The rejuvenated Pakistan, who were on the cusp of an early ouster from the tournament, launched defied all odds to style their way into the T20 World Cup 2022 after bulldozing New Zealand by seven wickets in the first semifinals on Wednesday (November 9).
After going through a string of poor scores, skipper Babar Azam and his deputy Mohammad Rizwan finally clicked at the right time to steer Pakistan to the all-important summit clash. They will face either their arch-rivals India or England on November 13.
Let's have a look at Pakistan's topsy-turvy journey and their stunning comeback enroute to the T20 World Cup 2022 final after 13 years.
From the jaws of elimination to becoming the front-runners of winning the coveted T20 World Cup 2022's trophy, Pakistan have come a long way.
After the shocking defeat to India and a massive upset against Zimbabwe, Pakistan were all but out of the tournament as their semifinal hopes dangled by a thread.
But Pakistan managed to resurrect themselves after an exciting twist of fate, which saw them fighting with all their might, coupled by some favourable results, they have booked their T20 World Cup 2022's final berth.
Here is how the fortunes changed for them. Pakistan didn't have the best of starts to their T20 World Cup campaign and lost to England in their warm-up fixture while the other one was washed out. When the Super 12 Stage got underway, Pakistan were expected to perform better but in their first match, lost to India by four wickets. Chasing a target of 160 runs, India reached 160 for six in 20 overs, with Virat Kohli clobbering an unbeaten knock of 82 runs off 53 balls. Meanwhile, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Nawaz bagged two wickets each. Initially, Shan Masood's unbeaten 52 off 42 balls helped Pakistan post 159 for eight in 20 overs.
Pakistan's campaign took a turn for the worse as they lost to Zimbabwe in their next fixture. An all-round display by Sikandar Raza helped Zimbabwe win by one run, with Pakistan failing to chase a modest target of 131 successfully. After losing to Zimbabwe, it was almost curtains and it looked like Pakistan would face an early exit from the tournament. But then the proverbial fat lady sang and luck changed dramatically.
The in-form India lost to South Africa which gave them hope. Pakistan were up against a plethora of permutations and combinations but they had to take one thing at a time. Their first obstacle was to defeat Netherlands which they achieved comfortably. Chasing a target of 92 runs, Pakistan reached 95 for four in 13.5 overs, with Mohammad Rizwan top-scoring with a knock of 49 runs off 39 balls. Meanwhile, Shadab Khan was in good form and took three wickets to initially restrict the Dutch to 91 for nine in 20 overs. After avoiding another upset, Pakistan then proceeded towards a red-hot South Africa, who were inching closer to the semis.
After seeing off the Dutch comfortably, avoiding another upset, Pakistan found themselves pitted against South Africa, which they won after Proteas committed hara-kiri. Pakistan beat South Africa by 33 runs (DLS method) to come back into semifinal contention. A two-wicket haul by Shadab Khan helped Pakistan restrict South Africa to 108 for nine in 14 runs, during their chase of 142 (DLS target). Initially, Pakistan posted 185 for nine in 20 overs, with Shadab also showcasing his brilliance with the bat. He clattered 52 runs off 22 balls, also slamming three fours and four maximums. From 0 points from 2 matches, Pakistan were now 4 of 4.
The win against South Africa threw Group 2 wide open and Pakistan climbed to third spot in the standings. Ahead of Sunday, Pakistan required India or South Africa to avoid winning their respective matches, and also needed to defeat Bangladesh. In a stunning outcome, the Proteas endured a stunning defeat to the Netherlands, losing by 13 runs and getting knocked out. Pakistan woke up to one of the biggest upsets in world cricket, which now meant that their match against Bangladesh was now a virtual quarterfinal. The Babar-led side won the match with ease, defeating Bangladesh by 5 wickets.
Now, Pakistan have their sights set on the elusive trophy for the second time as they are just one step away from tasting the ultimate glory.
Pakistan's squad for T20 World Cup 2022: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood. Standby Players: Usman Qadir, Mohammad Haris, Shahnawaz Dahani.
