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Pakistan (189-2) defeat Namibia (144-5) by 45 runs and qualify for the T20 World Cup semi-finals
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castortroy
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Who plays the semi finals where?
castortroy
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Afridi has been average today
NeVerMind
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He just taking it easy...keeping the energy for the more critical matches
Rana
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Shaheen should be rested next game
world cup captain
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Huh... Rizwan with the MOTM. Who would have thought?
shah9425
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Mediocre Performance
Sirris
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Bazid,s English summary of what the player said seems to be completely random and not related at all with what was said
Amjid Javed
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Any chance pakistan can give Wiese honorary pakistani citizenship, he would be a good fit in our T20 side.
Justcrazy
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Pakistan won by 45 runs
The Googly
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Very good batting performance. Reserved, understated bowling performance as can be expected due to the intensity being less for this match. This is quite normal.
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Pakistan became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 with a comfortable victory over Namibia.
Pakistan are into the final four after a dominant victory over Namibia in Abu Dhabi.
The Group 2 leaders racked up an impressive 189/2 first up, and Namibia never looked like chasing it down, finishing on 144/5, still 45 runs short.
Babar Azam’s decision to bat first after winning the toss went against the tournament trend, with teams preferring to chase throughout the World Cup so far.
But Pakistan defied the norms to build a formidable target that set up their fourth straight win of the Super 12 stage.
Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 70 off 49 balls, with his opening partner and captain Azam continuing their brilliant partnership with a 70 off his own.
Mohammad Hafeez added polish to the innings with a sparkling 32 off just 16 late on, with Pakistan scoring an eye-watering 130 runs in the last ten overs.
And in reply Namibia played well against the formidable Pakistan attack, but never looked likely to score fast enough on a tricky surface to chase down 190.
Steady in the Powerplay
The tactic in the Powerplay was clear from Pakistan, who looked to see off dangerman Ruben Trumpelmann and bide their time before accelerating later in the innings.
Trumpelmann’s two overs first up went for just two runs, with Rizwan particularly conservative, scoring at a strike rate below 50 through the fielding restrictions, reaching just 29/0 after six overs.
Acceleration through the middle overs
But the Pakistani pair made hay after their steady start, pushing through the gears in the middle overs.
And the return of Trumpelmann in the 12th over was the perfect illustration of the change of mindset, with 18 coming off it and Azam reaching his 23rd T20I half-century off 40 balls.
The inspired Azam did eventually fall for 70, holing out to deep midwicket off David Wiese.
And Fakhar Zaman was dismissed in the next over, caught superbly by Zane Green off Jan Frylinck.
Stunning late hitting
Just when it looked like the Pakistan innings might be stalling, out came Hafeez to take advantage of the platform laid by the opening pair.
The veteran’s surgical stroke-play saw him find the boundary five times in his sparkling 32.
But it was Rizwan who finished the innings in style, hitting 24 off the final over as he carried his bat through the innings and finished with 79* off 50.
Shaheen Shah Afridi threatened with his high pace and swing first up for Pakistan.
But it was Ali who picked up the first scalp, shaping the ball back in through Michael van Lingen’s defences and crashing into middle stump.
Namibia struggled to up the run rate, but Baard and Williams did put together a decent recovery after the loss of Van Lingen, adding 46 for the second wicket before Baard was run out for a run-a-ball 29.
Skipper Gerhard Erasmus showed his power game with a quickfire 15 before falling to Imad Wasim in the 13th over, and Williams departed an over later for 40, miscuing to long-off.
And despite falling short of the target, Namibia had some late fun as David Wiese banged 43* off 31 to finish as his side's top-scorer.
Victory for Pakistan confirms their spot in the final four of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021.
Pakistan are into the final four after a dominant victory over Namibia in Abu Dhabi.
The Group 2 leaders racked up an impressive 189/2 first up, and Namibia never looked like chasing it down, finishing on 144/5, still 45 runs short.
Babar Azam’s decision to bat first after winning the toss went against the tournament trend, with teams preferring to chase throughout the World Cup so far.
But Pakistan defied the norms to build a formidable target that set up their fourth straight win of the Super 12 stage.
Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 70 off 49 balls, with his opening partner and captain Azam continuing their brilliant partnership with a 70 off his own.
Mohammad Hafeez added polish to the innings with a sparkling 32 off just 16 late on, with Pakistan scoring an eye-watering 130 runs in the last ten overs.
And in reply Namibia played well against the formidable Pakistan attack, but never looked likely to score fast enough on a tricky surface to chase down 190.
Steady in the Powerplay
The tactic in the Powerplay was clear from Pakistan, who looked to see off dangerman Ruben Trumpelmann and bide their time before accelerating later in the innings.
Trumpelmann’s two overs first up went for just two runs, with Rizwan particularly conservative, scoring at a strike rate below 50 through the fielding restrictions, reaching just 29/0 after six overs.
Acceleration through the middle overs
But the Pakistani pair made hay after their steady start, pushing through the gears in the middle overs.
And the return of Trumpelmann in the 12th over was the perfect illustration of the change of mindset, with 18 coming off it and Azam reaching his 23rd T20I half-century off 40 balls.
The inspired Azam did eventually fall for 70, holing out to deep midwicket off David Wiese.
And Fakhar Zaman was dismissed in the next over, caught superbly by Zane Green off Jan Frylinck.
Stunning late hitting
Just when it looked like the Pakistan innings might be stalling, out came Hafeez to take advantage of the platform laid by the opening pair.
The veteran’s surgical stroke-play saw him find the boundary five times in his sparkling 32.
But it was Rizwan who finished the innings in style, hitting 24 off the final over as he carried his bat through the innings and finished with 79* off 50.
Shaheen Shah Afridi threatened with his high pace and swing first up for Pakistan.
But it was Ali who picked up the first scalp, shaping the ball back in through Michael van Lingen’s defences and crashing into middle stump.
Namibia struggled to up the run rate, but Baard and Williams did put together a decent recovery after the loss of Van Lingen, adding 46 for the second wicket before Baard was run out for a run-a-ball 29.
Skipper Gerhard Erasmus showed his power game with a quickfire 15 before falling to Imad Wasim in the 13th over, and Williams departed an over later for 40, miscuing to long-off.
And despite falling short of the target, Namibia had some late fun as David Wiese banged 43* off 31 to finish as his side's top-scorer.
Victory for Pakistan confirms their spot in the final four of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021.
hitthestump
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I'd understand if they were tired. It's been a pretty unforgiving schedule and Pakistan have given 100% on the field in those tough 3 games.
5 days off now is very welcome before hopefully being super sharp against Scotland in preparation for the semis.
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Highlights
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Babar Azam: It's really good, we're maintaining our winning momentum. We wanted to do things differently today, test our batting. Conditions were tough early on, they bowled well and we wanted to take the partnership deep. The way Hafeez batted and got into form, it was important for us as he is a key player. Hasan Ali was given the new ball as conditions were suitable. If you need to win tournaments, you need to be consistent across all departments. The fielding was a bit lax, there was dew, so that's an area to improve. Need to keep improving and irrespective of whom we face in the semifinal, we want to maintain the same intensity.
Mohammad Rizwan | Player of the Match: It was difficult to bat initially and conditions proved to be very tricky for both of us (Me and Babar). Even when we tried to play normal shots or big hits, it just didn't work out and then we decided to take it deep and attack at the end. But that said, I want to give the credit to the (Namibia) bowlers because they kept bowling in the same area at the start and bowled really well. Hafeez's innings gave us the momentum and he kept telling me to stay patient and in the last over I decided to go hard and got some useful runs. We are gelling well as a team and have ticked all the boxes and will see what lies ahead for us.
Mohammad Rizwan | Player of the Match: It was difficult to bat initially and conditions proved to be very tricky for both of us (Me and Babar). Even when we tried to play normal shots or big hits, it just didn't work out and then we decided to take it deep and attack at the end. But that said, I want to give the credit to the (Namibia) bowlers because they kept bowling in the same area at the start and bowled really well. Hafeez's innings gave us the momentum and he kept telling me to stay patient and in the last over I decided to go hard and got some useful runs. We are gelling well as a team and have ticked all the boxes and will see what lies ahead for us.
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Pakistan cruised to a 45-run victory over Namibia as opening pair Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan again starred with the bat to all but confirm their semi-final spot.
Babar, 70, and Rizwan, 79 not out, became the first pair to share five T20I century stands with their second of the tournament as they put on 113 for the first wicket.
Pakistan had started slowly but the Group 2 leaders smashed 130 from their last ten overs to register an imposing 189 for two.
Namibia were always up against it and despite 40s from David Wiese and No.3 Craig Williams, fell well short of their target as Pakistan maintained their perfect record with a fourth consecutive Super 12s victory at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021.
Babar chose to bat but runs were hard to come by early on as Ruben Trumpelmann opened up with a maiden to Rizwan.
Rizwan continued to struggle and JJ Smit thought he had him trapped lbw for two in the fifth over only for DRS to prove the ball had pitched just outside leg stump.
Babar was by far the more fluent of the pair scoring 21 of the 29 Pakistan added in the powerplay without loss.
For the eighth time in 19 T20I innings Babar and Rizwan brought up a 50 partnership, on this occasion from 55 balls, and at the halfway stage Pakistan were travelling nicely at virtually a run a ball with all ten wickets still in hand.
Trumpelmann returned to the attack in the 12th over, his previous two going for just two runs, and was greeted with a six by Rizwan before Babar brought up his third half-century of the tournament from 39 balls as Pakistan put their foot on the gas.
Some 30 runs had come from the last two overs and Rizwan finally looked to have found his groove, launching Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton for a meaty six down the ground before Babar brought up a magnificent 100 partnership in exactly 13 overs.
But Wiese finally ended Babar’s impressive knock in the 15th over when he holed out in the deep for 70 off 49 balls, curtailing an opening stand of 113.
And his replacement at the crease Fakhar Zaman soon joined him back in the hutch for five after a super one-handed grab from wicket-keeper Zane Green gave Jan Frylinck a deserved wicket.
However, that was as good as things got for the bowling side as Mohammad Hafeez, 32 off 16 balls, and Rizwan, 79 off 50, launched into some astonishing late hitting with a partnership of 67 from just 26 balls.
Rizwan had started slowly but brought up a 42-ball half-century with a six before brutally dismantling Smit in the final over, taking 24 from it to leave Namibia an unlikely 190 to win.
That task got even harder when Hasan Ali’s delivery dismantled Michael van Lingen’s stumps in the second over of the chase.
Stephen Baard picked up Haris Rauf for six over the legside as Namibia reached 34 for one off the powerplay, with the required run rate already over 11.
Despite diving for his ground, Baard was run out by a combination of Haris and Rizwan for a promising run-a-ball 29 after Williams slipped and sent him back, ending a partnership of 47.
Skipper Gerhard Erasmus raced to 14 off 6 as Namibia climbed to 70 for two after ten overs, still needing more than two runs a ball to pull off a remarkable victory.
Erasmus was given a life when Shaheen Shah Afridi spilled a steepling catch off Shadab Khan, so it fell to the aggrieved bowler to see the back of the Namibia captain for 15, taking a simple catch off Imad Wasim.
Williams’ valiant knock of 40 from 37 balls ended when he plinked one to long-off from Shadab’s final ball in the 14th over, with Namibia’s hopes fading fast with 97 off six overs still needed.
Smit soon followed before Wiese was rapped on the head by Haris but bravely continued to wield the willow in vain, making an unbeaten 43 off 30 balls as Namibia eventually finished well adrift on 144 for five.
Scores in brief
Pakistan beat Namibia at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi by 45 runs
Pakistan 189/2, in 20 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 79 not out, Babar Azam 70; David Wiese 1/30, Jan Frylinck 1/31)
Namibia 144/5 in 20 overs (David Wiese 43 not out, Craig Williams 40; Imad Wasim 1/13, Hasan Ali 1/22)
Player of the Match: Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
Babar, 70, and Rizwan, 79 not out, became the first pair to share five T20I century stands with their second of the tournament as they put on 113 for the first wicket.
Pakistan had started slowly but the Group 2 leaders smashed 130 from their last ten overs to register an imposing 189 for two.
Namibia were always up against it and despite 40s from David Wiese and No.3 Craig Williams, fell well short of their target as Pakistan maintained their perfect record with a fourth consecutive Super 12s victory at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021.
Babar chose to bat but runs were hard to come by early on as Ruben Trumpelmann opened up with a maiden to Rizwan.
Rizwan continued to struggle and JJ Smit thought he had him trapped lbw for two in the fifth over only for DRS to prove the ball had pitched just outside leg stump.
Babar was by far the more fluent of the pair scoring 21 of the 29 Pakistan added in the powerplay without loss.
For the eighth time in 19 T20I innings Babar and Rizwan brought up a 50 partnership, on this occasion from 55 balls, and at the halfway stage Pakistan were travelling nicely at virtually a run a ball with all ten wickets still in hand.
Trumpelmann returned to the attack in the 12th over, his previous two going for just two runs, and was greeted with a six by Rizwan before Babar brought up his third half-century of the tournament from 39 balls as Pakistan put their foot on the gas.
Some 30 runs had come from the last two overs and Rizwan finally looked to have found his groove, launching Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton for a meaty six down the ground before Babar brought up a magnificent 100 partnership in exactly 13 overs.
But Wiese finally ended Babar’s impressive knock in the 15th over when he holed out in the deep for 70 off 49 balls, curtailing an opening stand of 113.
And his replacement at the crease Fakhar Zaman soon joined him back in the hutch for five after a super one-handed grab from wicket-keeper Zane Green gave Jan Frylinck a deserved wicket.
However, that was as good as things got for the bowling side as Mohammad Hafeez, 32 off 16 balls, and Rizwan, 79 off 50, launched into some astonishing late hitting with a partnership of 67 from just 26 balls.
Rizwan had started slowly but brought up a 42-ball half-century with a six before brutally dismantling Smit in the final over, taking 24 from it to leave Namibia an unlikely 190 to win.
That task got even harder when Hasan Ali’s delivery dismantled Michael van Lingen’s stumps in the second over of the chase.
Stephen Baard picked up Haris Rauf for six over the legside as Namibia reached 34 for one off the powerplay, with the required run rate already over 11.
Despite diving for his ground, Baard was run out by a combination of Haris and Rizwan for a promising run-a-ball 29 after Williams slipped and sent him back, ending a partnership of 47.
Skipper Gerhard Erasmus raced to 14 off 6 as Namibia climbed to 70 for two after ten overs, still needing more than two runs a ball to pull off a remarkable victory.
Erasmus was given a life when Shaheen Shah Afridi spilled a steepling catch off Shadab Khan, so it fell to the aggrieved bowler to see the back of the Namibia captain for 15, taking a simple catch off Imad Wasim.
Williams’ valiant knock of 40 from 37 balls ended when he plinked one to long-off from Shadab’s final ball in the 14th over, with Namibia’s hopes fading fast with 97 off six overs still needed.
Smit soon followed before Wiese was rapped on the head by Haris but bravely continued to wield the willow in vain, making an unbeaten 43 off 30 balls as Namibia eventually finished well adrift on 144 for five.
Scores in brief
Pakistan beat Namibia at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi by 45 runs
Pakistan 189/2, in 20 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 79 not out, Babar Azam 70; David Wiese 1/30, Jan Frylinck 1/31)
Namibia 144/5 in 20 overs (David Wiese 43 not out, Craig Williams 40; Imad Wasim 1/13, Hasan Ali 1/22)
Player of the Match: Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
Adnan_Ilyas
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Hafeez played brilliantly today
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2 November - Abu Dhabi - Namibia coach Pierre de Bruyn post-match press conference
You have two games ahead on November 5 and November 8 versus New Zealand and India. Of course, these two are big teams and they're looking forward for your games. Either they will win it on a good margin or bad margin. It depends on Namibia. How can they defeat them or their loss to their teams? So according to you, you will give them tough time or their run record will increase. So you will give them a tough time or the same contest will repeat, I mean like today?
PIERRE DE BRUYN: Yes, we are going in to win cricket games, first of all. But we also know that it's two great cricket teams that we're facing, and they've got their own agenda in how they need to win cricket games and not lose a cricket game, especially not against Namibia.
We are focusing on ourselves. We're learning so much with this experience. We've learned so much tonight. I thought it was a very good -- well, it was an excellent performance by the Namibian team with bat and ball. We know what's coming. India and New Zealand, and they've got -- they need to win properly to make their final stages.
This is your first T20 mega event. What are the takeaways for Namibia in this big event?
PIERRE DE BRUYN: It's enormous. I've said it many times in the media what it means for people back home in Namibia itself for young kids. I read something yesterday in the news that Pakistan has got almost 3,000 clubs. Namibia has got five.
And it's, for us, it's just such a nice story. And I felt that the guys and every Namibian supporter can be proud of that team and how they performed tonight against an absolute world-class team.
The lessons we've learned we'll take with us. We played 40 overs of cricket. And there were stages where we tested them. They were, after 10 overs, they had 59 runs on the board.
And we will take everything with us. It's got us experience and information that we need to grow as a team. So we are very pleased with that performance.
The last two matches have been very tough for you. How will you evaluate your overall performance in the World Cup?
PIERRE DE BRUYN: Well, I think it's been an amazing performance. That's just my opinion. We want to win cricket games. And sometimes you've got to be realistic. I thought against Afghanistan we were a little bit soft in certain areas the way we lost our wickets.
We did a decent job with the ball restricting them to 160. But we beat Scotland. We had to beat Ireland and Netherlands to get to this stage. So in terms of how successful this tournament has been for us, it's been excellent. We're very pleased with that.
Namibia played well in the World Cup. What do you think are the chances if you played in the T20 leagues, like Pakistan Super League, then this is a good chance for the players of Namibian cricket?
PIERRE DE BRUYN: If you want to announce yourself as a cricket player, this is the stage -- use the stage to show that you can be picked up in some of the leagues. You can imagine how many viewers watched this game tonight and how many viewers are very impressed with the Namibian performances, especially individual players.
I know the players, they will think about it. They're human. And as I said this platform here is the best platform to show what you're about.
It could be one over that will impress someone. It could be one 6 or one great catch or one good innings. And so I really hope that some of these players will get a chance out there. I know they're good enough to do a job in these leagues and I really hope so. Let's see what happens going forward.
How was the experience of Namibian batting against the bowling attack of Pakistan? Like, who bowls around 90 miles per hour on a regular basis? I'm talking about Shaheen, Rauf and Hasan Ali.
PIERRE DE BRUYN: That's something that -- it was just amazing for the batters to actually experience that. Because when we qualified for this second round, the Super 12, it was on the lips of every batter on this team; they knew it was coming. And it was ball speed.
They saw it tonight. And they can take so much confidence after this batting performance, getting 144, whatever it was against that world-class bowling attack.
We needed that. And sometimes as a cricket player you just need to experience it yourself to believe that you can do it and that you're capable of facing that. I'm very proud of them.
You look at that bowling attack, it's an outstanding world-class bowling attack. And the Namibian batters, they stood up, chest up and they were up for the battle.
What have experienced players like Albie Morkel and David Wiese have brought to the table? And what kind of inputs have they been giving to the rest of the team?
PIERRE DE BRUYN: Albie has been with me as an assistant coach for three years now. And what he brings in terms of expertise as a player that used to hit big 6s, finish big games -- he played eight years in the IPL, he played for South Africa -- so what he brings in batting discussions is so valuable.
David Wiese, it speaks for itself. David's got the opportunity to talk about it but also to go and implement it and show how it's done, like he did tonight. He never panicked.
And again he showed our batters that the deeper you take it the better chance you have. Both of those guys they're world-class all-arounders. And I'm fortunate as a head coach to have that knowledge around me.
You have two games ahead on November 5 and November 8 versus New Zealand and India. Of course, these two are big teams and they're looking forward for your games. Either they will win it on a good margin or bad margin. It depends on Namibia. How can they defeat them or their loss to their teams? So according to you, you will give them tough time or their run record will increase. So you will give them a tough time or the same contest will repeat, I mean like today?
PIERRE DE BRUYN: Yes, we are going in to win cricket games, first of all. But we also know that it's two great cricket teams that we're facing, and they've got their own agenda in how they need to win cricket games and not lose a cricket game, especially not against Namibia.
We are focusing on ourselves. We're learning so much with this experience. We've learned so much tonight. I thought it was a very good -- well, it was an excellent performance by the Namibian team with bat and ball. We know what's coming. India and New Zealand, and they've got -- they need to win properly to make their final stages.
This is your first T20 mega event. What are the takeaways for Namibia in this big event?
PIERRE DE BRUYN: It's enormous. I've said it many times in the media what it means for people back home in Namibia itself for young kids. I read something yesterday in the news that Pakistan has got almost 3,000 clubs. Namibia has got five.
And it's, for us, it's just such a nice story. And I felt that the guys and every Namibian supporter can be proud of that team and how they performed tonight against an absolute world-class team.
The lessons we've learned we'll take with us. We played 40 overs of cricket. And there were stages where we tested them. They were, after 10 overs, they had 59 runs on the board.
And we will take everything with us. It's got us experience and information that we need to grow as a team. So we are very pleased with that performance.
The last two matches have been very tough for you. How will you evaluate your overall performance in the World Cup?
PIERRE DE BRUYN: Well, I think it's been an amazing performance. That's just my opinion. We want to win cricket games. And sometimes you've got to be realistic. I thought against Afghanistan we were a little bit soft in certain areas the way we lost our wickets.
We did a decent job with the ball restricting them to 160. But we beat Scotland. We had to beat Ireland and Netherlands to get to this stage. So in terms of how successful this tournament has been for us, it's been excellent. We're very pleased with that.
Namibia played well in the World Cup. What do you think are the chances if you played in the T20 leagues, like Pakistan Super League, then this is a good chance for the players of Namibian cricket?
PIERRE DE BRUYN: If you want to announce yourself as a cricket player, this is the stage -- use the stage to show that you can be picked up in some of the leagues. You can imagine how many viewers watched this game tonight and how many viewers are very impressed with the Namibian performances, especially individual players.
I know the players, they will think about it. They're human. And as I said this platform here is the best platform to show what you're about.
It could be one over that will impress someone. It could be one 6 or one great catch or one good innings. And so I really hope that some of these players will get a chance out there. I know they're good enough to do a job in these leagues and I really hope so. Let's see what happens going forward.
How was the experience of Namibian batting against the bowling attack of Pakistan? Like, who bowls around 90 miles per hour on a regular basis? I'm talking about Shaheen, Rauf and Hasan Ali.
PIERRE DE BRUYN: That's something that -- it was just amazing for the batters to actually experience that. Because when we qualified for this second round, the Super 12, it was on the lips of every batter on this team; they knew it was coming. And it was ball speed.
They saw it tonight. And they can take so much confidence after this batting performance, getting 144, whatever it was against that world-class bowling attack.
We needed that. And sometimes as a cricket player you just need to experience it yourself to believe that you can do it and that you're capable of facing that. I'm very proud of them.
You look at that bowling attack, it's an outstanding world-class bowling attack. And the Namibian batters, they stood up, chest up and they were up for the battle.
What have experienced players like Albie Morkel and David Wiese have brought to the table? And what kind of inputs have they been giving to the rest of the team?
PIERRE DE BRUYN: Albie has been with me as an assistant coach for three years now. And what he brings in terms of expertise as a player that used to hit big 6s, finish big games -- he played eight years in the IPL, he played for South Africa -- so what he brings in batting discussions is so valuable.
David Wiese, it speaks for itself. David's got the opportunity to talk about it but also to go and implement it and show how it's done, like he did tonight. He never panicked.
And again he showed our batters that the deeper you take it the better chance you have. Both of those guys they're world-class all-arounders. And I'm fortunate as a head coach to have that knowledge around me.
Babeikh
Tape Ball Captain
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With all due respect to Namibia (who seem like a decent bunch!) this was basically a warm up match for the semi final and the Scotland game will be no different.
Saj already stated we seemed to be in second gear and I agree. We were basically going through the motions in the field. There was no intensity or real energy or desire. It is understandable given the context of this match. I think if we really needed to we could have stepped up a gear or even 2 gears but we never needed to.
But clearly dew is an issue and this is why it was so important to bat first today just to get a feel of what it is like. If we bat first in the SF or (if we get there!) the final, we are going to need to score 170.
Saj already stated we seemed to be in second gear and I agree. We were basically going through the motions in the field. There was no intensity or real energy or desire. It is understandable given the context of this match. I think if we really needed to we could have stepped up a gear or even 2 gears but we never needed to.
But clearly dew is an issue and this is why it was so important to bat first today just to get a feel of what it is like. If we bat first in the SF or (if we get there!) the final, we are going to need to score 170.
Sirris
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As a follower of pak cricket with a lot kf ptsd i feel like we need to lose against Scotland in typical Pakistani style so that we get it out of the way.
I can’t see us winning a tournament without loosing any match or a debacle.
Never happened before, though there is always a first time for all things.
I can’t see us winning a tournament without loosing any match or a debacle.
Never happened before, though there is always a first time for all things.
shah9425
Local Club Regular
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2021
- Runs
- 1,423
If Pakistan finish 1st in Group they will 2nd semi final on 11th in Dubai against 2nd ranked team in other group
SpiritOf1903
ODI Debutant
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2009
- Runs
- 9,834
This.. give the Saltires and Sharif some joy
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,977
Few could have predicted quite how successful Mohammad Rizwan would become at the top of the order for Pakistan.
The 29-year-old wicket-keeper only regained the gloves from Sarfaraz Ahmed in 2019 but has certainly not wasted the chance to establish himself as his country’s No.1 behind the stumps.
Having made his international debut in the shortest form back in 2015, Rizwan was overlooked for the ICC Men’s World Cup in 2016 in favour of Sarfaraz, a decision that put his international T20 career firmly on the backburner.
It took him the best part of three years to work his way back into the fray but by the end of 2020, Rizwan was showing signs of some world class form.
With a top score of just 33 not out from his first 25 T20 internationals, a swashbuckling 86 against New Zealand in Napier in December 2020 signalled a change in the Pakistani batter’s short-form career.
Since then, he has only gone from strength to strength and has had a frankly peerless 2021.
The latest in a long line of imperious innings came against Namibia as an unbeaten 79 from 50 balls earned him the Player of the Match award in a 45-run triumph that all but secured Pakistan’s place in the World Cup semi-finals.
Rizwan’s form in this calendar year is scarcely believable, obliterating the previous record of 748 T20 international runs held by Paul Stirling.
Rizwan has made 951 runs in 18 innings this year, registering nine half-centuries and one ton and has an eye-watering average of 95.1 and a strike rate of nigh on 140, and he’s not done yet.
And it is not solely the international arena where he has excelled, Rizwan has notched 1,651 runs in all T20 games this year and is now just four runs short of Chris Gayle’s record for most T20 runs scored in a calendar year set in 2015.
Today’s innings, where he shared a 113 partnership with captain Babar Azam, took him past both Babar and India skipper Virat Kohli’s best 12-month efforts in the shortest form of the game.
The records do not stop there, Rizwan’s career average of 52.66 is now higher than all the other 73 batters who have scored more than 1,000 T20I runs, superseding Kohli’s 52.01 average.
Having just listed all those impressive statistics, it seems odd to highlight how Rizwan’s knock against Namibia was far from fluent to begin with.
Having faced out a maiden from Ruben Trumpelmann’s opening over, Rizwan stuttered to 14 off 23 balls before finding any real rhythm.
However, as Jos Buttler showed so brilliantly with the first hundred of this year's ICC Men’s T20 World Cup against Bangladesh, patience is a virtue at the top of a T20 innings, especially when you have the power to accelerate like both aforementioned wicket-keepers do.
And sure enough, Rizwan found his touch adding 65 in 27 balls to put Namibia to the sword at the back end of the innings and leave Pakistan out of sight and within touching distance of official confirmation of their place in the last four with a 45-run victory.
Speaking after the game, Rizwan revealed his plan was to take it deep - which certainly paid off - and that he thinks Pakistan have a fighting chance of doing the same in the tournament.
You feel the latter may be something of an understatement given the Men in Green, with Rizwan firing first up, have looked virtually unstoppable so far in the UAE with many quick to declare them favourites to lift the trophy on November 14
The 29-year-old wicket-keeper only regained the gloves from Sarfaraz Ahmed in 2019 but has certainly not wasted the chance to establish himself as his country’s No.1 behind the stumps.
Having made his international debut in the shortest form back in 2015, Rizwan was overlooked for the ICC Men’s World Cup in 2016 in favour of Sarfaraz, a decision that put his international T20 career firmly on the backburner.
It took him the best part of three years to work his way back into the fray but by the end of 2020, Rizwan was showing signs of some world class form.
With a top score of just 33 not out from his first 25 T20 internationals, a swashbuckling 86 against New Zealand in Napier in December 2020 signalled a change in the Pakistani batter’s short-form career.
Since then, he has only gone from strength to strength and has had a frankly peerless 2021.
The latest in a long line of imperious innings came against Namibia as an unbeaten 79 from 50 balls earned him the Player of the Match award in a 45-run triumph that all but secured Pakistan’s place in the World Cup semi-finals.
Rizwan’s form in this calendar year is scarcely believable, obliterating the previous record of 748 T20 international runs held by Paul Stirling.
Rizwan has made 951 runs in 18 innings this year, registering nine half-centuries and one ton and has an eye-watering average of 95.1 and a strike rate of nigh on 140, and he’s not done yet.
And it is not solely the international arena where he has excelled, Rizwan has notched 1,651 runs in all T20 games this year and is now just four runs short of Chris Gayle’s record for most T20 runs scored in a calendar year set in 2015.
Today’s innings, where he shared a 113 partnership with captain Babar Azam, took him past both Babar and India skipper Virat Kohli’s best 12-month efforts in the shortest form of the game.
The records do not stop there, Rizwan’s career average of 52.66 is now higher than all the other 73 batters who have scored more than 1,000 T20I runs, superseding Kohli’s 52.01 average.
Having just listed all those impressive statistics, it seems odd to highlight how Rizwan’s knock against Namibia was far from fluent to begin with.
Having faced out a maiden from Ruben Trumpelmann’s opening over, Rizwan stuttered to 14 off 23 balls before finding any real rhythm.
However, as Jos Buttler showed so brilliantly with the first hundred of this year's ICC Men’s T20 World Cup against Bangladesh, patience is a virtue at the top of a T20 innings, especially when you have the power to accelerate like both aforementioned wicket-keepers do.
And sure enough, Rizwan found his touch adding 65 in 27 balls to put Namibia to the sword at the back end of the innings and leave Pakistan out of sight and within touching distance of official confirmation of their place in the last four with a 45-run victory.
Speaking after the game, Rizwan revealed his plan was to take it deep - which certainly paid off - and that he thinks Pakistan have a fighting chance of doing the same in the tournament.
You feel the latter may be something of an understatement given the Men in Green, with Rizwan firing first up, have looked virtually unstoppable so far in the UAE with many quick to declare them favourites to lift the trophy on November 14
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,977
Rizwan was deservedly declared man of the match for his 50-ball 79 not out as he put on 113 with skipper Babar Azam (70) to take Pakistan to an imposing 189-2 in their 20 overs.
Namibia managed 144-5 in their 20 overs to lose by 45 runs in Abu Dhabi.
With four wins in as many Super 12 games, Pakistan became the first team to reach the last four from Group 2.
Pakistan will face the runners-up of Group 1, likely to be Australia or South Africa.
But Rizwan said his high-flying team don't see who they are opponents are.
“We don't see the rival team,” said Rizwan.
“Whoever comes in the semi-finals we can take them on and the way our team is doing we will win that as well.”
This becomes Rizwan's second man-of-the-match award after he knocked 79 not out against arch-rivals India in their opening game.
Rizwan said Pakistan had entered the Namibia match with a different plan, batting first after winning the toss.
“We want to see how we do if we bat first and the plan given to us by coaches was to score 190 plus and thankfully we managed that,” said Rizwan.
Pakistan were off to a slow start, scoring just 59 runs in the first ten overs before smashing 130 in the next ten.
“I think Namibian bowlers bowled the first six overs very well and that is why we did not get quick runs but later on Babar and I got acceleration and that helped,” said Rizwan.
He and Babar also put on an unbroken 152-run stand to overhauled India's below-par total.
“People used to say that we are not power hitters but we are managing and thanks [to] Almighty [God] doing well,” said Rizwan of the opening stands with Babar.
“We support each other and that is paying good rewards.”
Pakistan next face Scotland in their final group game, in Sharjah on Sunday.
DAWN
Namibia managed 144-5 in their 20 overs to lose by 45 runs in Abu Dhabi.
With four wins in as many Super 12 games, Pakistan became the first team to reach the last four from Group 2.
Pakistan will face the runners-up of Group 1, likely to be Australia or South Africa.
But Rizwan said his high-flying team don't see who they are opponents are.
“We don't see the rival team,” said Rizwan.
“Whoever comes in the semi-finals we can take them on and the way our team is doing we will win that as well.”
This becomes Rizwan's second man-of-the-match award after he knocked 79 not out against arch-rivals India in their opening game.
Rizwan said Pakistan had entered the Namibia match with a different plan, batting first after winning the toss.
“We want to see how we do if we bat first and the plan given to us by coaches was to score 190 plus and thankfully we managed that,” said Rizwan.
Pakistan were off to a slow start, scoring just 59 runs in the first ten overs before smashing 130 in the next ten.
“I think Namibian bowlers bowled the first six overs very well and that is why we did not get quick runs but later on Babar and I got acceleration and that helped,” said Rizwan.
He and Babar also put on an unbroken 152-run stand to overhauled India's below-par total.
“People used to say that we are not power hitters but we are managing and thanks [to] Almighty [God] doing well,” said Rizwan of the opening stands with Babar.
“We support each other and that is paying good rewards.”
Pakistan next face Scotland in their final group game, in Sharjah on Sunday.
DAWN
Usman Chadda
Senior T20I Player
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2005
- Runs
- 18,940
The way Namibia batted, any team would have taken it easy and just treated this game as practice. Not good habits, but it’s natural after three absolute pressure games against the top teams of this group. Unfortunately once we made 189, it was a given that we did not require the same intensity.
Pleased with Hasan and Hafeez coming back to some sort of form though.
Pleased with Hasan and Hafeez coming back to some sort of form though.
