Pakistan appeared destined to reach its third T20 World Cup final, with a flawless record in the group stages – five victories out of five. It lost in the final of the first edition of the event to India in 2007 but won the second edition in 2009.
Pakistan reached a good score on Thursday thanks to Fakhar Zaman’s late hitting and Mohammad Rizwan’s controlled innings. After losing skipper Aaron Finch without scoring in the first over, Australia faltered at frequent intervals in response.
Pakistan only needed 68 runs from the final six overs to qualify for the final.
The green-clad supporters planned to arrive at the stadium for Sunday’s final, while the outnumbered Australian supporters planned to leave early.
However, a late attack spearheaded by wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade, which included three sixes off Shaheen Afridi, crushed Pakistan’s aspirations and advanced Australia to the final, where it will play New Zealand on Sunday in Dubai.
The vociferous crowd, which included only a few Australian supporters, was astonished after watching Pakistan dominate for the most portion of the evening. Some departed the stadium early after Wade’s blitz of sixes in the penultimate over of the contest, while those still in the grandstand were left wondering what had just happened.
Pakistan has not lost a T20 match in the United Arab Emirates since November 2015, and Australia picked the perfect time to break that record. Even though Pakistan lost to Australia, all the people of Pakistan are still proud of their green lads for giving everyone the immense happiness of winning from New Zealand, Afghanistan, and India.
Prime Minister Imran Khan posted on Twitter and said, “To Babar Azam & the team: I know exactly how all of you are feeling right now bec I have faced similar disappointments on the cricket field. But you shd all be proud of the quality of cricket you played & the humility you showed in your wins. Congratulations Team Australia.”
Shoaib Akhtar wrote, “These boys are our pride and we should always support them.”
Furthermore, he also posted a picture of Rizwan who was admitted to the hospital for two days prior to the match between Pakistan and Australia.
All Pakistan has come together in the support of the green lads because everyone has put their blind faith in them as there is always the next time. Additionally, there is no doubt that the green lads played with full zeal and strength.
Babar Azam posted on Twitter and wrote, “Keep the head high, team. You were impressive and played like true champions. We will definitely learn from this experience and come back stronger, In sha Allah. Extremely proud of my pack.”
Shadab Khan also posted on Twitter.
