Pakistan outclassed New Zealand in all three departments in the semi-final: Anil Kumble

After 13 years, Pakistan finally managed to get into the finals of the T20 World Cup with a dominating performance against New Zealand in the semi-finals. While most of the fans counted them out after two losses in the first two games, Pakistan still kept their belief going and the Netherlands’ surprising victory against South Africa opened up the chances for the Men in Green considerably in the T20 World Cup 2022.

They sneaked into the semi-final spot after defeating Bangladesh in their final Super 12 stage fixture and followed it up with a sensational performance against the Blackcaps as the Pakistan bowlers kept them under the pump from ball one and never allowed them to dictate the game at any stage. Also, with the stunning fielding efforts inside the circle, Pakistan restricted the Kiwis to 152 for 4 in their 20 overs.  

While chasing down the score, the opening pair of Pakistan, which struggled throughout the campaign, stepped up to setup the win. New Zealand never looked like coming back into the game and it reflected in their fielding effort where a number of catches went down easily.  

Meanwhile, former Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble opined on Pakistan’s performance. Kumble mentioned that the most inspiring part of the semi-finals at the SCG was Pakistan giving no chances to New Zealand in all the departments and he said he was surprised with Pakistan’s fielding efforts, which were better than the Kiwis. 

"The best part of today was yes, Pakistan definitely out-bowled New Zealand, they out-batted New Zealand, but most importantly they out-fielded New Zealand, which is very, very rare," Anil Kumble told ESPN Cricinfo after the game.

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