Frantic final day sees India and Pakistan qualify
Excitement was high for the final triple-header before the T20 semi-finals. With teams like South Africa, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan playing, everyone was hyped to see who would make the semi-finals. Each match had plenty of ups and downs and these are just some of the memorable moments of each game:
Netherlands vs South Africa
South Africa were on paper the favourites to win and qualify for the semi-finals but the Netherlands had other ideas. Brandon Glover and Bas de Leede bowled well and didn’t allow South Africa to get off the mark. The Dutch won by 13-runs and now have automatically qualified for the Super 12 League in the 2024 World Cup while South Africa’s barren run at World Cups continue.
Pakistan vs Bangladesh
In a high-stakes game with the winner earning qualification to the semi-finals, both Pakistan and Bangladesh played aggressively. Backed by the performance of Shaheen Shah Afridi (4/22), Pakistan managed to limit the young Bangladesh team to 127-runs. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan finally came to form and combine for 57-runs to secure against all odds their team a semi-final spot.
India vs Zimbabwe
India secured the top spot in the Group 2 standings and with it a semi-final date with England on Thursday. KL Rahul (51-runs from 35 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (61-runs from 25 balls) contributed a total of 112 runs as India asserted their dominance over Zimbabwe. India’s total of 186-runs were too much for Zimbabwe to chase but Zimbabwe can be proud of their performance in this World Cup and look forward to the next.
All eyes are now on the semi-finals as many look forward to if Pakistan can overcome New Zealand and if India can continue to their impressive form and defeat England.
