the pitch together
19:05 hrs IST: Here are the playing XIs of both the teams:
New Zealand (Playing XI): Kane Williamson(c), Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Corey Anderson, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Luke Ronchi(w), Mitchell Santner, Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi
Pakistan (Playing XI): Sharjeel Khan, Ahmed Shehzad, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed(w), Shahid Afridi(c), Khalid Latif, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Irfan
19:00 hrs IST: New Zealand have won the toss and they will bat first. No changes in the New Zealand team. Pakistan have made two changes, with Mohammad Hafeez missing out due to injury while Wahab Riaz has been rested.
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Pakistan's unpredictability makes this contest intriguing and they will be desperate to spoil the Kiwi party and stay in the hunt for the semi-finals. But New Zealand have been very professional in the ICC World T20 so far.
With wins against MS Dhoni's India and Steven Smith's Australia, New Zealand have looked competent and tactically sound. In Mohali, they will handle Pakistan with care. On their day, Pakistan can beat any team in the world. History is also loaded in Pakistan's favour.
In the 1992 and 1999 World Cups, New Zealand were knocked out in the semi-finals by Pakistan. In 2007, they suffered a similar fate in the semi-final while in 2009, they were knocked out in the super-sixes by a magic spell of 5 wickets for 6 runs from Umar Gul.
Kane Williamson and his team will be aiming to turn the tables and ensure they win in order to qualify for the semi-finals.
New Zealand Assess Conditions Well
Williamson's tactical acumen and his ability to correctly read the conditions are the main reasons behind New Zealand being on top of Group 2. Leaving out Trent Boult and Tim Southee for two matches has proven to be a masterstroke. However, in Mohali, there could be some assistance for the pace bowlers, which means either Boult or Southee could return.
The spinners have been tremendous, with Mitchell Santner continuing his good form. Ish Sodhi, the legspinner, has been vital in choking the runs in the middle overs. They will once again play a vital part and backed by Mitchell McClenaghan's variations, they will aim to continue their good run.
Pakistan's Unpredictability Continues
A victory over Bangladesh, followed by a loss against India, sum up the unpredictable journey of Pakistan. The news of Shahid Afridi's imminent sacking may hurt team morale.
Pakistan have also been jolted by injuries. Wahab Riaz suffered a blow on the neck from a throw during practice. Top-order batsman Mohammad Hafeez could miss out due to a knee injury.
A loss against New Zealand could see Pakistan exit the tournament while a win will throw the group wide open heading into the last round of league games.