Pakistan have sealed the semifinal birth with a five-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the ongoing T20 World Cup at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
Pakistan’s chances to reach the semis were in doubt, but South Africa’s loss to the Netherlands confirmed India’s qualification and opened the doors for both Bangladesh and Pakistan to contest for a place in the semis.
Batting first, Bangladesh started well, scoring 70 runs in the first 10 overs and were cruising towards a decent total. However, the 11th over from Shadab Khan shifted the momentum in favour of Pakistan with back-to-back wickets in the form of Soumya Sarkar and captain Shakib Al Hasan, whose dismissal set social media on fire.
Bangladesh could not recover from that over as they only managed 57 in their last 10 overs, finishing with just 127/8 on the board. Shaheen Afridi was the pick of the bowlers for the Men in Green, bagging a four-wicket haul for 22 runs in his quota of 4 overs.
In reply, Pakistan also had a decent start, with Babar Azam (25) and Mohammad Rizwan (32) adding 57 runs for the opening wicket.
After the tenth over, Bangladesh created chances, but luck wasn’t favourable as balls fell in no-man’s-land, and some overthrows also cost them. The real stars in the chase for Pakistan were Mohammad Haris (31) and Shan Masood (24 not out), who held their nerves and ensured that Men in Green book a spot in the semis.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
A five-wicket win to secure a spot in the semi-finals 👏
Well done, boys! 🙌#WeHaveWeWill | #T20WorldCup | #PAKvBAN pic.twitter.com/2sOpviBsad
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) November 6, 2022
Presenting MOTM award to @iShaheenAfridi with a great pride & best wishes as Pakistan 🇵🇰 fan. #PAKvBAN #ICCT20WorldCup2022 Well done young man 😍 pic.twitter.com/LyDpb8FGwk
— Mohammad Hafeez (@MHafeez22) November 6, 2022
WE ARE INTO THE SEMI FINALS! 😍🇵🇰 That’s it, that’s the tweet. #Alhamdulillah #PAKvBAN
— Fawad Alam (@iamfawadalam25) November 6, 2022
Pakistan beat Bangladesh and qualify for the semi-finals #T20WorldCup #PAKvBAN
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) November 6, 2022
Truly the best World Cup ever
— Bazid Khan (@bazidkhan81) November 6, 2022
From this to a World Cup semi-final in just over a week. Funny old game. #PAKvBAN #T20WorldCup https://t.co/LbM6Kn7pbj
— Andrew McGlashan (@andymcg_cricket) November 6, 2022
Pakistan and Bangladesh fans right now 😅 #SAvNED #PAKvBAN #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/gxuxJS9KF7
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) November 6, 2022
So effectively a Quarter Final. which way you going? #PAKvBAN #T20worldcup
— Isa Guha (@isaguha) November 6, 2022
Alhamdulillah, we have made it to the semi finals🇵🇰 Can’t express my feelings right now, well played team. 👏🏼#PAKvBAN #PakistanZindabad
— Imam Ul Haq (@ImamUlHaq12) November 6, 2022
What a team and what a performance ❤️ Alhamdulilah Pakistan have qualified for the Semi Final 🇵🇰.
Let’s back this & our boys even more and lift the trophy in MCG inshaAllah 😍#PAKvBAN #PakistanZindabad— Hassan Ali 🇵🇰 (@RealHa55an) November 6, 2022
Shaheen. He’s lean. He’s mean. They say he bleeds green. #PAKvBAN #T20WorldCup
— Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) November 6, 2022
Congratulations #Pakistan for the #SemiFinals 🎉🤩😎✨#PAKvBAN #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/ukiZdQTMGB
— Karachi Kings (@KarachiKingsARY) November 6, 2022