The 40th match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 between New Zealand and Afghanistan and the 41st match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 between Pakistan and Scotland rolled on the field yesterday. Continue reading the article to know about the exciting happenings of the games.
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 – Match 40 (New Zealand vs Afghanistan)
In the 40th match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, New Zealand has picked up a massive victory of 8 wickets with 11 balls to spare against Afghanistan at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. At the same time, the Kiwis have confirmed a spot in the semi-finals by becoming the runners-up of Group 2.
After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Afghanistan was able to score 124 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in the allotted 20 overs due to the superb bowling of the Kiwi bowlers. Najibullah Zadran played the highest scoring innings of 73 runs in 48 balls with 6 fours and 3 sixes for the Afghans. Besides, Gulbadin Naib scored 15 and Mohammad Nabi scored 14 runs. Trent Boult took the maximum number of 3 wickets conceding 17 runs in 4 overs for the Black Caps. Tim Southee took two wickets and Adam Milne, James Neesham, and Ish Sodhi took one wicket each.
Chasing an easy target of 125, New Zealand reached the victory port by losing only 2 wickets in 18.1 overs. Kane Williamson scored the best 40 runs for the team remaining unbeaten. Devon Conway scored 36 off 32 balls and Martin Guptill scored 28 off 23 balls. Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman took one wicket each for Afghanistan.
After winning the 4th match in a row, New Zealand is now at 2nd place in the points table with 8 points in Group 2 of Super 12. They will also face England in the 1st semi-final match on November 10. On the other hand, after losing, Afghanistan is out of the tournament from 4th place in the points table.
Scoreboard:
Afghanistan – 124/8 (20.0)
New Zealand – 125/2 (18.1)
Result – New Zealand won by 8 wickets
Player of the match – Trent Boult
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 – Match 41 (Pakistan vs Scotland)
In the second match of the day, Pakistan has got a big 72-run victory over Scotland, thanks to a great inning by Shoaib Malik at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Winning the toss, the Pakistani captain elected to bat first and they lost 4 wickets in 20 overs to score a huge total of 189 runs.
For the Men in Green, Babar Azam hit 5 fours and 3 sixes, he scored 66 off 47 balls. Besides, Shoaib Malik played a devastating inning of unbeaten 54 off 18 balls with 1 four and 6 sixes. Mohammad Hafeez returned to the dressing room with 31 runs off 19 balls. Chris Greaves took the most nu8mber of 2 wickets for Scotland. Hamza Tahir and Safyaan Sharif took 1 wicket each.
Chasing a huge target of 190, Scotland’s innings came to a halt at 117 losing 6 wickets in the allotted 20 overs with the Pakistani bowlers’ aggressive bowling. For the team, Richie Berrington played the highest scoring innings of 54 off 37 balls remaining unbeaten. George Munsey scored 17 and Michael Leask scored 14 runs. Besides, no other batsman on the team could make a double-digit score. Shadab Khan took the maximum number of 2 wickets for Pakistan. Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Hasan Ali took one wicket each.
After winning the 5th match in a row, Pakistan is now the group champion with 10 points in Group 2 of Super 12. They will face Australia in the second semi-final on November 11. Scotland, on the other hand, is out of the tournament remaining at the bottom of the points table with their 5th consecutive defeat.
Scoreboard:
Pakistan – 189/4 (20.0)
Scotland – 117/6 (20.0)
Result – Pakistan won by 72 runs
Player of the match – Shoaib Malik
Intense cricket actions are being seen in the Super 12 of the ICC Men’s World Cup 2021. Stay with Baji for more cricket news!