Pakistan will take on New Zealand in the first semi-final of the ICC World T20 World Cup 2022 at Sydney Cricket Ground on November 9, while India will take on England in the second semi-final to be played on November 10 at Adelaide Oval.
New Zealand finished at the top of Group 1 including dominating win over Australia, Sri Lanka, and Ireland. Their only loss in the tournament was to England while their match against Afghanistan was washed out due to rain. On other hand, Pakistan started the tournament with 2 heartbreaking losses against arch-rivals India and Zimbabwe.
Babar Azam and Co. then trashed the Netherlands, and South Africa in their next two matches to stay alive in the tournament. After South Africa’s shocking loss to the Netherlands, Pakistan won die or die match against Bangladesh by 5 wickets to qualify as the second team from Group 2.
India finished top of Group 2 with 8 points while England ended with the same number of points as Australia but due to a better net run rate, Buttler and Co finished as 2nd placed team in Group 1.
Here we look at the 5 players to watch out for in the knockout rounds of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022.
1. Babar Azam
Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been struggling for form during the entire T20 World Cup 2022 so far. During the first six overs, Azam was not able to rotate the strike and hit boundaries with ease. His best score came against Bangladesh where he made 25 off 33 balls against Bangladesh.
If Pakistan needs to qualify for the finals of the T20 World Cup 2022, Babar Azam must fire with a captain’s knock and give a solid start along with Mohammed Rizwan. Pakistan would be looking for their star batter to rise on a big stage against a top-quality New Zealand bowling line up including Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, and the spinner of Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner.
2. Kane Williamson
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is one the best batter in world cricket at present moment. He struggled to score runs against Australia, England, and Sri Lanka before producing a captain’s knock with a quickfire knock in the final Super 12 match against Ireland.
Williamson made 61 off 35 balls against Ireland helping New Zealand post a competitive total. He looked in decent touch with aggressive shots making life tough for Ireland bowlers. It was an impressive knock by the captain and named the player of the match award.
He will be a key player for New Zealand in tomorrow’s match against top-quality Pakistan bowling if an early wicket falls. His performances would decide his fate with the ability to take singles and maneuver the field.
3. Suryakumar Yadav
Still thinking about this from Suryakumar Yadav 🤩pic.twitter.com/n52AbbnHwG
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) November 7, 2022
Suryakumar Yadav has been in sensational form during the T20 World Cup 2022 so far. His ability to hit boundaries at different angles against any bowler makes him a tough batter.
His performance in the ongoing T20 World Cup has led India to reach the semi-finals stage. He is currently at the number 3 position in terms of leading run-getters with 225 runs from 5 matches including 3 half-centuries.
The Mumbai Indians batter has made half-centuries against the Netherlands, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. He hit these runs with an amazing average of 75.
The Indian team would be hoping that Suryakumar Yadav rises to the occasion again and helps them to qualify for the grand finale to be played on 13 November at iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
4. Jos Buttler
The England captain Jos Buttler performed well in the previous two matches against New Zealand and then with a quickfire knock against Sri Lanka. England is one of the strongest batting units but has not done justice.
England would be hoping that Buttler dominates the Indian bowling in the first six overs and give the team a flying start along with Alex Hales. Buttler scored so far 119 runs from 4 matches with 1 half-century to his name.
Buttler will be a key member of the England team to make flying starts and help them to post a competitive or chase-down total in front of a capacity crowd.
5. Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh has been the standout bowler for the Indian team so far. Playing his first World Cup, the left-arm swing bowler created an impact picking up wickets in six overs not allowing opposing batters to score runs easily.
Singh has shown tremendous consistency with his yorkers in death overs also. Arshdeep along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar created a huge impact not allowing the openers to score runs in the first six overs.
The youngster has grabbed so far 10 wickets from 5 matches. Indian team would be hoping that Arshdeep Singh can create an impact and pick early wickets against a strong England batting line-up.
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