T20 WC, PAK vs NAM Highlights: Pakistan wins, seals semifinal berth
Babar and Rizwan became the first opening pair to post five century-plus partnerships, bettering the Indian duo Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan's tally of four
 "Pakistan's Babar Azam (Photo: Reuters)")
Pakistan's Babar Azam (Photo: Reuters)
Pakistan beat Namibia by 45 runs to enter the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi today.
Opener Mohammad Rizwan continued his scintillating form with a blistering 79 as a thoroughly professional Pakistan stormed into the semifinals of the T20 World Cup with a 45-run thrashing of Namibia here on Tuesday.
From scoring only 12 runs in his first 21 balls, the wicketkeeper-batter smashed 67 in the next 29 deliveries, as Pakistan pummelled 130 runs in the back-10 to set a daunting target of 190 for the tournament debutants.
Rizwan's 50-ball knock contained four sixes and eight fours, while his skipper Babar Azam soaked up the early pressure with a classy 70 from 49 deliveries in a record-breaking 113-run opening stand.
With the knock, Rizwan (1661) surpassed Indian skipper Virat Kohli (1614) and remained just five shy of Chris Gayle (1665) to become the batter with most T20 runs in a calendar year.
Babar and Rizwan became the first opening pair to post five century-plus partnerships, bettering the Indian duo Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan's tally of four.
The pair also became the first to aggregate 1000-plus T20I runs -- 1041 -- in a calendar year as Pakistan seized control of the game.
Mohammad Hafeez also returned to form with a sensational cameo of 32 not out from 16 balls (5x4), something that allowed Rizwan the much-needed breather in the middle.
Such was the impact of Rizwan and Hafeez in the back-end that Pakistan scored 71 runs from the last five overs.
In reply, Namibia were restricted to 144 for five with David Wiese making 43 from 31-balls and Craig Williams scoring 40.
Heading into the game, Hasan Ali's bowling form was the weakest link in Pakistan's otherwise flawless show in this World Cup, but the pacer seemed to have got his rhythm back, returning impressive figures of 1/22 in four overs.
Ali was given the new ball and he impressed early, cleaning up Michael van Lingen to give Pakistan a perfect start.
Namibia needed 120 with eight wickets in hand at the halfway mark but Pakistan looked in complete control.
Namibia's superstar all-rounder Wiese kept producing his big hits but he lacked support at the other end in the daunting chase.
Earlier, Namibia took the honours in the first 10 overs, giving away just 59 runs at the halfway mark.
It was an uncharacteristically slow start for the Pakistani duo, who were also batting first for the first time in four games, with the Namibian bowlers hardly giving them any room.
Trumpelmann led the attack superbly, returning with figures of 2-1-2-0 in his first spell, as Pakistan made just six runs in the first three overs.
Rizwan struggled to get going and saw an LBW decision overturned while he was on two from 11 balls.
The wicketkeeper was further tested after being hit by a Ben Shikongo short-pitched delivery but he managed to hold on, even as his skipper went after the bowling.
Babar took the early initiative and complemented well en route to his third half-century from four matches.
Rizwan broke free against Namibia's best bowler, Trumpelmann, stepping out to hit him over long-on.
It also meant that left-arm medium pacer Trumpelmann, who just conceded two runs and bowled a maiden in his first two overs, went for 34 in his last two with Rizwan-Hafeez going for the kill.
Pakistan also got some help with the dew settling in towards the back-end of the innings as the Namibians struggled to check the run flow, even as Babar and Co's strategy to keep wickets in hand paid dividends.
Brief Scores:
Pakistan 189/2 in 20 overs (Md Rizwan 79 not out, Babar Azam 70, Md Hafeez 32 not out).
Namibia 144/5 in 20 overs (Craig Williams 40, David Wiese 43 not out, Imad Wasim 1/13).
PAK vs NAM scoreboard:
Squads:
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Haider Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Nawaz, Sarfaraz Ahmed
Namibia: Craig Williams, Michael van Lingen, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (c), Zane Green, David Wiese, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Pikky Ya France, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Stephan Baard, Michau du Preez, Karl Birkenstock, Ben Shikongo
11:12 PM
Pakistan wins it!
Pakistan wins by 45 runs, sealms semifinal berth!
11:10 PM
T20 WC, PAK vs NAM Live Score after 20 overs | Namibia 144-5
Shaheen Afridi [3-0-20-0] is back into the attack
Over Summary: 1 2 6 N4 0 2 0
Ball 6: No run!
Ball 5: Wiese gets two off it to deep mid-wicket
Ball 4: No run off it
Ball 4: FOUR! Pulled away to backward square leg for a boundary! It's a NO BALL!
Ball 3: SIX! Wiese slogs it over mid-wicket!
Ball 2: Wiese gets two to long-off
Ball 1: Shaheen to Loftie-Eaton, single to backward point
11:03 PM
T20 WC, PAK vs NAM Live Score after 19 overs | Namibia 128-5
Hasan Ali [3-0-17-1] is back into the attack
Over Summary: 6 0 2 L1 2 1
Ball 6: Single
Ball 5: Two off it
Ball 4: Rauf to Wiese, leg byes, 1 run
Ball 3: Wiese pulls it to mid-wicket for two
Ball 2: No run
Ball 1: Rauf to Wiese, SIX, Slammed straigt down the ground!
10:57 PM
T20 WC, PAK vs NAM Live Score after 18 overs | Namibia 116-5
Hasan Ali [3-0-17-1] is back into the attack
Over Summary: 1 0 1 1 2 0
Ball 6: No run
Ball 5: Eaton gets two off it
Ball 4: Single
Ball 3: Single
Ball 2: No run
Ball 1: Hasan to Wiese, single
10:51 PM
T20 WC, PAK vs NAM Live Score after 17 overs | Namibia 111-5
Haris Rauf [2-0-11-0] is back into the attack
Over Summary: 0 2 1 0 W L1
Ball 6: Rauf to Wiese, leg byes, 1 run
Ball 5: OUT! Smit looks to hit big but fails to clear the distance! Fakhar takes a simple catch!
Ball 4: No run
Ball 3: Cracking shot but just one off it
Ball 2: Two off it to bakward point
Ball 1: Rauf to Wiese, no run
10:45 PM
T20 WC, PAK vs NAM Live Score after 16 overs | Namibia 107-4
Shaheen Afridi [2-0-14-0] is back into the attack
Over Summary: 1 0 4 0 1 0
Ball 6: No run
Ball 5: Single
Ball 4: No run
Ball 3: FOUR! Full toss, picked well by Wiese and hit to long-off
Ball 2: No run
Ball 1: Shaheen Afridi to Smit, single
10:41 PM
T20 WC, PAK vs NAM Live Score after 15 overs | Namibia 101-4
Hasan Ali [2-0-9-1] is back into the attack
Over Summary: 0 0 2 4 1 1
Ball 6: Single
Ball 5: Single for Wiese
Ball 4: FOUR!
Ball 3: Wiese picks two off it
Ball 2: No run
Ball 1: Hasan to Wiese, no run
10:36 PM
T20 WC, PAK vs NAM Live Score after 14 overs | Namibia 93-4
Over Summary: 2 0 1 2 4 W
Ball 6: OUT! Williams hits it to long-off and gets caught
Craig Williams c Hasan Ali b Shadab Khan 40(37)
Ball 5: FOUR! Cut away to backward point for a boundary by Williams
Ball 4: Two runs to fine-leg
Ball 3: Single
Ball 2: No run
Ball 1: Shadab Khan to Wiese, 2 runs
10:31 PM
T20 WC, PAK vs NAM Live Score after 13 overs | Namibia 84-3
Over Summary: 4 1 W 0 0 1
Ball 6: Single
Ball 5: No run
Ball 4: Imad to Wiese, no run
Ball 3: OUT! Erasmus ends up giving catch to Shadab at covers!
Ball 2: Single off it
Ball 1: Imad to Williams, FOUR! Straight down the ground!
10:26 PM
T20 WC, PAK vs NAM Live Score after 12 overs | Namibia 78-2
Over Summary: 1 0 0 1 4 1
Ball 6: Single
Ball 5: FOUR! Williams slams it to long-off
Ball 4: DROPPED! Erasmus slogs it, Shaheen gets underneath it, but he drops it.
Ball 3: No run
Ball 2: No run
Ball 1: Shadab to Williams, single
10:21 PM
T20 WC, PAK vs NAM Live Score after 11 overs | Namibia 71-2
Haris Rauf [1.0-0-10-0] is back into the attack
Over Summary: 0 0 0 0 0 1
Ball 6: Single
Ball 5: No run
Ball 4: No run
Ball 3: No run
Ball 2: No run
Ball 1: Rauf to Williams, no run
10:19 PM
T20 WC, PAK vs NAM Live Score after 10 overs | Namibia 70-2
Over Summary: 1 1 2 0 6 4
Ball 6: FOUR!
Ball 5: SIX!
Ball 4: No run
Ball 3: Erasmus picks two to long-off
Ball 2: Williams picks one
Ball 1: Shadab to Erasmus, single
10:10 PM
T20 WC, PAK vs NAM Live Score after 9 overs | Namibia 56-2
Mohammad Hafeez, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
Over Summary: 3 6 0 W1 1 0
Ball 6: No run
Ball 5: Hafeez to Erasmus, single
Ball 4: OUT! Baard is runout!
Baard run out (Haris Rauf/Rizwan) 29(29)
Ball 3: No run
Ball 2: Williams slams a SIX!
Ball 1: Hafeez to Baard, 3 runs
10:07 PM
T20 WC, PAK vs NAM Live Score after 8 overs | Namibia 45-1
Shadab Khan, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack
Over Summary: 1 1 0 1 1 1
Ball 6: Single
Ball 5: Single
Ball 4: Single
Ball 3: No run
Ball 2: Williams picks one
Ball 1: Shadab Khan to Baard, 1 run
10:06 PM
T20 WC, PAK vs NAM Live Score after 7 overs | Namibia 40-1
Imad Wasim, Left arm orthodox, comes into the attack
Over Summary: 0 0 0 1 1 4
Ball 6: FOUR!
Ball 5: Single
Ball 4: Single
Ball 3: No run
Ball 2: No run
Ball 1: Imad Wasim to Craig Williams, no run
Don't miss the most important news and views of the day. Get them on our Telegram channel
First Published: Nov 02 2021 | 6:08 PM IST
