Twitter Reactions: Pakistan confirm semi-final berth by defeating Bangladesh in last Super 12 fixture
Pakistan became the fourth and final team to enter the semi-final after New Zealand, England, and India.
Pakistan and Bangladesh squared off in the 41st game of the T20 World Cup 2022 and the penultimate game of the Super 12 stage at the Adelaide Oval. It was a crucial game for both sides as a win would have taken them to the semi-final of the tournament. After a good fight put up by Pakistan and Bangladesh, the Babar Azam-led side emerged victorious and sealed the last semi-final spot.
The game started with Bangladesh winning the toss and electing to bat first. Opening batter Litton Das, who played a crucial knock against India, failed to fire this time around and lost his wicket early in the powerplay. Najmul Hossain Shanto and Soumya Sarkar sailed through the powerplay, and also the first half of the innings before the latter was dismissed by Shadab Khan.
Shanto did most of the scoring during their partnership as the duo posted a 52-run stand for the second wicket before Sarkar was dismissed. A controversial decision led to skipper Shakib Al Hasan’s dismissal for a golden duck as Bangladesh was put under the scanner. Shanto’s wicket brought an end to Bangladesh’s scoring as no other batter could make an impact. Shaheen Afridi was the pick of the bowlers as he registered 4/22 in his spell and Bangladesh ended up scoring 127/8.
Pakistan batters struggle, but pull off the chase
Pakistan’s opening batters Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam were slow in scoring but played a composed knock without hurrying in the chase. It took them more than nine overs to put up a fifty-run stand, but even the Bangladesh bowlers struggled to dismiss the two for the first half of the innings. It was late in the 11th over when Nasum Ahmed struck to dismiss the Pakistani skipper. Rizwan walked back in the very next over as Ebadot Hossain sent him packing.
The in-form Mohammad Haris and Mohammad Nawaz took the game forward but the latter was dismissed cheaply for an 11-ball 4. Haris and Shan Masood racked up some quick boundaries and cut the chase short. Haris’ cameo of an 18-ball 31 helped Pakistan to inch closer to a win. Bangladesh bowlers picked up some crucial wickets, but their efforts were just not enough to restrict Pakistani batters. As a result, the Men in Green claimed a win and made their way to the semi-finals.
Here's how the Twitter reacted:
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