The group stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup has been completed, and the semi-final fixtures have been confirmed. New Zealand and Pakistan will play the first semi-final at the Sydney Cricket Ground on November 9, while England will play India the second at the Adelaide Oval on the 10th.
Ahead of the semi-final clash, Tim Southee has said that they will not make the mistake of taking the team lightly. Pakistan has made the semi-final stage six times in this tournament which is the most by any team. They qualified for this stage from the brink of elimination after the Netherlands defeated the mighty Proteas, bringing them back into contention.
Ahead of the clash against Pakistan, Southee said:
“When you get to the top four, every side has a chance. We’ve played a lot against Pakistan in recent times and we know they’re a dangerous side. Credit to them, they probably turned up thinking they didn’t have much of a chance, but they put on another good performance, and they’ll be a massive threat come to the semi-final.”
“There’s still a lot of cricket to be played” – Tim Southee
Southee was also asked about the team’s chances of making it to the tournament’s final. To this, he said:
“There’s still a lot of cricket to be played until we get to that stage. Pakistan are a quality side, and we’re going to have to be on top of our game to get past them on Wednesday. Hopefully, we can continue the way that we’ve been playing and have another good performance in the semi.
“One of the consistencies of the side is the way we approach things is pretty much the same, no matter what game it is. That’s something to come back to, and that’s something we’re very good at.”
New Zealand has played consistent cricket in this world cup, winning four out of their five games. Their only loss came against England in the group stage. Pakistan sealed their qualification spot after defeating Bangladesh yesterday by five wickets.
The Sydney Cricket Ground will witness a mouth-watering clash between the two teams as Pakistan is just starting to find their feet in this tournament, making them lethal, and the Kiwis are known for composure in crunch situations.
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