As Pakistan cricket fans experienced a meltdown in the wake of a narrow defeat in the second semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 on Thursday (November 11) in Dubai, former Pakistan wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal praised the efforts of Aaron Finch’s Men in Yellow considering that 177 was not an easy target to chase on a surface like Dubai.
The ex-Pakistan batsman opined how the Australian batters exhibited a pure masterclass in what he likes to call “a perfect example of how to chase in cricket.” Having won the toss and choosing to bowl first, as has been the trend through the marquee ICC tournament, Pakistan managed to put on 176/4 after 20 overs thanks to valiant innings by Mohammad Rizwan (67 off 52) and Fakhar Zaman (55* off 32) and posted a target of 177 for the Aussies.
Despite losing their skipper Finch early on in off the third delivery of the second innings, the Men in Yellow didn’t slow down from scoring runs freely. Star batter David Warner and Mitchell Marsh set the tone for Australia with some attacking shots and quick decision-making with their strokeplay to guide their side in the initial overs.
However, it was the deadly middle-order batters who came out to inflict some serious damage on the Pakistani bowlers as the Men in Green were put under high pressure by Marcus Stoinis (40 off 31) and Matthew Wade (41 off 17) as the hard-hitting duo’s partnership added the finishing touches to Australia’s innings in successfully chasing down the target of 177 inside 19 overs with 6 balls to spare.
Stoinis-Wade’s unbeaten stand for the 6th wicket was enough to see the Aussies home one over in advance. Wade turned the entire game around in Australia’s favour by smashing Shaheen Shah Afridi for three consecutive sixes in the penultimate 19th over to seal the match.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Akmal lauded the Australians for their mental strength throughout the run-chase:
“What fantastic cricket Australia have played,” Akmal said. “They showed how mentally strong they are, a perfect example of how to carry a game and how to chase in cricket. Stoinis and Wade must be praised. How wonderfully Warner batted from the start, he did not let the pressure set in. The partnership between Warner and Marsh was crucial as well,” said Akmal.
Akmal, who played 58 T20Is for Pakistan, added that the Men in Green panicked against Australia in the closing stages of the semi-final as the Pakistani bowlers lacked a sense of “courage” in the tightly-contested encounter.
“It was unfortunate that Pakistan did not win today. They played some really good cricket in this World Cup but unfortunately they could not qualify even with the big total. How they batted and bowled in previous matches that factor was missing today. They looked panicked. They should’ve defended this total. Courage was missing from their bowling,” added Akmal.
While Warner top-scored for his team with 49 runs from 30 deliveries, it was the contributions from Stoinis and Wade’s willow of 40 odd runs in a late blitz at Dubai International Cricket Stadium that ensured a win for Finch-led Australia.
Australia will lock horns with familiar foes and neighbours Kane Williamson-led New Zealand in the grand final of the ICC World T20 2021 on Sunday (November 14) in Dubai.
