AUS beat PAK: Australian wicketkeeper Matthew Wade expressed his happiness after his side thrashed Pakistan in the second semi-final game of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade played unbeaten knocks of 40 and 41 respectively as Australia defeated Pakistan by five wickets to enter the final of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
AUS beat PAK: After 3 consecutive SIXES, Mathew Wade very happy to guide Australia into T20 World Cup Final- Watch video
“I was talking to Stoinis at the other end and tried to work out what they’re doing. I got a little more pace on than expected, I probably could have used it a little bit earlier, but yeah.. glad to get a couple at the end. There wasn’t a lot of chat before I went in as we lost quick wickets. But when I got out there, me and Marcus had batted together in the first game and got some momentum today as well. I was a bit unsure but Marcus showed me the way out,” said Matthew Wade in a post-match presentation.
“There was one short side and I was confident that if I had to target that then I could pull it off, but it got down to two-a-ball and you had to hit everything in your arc. I got a boundary away early on and then stalled for 5-6 balls, but Marcus got the boundary away and got us to a total where I was confident in the last two overs. It hasn’t sunk in but probably when I sit down tonight it might sink in. I was out of the two teams for 2-3 years, just came back 20 games ago and am happy to have repaid the faith,” he added.
AUS beat PAK: After 3 consecutive SIXES, Mathew Wade very happy to guide Australia into T20 World Cup Final- Watch video
Chasing 177, Australia got off to the worst start possible as skipper Aaron Finch (0) was sent back to the pavilion by Shaheen Shah Afridi on just the third ball of the innings.
However, David Warner and Mitchell Marsh did not let the momentum drop and the score read 52/1 after the end of the sixth over.
Pakistan stormed right back into the match as Shadab Khan dismissed Marsh (28), and this brought Steve Smith to the middle. In his next over, Shadab dismissed Smith (5). At the halfway mark, Australia was at 89/3, still needing 88 runs to win from 60 balls.
Shadab continued to be the match-winner for Pakistan and he got the biggest wicket possible as he sent the set batter Warner (49) back in the hut in the 11th over. Reverse and switch hits are the go-to shot for Glenn Maxwell, but this proved his downfall in this match, and Shadab bagged his fourth wicket, to reduce Australia to 96/5 in the 13th over.
AUS beat PAK: After 3 consecutive SIXES, Mathew Wade very happy to guide Australia into T20 World Cup Final- Watch video
In the last five overs, Australia needed 62 runs to win. Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis kept on registering boundaries and in the last two overs, Aaron Finch’s side needed 22 to win.
In the second last over, Hasan Ali dropped a simple catch of Wade, and it came to bite Pakistan, as Australia registered a win by five wickets. Wade scored 41 off just 17 balls.
Australia will now lock horns against New Zealand in the summit clash on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium.
Editors pick
