T20 World Cup: Pakistan swoop on South Africa shock to book semi-finals spot
Pakistan capitalised on South Africa's shock loss and completed a remarkable turnaround to qualify for the T20 World Cup semi-finals after a five-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Sunday.
Heading into the final group-stage games, South Africa seemed certain to advance from Group 2 but slumped to a 13-run loss to the Netherlands, meaning the winner of the Pakistan-Bangladesh game at the Adelaide Oval would reach the final four.
Shaheen Shah Afridi starred with the ball with 4-22 for Pakistan, who lost their opening two World Cup games, as they restricted Bangladesh 127-8 before chasing down the target with 11 balls to spare.
Mohammad Rizwan (32 from 32), Mohammad Haris (31 from 18) and Shan Masood (24* from 14) contributed to the successful chase, which was far from seamless.
Bangladesh were left frustrated after a controversial decision by third umpire Langton Rusere who gave out captain Shakib Al Hasan LBW for a golden duck despite appearing to hit the ball.
Shakib's wicket was one of two to fall in Shadab Khan's over after Bangladesh had been 70-1 at the 10-over mark, appearing destined for a far-greater score. Opener Najmul Hossain Shanton top scored for the Tigers with 54 from 48 balls but Bangladesh lost their way after his dismissal at 91-4 in the 14th over.
Shakib reluctant to walk after dubious call
Shakib's dismissal was a key moment, and it was controversial, with the Bangladesh skipper reluctant to walk despite being given out by both the on-field umpire and the third umpire.
Bangladesh were set to launch for a total of 150-plus at the halfway mark, before losing Soumya Sarkar and Shakib in successive deliveries. After being given out LBW, Shakib quickly reviewed the decision. The replay showed a mark on Ultra Edge coinciding with the ball's path past the bat, yet Langton deemed that no bat was involved, believing Shakib instead had hit the ground with his bat.
Pakistan advance against all odds
Pakistan's World Cup seemed over after losing two final-over thrillers to rivals India and lowly Zimbabwe to open their tournament, yet they have responded to progress to the semi-finals. That hardly seemed possible after South Africa toppled India last Sunday but the 2009 champions remain in the hunt for a second title.
That's all the more staggering given gun batsman Babar Azam failed again, scoring 25 off 33 balls, having managed only 39 runs at 7.80 in five games.
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Windies women eye vital win against Bangladesh to keep semi-final hopes alive at T20 World Cup
After an impressive six-wicket win over Scotland, West Indies women will seek to build on that momentum when they take on Bangladesh in a crucial encounter that could define their campaign at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
The Caribbean side will enter Thursday’s contest knowing that another win would keep their semi-final hopes alive, as they currently sit in third position on two points, two behind leaders South Africa and England on four points each.
The first ball is 9:00am Jamaica time.
West Indies’ victory over Scotland was a much-needed confidence boost for the team, especially after a crushing 10-wicket loss to South Africa in their opening match. The win not only lifted their spirits but also boosted their net run rate, a key factor in determining the semi-final spots should multiple teams finish level on points.
Assistant coach Ryan Austin emphasized the Hayley Matthews-led team’s readiness to handle what promises to be a tricky challenge, as Bangladesh bowlers, particularly their spinners, have proven to be formidable opponents.
“The team is pretty prepared. We obviously know that Bangladesh is basically a spin-based unit, but with our philosophies, we are more focused on what we can control. Having said that, we still have that element of power within our batting that could counter the spin as well,” Austin said in a pre-game press conference.
“If you look at the wicket, they are playing pretty slow at the moment. South Africa today (Wednesday) actually had a good total on the wicket, and if you watch how they batted, they actually used their feet a lot to the spin. So we are looking to obviously go into the game with that sort of temperament mindset with respect to their spin bowling attack as well. Sharjah has almost kind of a two-paced kind of wicket because during the day it's very low and slow, but in the evenings it kind of changes and comes alive,” he added.
Austin exuded confidence in his team’s batting prowess, with the likes of Matthews, Stafanie Taylor, Deandra Dottin, and Shemaine Campbelle expected to play pivotal roles, especially with the group being poised for a tight finish.
Though those proverbial big guns are yet to really fire, Austin believes their true potential should come to the fore in Thursday’s game, as well as the decisive fixture against England. West Indies currently have a positive net run rate of 1.154, only bettered by leaders South Africa, who have 1.527.
“If you look at how our group is set up, net run-rate is really going to be a big factor later down, especially, if we win both games against Bangladesh and England. So one of the things that we really have to look at is how we go about executing, especially in this game against Bangladesh. So our game plan is to at least probably both first and then try to get to our target as fast as possible,” Austin reasoned.