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#PAKvNZ | New Zealand reach semi-finals of WT20 after beating Pak by 22 runs

Speed News Desk | Updated on: 14 February 2017, 6:01 IST

New Zealand became the first team to confirm their berth in the semi-finals of the ICC World T20 by defeating Pakistan by 22 runs, after they made 180 runs in the first innings.

Pakistan got off to a blistering start in the second innings, giving them brief hope of being able to chase down the target of 181. Sharjeel Khan made 47 off merely 25 balls to give the New Zealand bowlers much to think about.

But it was all downhill for Pakistan after Sharjeel was caught by Martin Guptill off the bowling of Adam Milne, save for some brief big hitting by Shahid Afridi in the middle.

Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal were both guilty of eating up too many deliveries in the middle overs, when the scoreboard should have moved at a faster pace. Shehzad had a strike rate of under 100, while Akmal had a strike rate of 101 - generally considered unacceptable in T20 cricket.

In the end, Shoaib Malik and Sarfraz Ahmed were left with too much to do as the men in green could not even score a single boundary in the last three overs of the match.

As things stand in Group 2, every team still stands a chance of making it to the semi-final of the tournament, but it looks increasingly difficult for Pakistan as they need other results to go their way as well.

First published: 22 March 2016, 11:17 IST