The Super 12 stage of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup came to an end as England and New Zealand progressed into the semi-finals from Group 1 while India and arch-rivals Pakistan made it into the top 4 stage from Group 2.
There were some thrilling matches that went down the wire with match-winning performances with either bat or ball that entertained crowds in Australia. Associate nations like the Netherlands, Ireland, and Zimbabwe qualifying from the round 1 stage stunned big teams in both Groups.
India finished top of Group 2 winning 4 matches while Pakistan entered the top stage after losing the first two matches. Group 1 saw New Zealand dominate winning 4 matches with a healthy net run rate while England finished second with the same number of points as Australia but due to a better average, they qualified.
Here we take a look at the top 5 matches of the Super 12 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022.
1. India vs Pakistan
India took on arch-rivals Pakistan in the first Group 2 match played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, MCG on 23rd October 2022. It was an amazing atmosphere in front of a capacity crowd.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to field first. Arshdeep Singh rattled the Pakistan batting line up grabbing 2 big wickets off Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan cheaply. Iftikhar Ahmed and Shan Masood steadied the ship for Pakistan putting on 76 runs for the third wicket before Mohammed Shami dismissed Iftikhar with a peach of a delivery.
The Indian bowlers broke the backbone of Pakistan’s middle order as Hardik Pandya took the wickets of Shahbad Khan, Haider Ali, and Mohammad Nawaz. Thanks to Shan Masood’s impressive fifty and quickfire knock by Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf, Pakistan posted 159 for 8.
Chasing 160 runs to win, it was not an ideal start for the Indian team as they lost 4 early wickets of KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Axar Patel. Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya looked cautious in the initial stages before both Indian batters put pressure on the Pakistani bowling.
With 48 runs required off 3 overs, the match looked gone for India but Kohli showed his class smashing the Pakistani bowlers, especially hitting 2 sixes off Haris Rauf in the 19th over. Hardik Pandya and Kohli added 113 runs for the fifth wicket. Kohli looked pumped up smashing Nawaz for a six to change the momentum in favor of India. R Ashwin hit the winning runs with a boundary to help the Indian team win the match by 4 wickets.
Virat Kohli made an unbeaten 82 off 53 balls helping Team India register a memorable win. For his magical knock, Kohli was awarded the player of the match award.
2. Zimbabwe vs Pakistan
Zimbabwe registered a thrilling 1-run win over Pakistan in a low-scoring thriller played at the Optus Stadium, Perth on October 27, 2022. Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine won the toss and decided to bat first.
Wesley Medherve and Craig Ervine provided a flying start with aggressive shots in the initial stages. The Pakistan pace bowlers especially Haris Rauf, and Muhammed Wasim strangled Zimbabwe’s batting line up picking wickets at regular intervals. Ryan Burl and Brad Evans added some vital runs for the eight wicket to help Zimbabwe post 130 for 8 in 20 overs.
Chasing 131 runs to win, Pakistan lost 2 early wickets of Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan cheaply. Shan Masood and Shahbad Khan steadied the ship for Pakistan putting on 52 runs for the fourth wicket. Sikander Raza took 3 wickets of Shahbad, Haider Ali and Shan Masood to put Pakistan on the backfoot.
The match went right down the wire as Brad Evans held onto their nerves getting rid of dangerous Mohammad Nawaz. With 3 runs required off 1 delivery, Shaheen Shah Afridi was run out while taking the second run to help Zimbabwe register a thrilling 1-run win. For his 3 for 25, Sikander Raza was awarded the player of the match award.
3. Ireland vs England
Ireland produced another stunning result to throw Group 1 wide as they defeated England played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, MCG on 26th October. England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and decided to field first.
The match was interrupted due to rain. Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie provided a decent start before Stirling was caught at third man. Ireland captain Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker kept the pressure on England bowling. Both batters did not allow them to settle hitting boundaries with ease.
Tucker was unfortunately run out as Balbirnie hit a shot hitting hands of Rashid. Balbirnie and Tucker added 82 runs for the second wicket. The England bowlers made a strong comeback as they bundled out Ireland to a modest total of 157 in 19.2 overs. Andrew Balbirnie was the top scorer with 62.
Chasing 158 runs to win, it was a disastrous start for England as they lost 3 wickets of Buttler, Hales, and Ben Stokes. Moeen Ali took on Gareth Delany before rain arrived with England 5 runs short via DLS method. For his captain knock, Andrew Balbirnie was named the player of the match award.
4. India vs Bangladesh
India defeated Bangladesh in a thrilling rain-curtailed match played at Adelaide Oval on November 2, 2022. Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bat first.
Rohit Sharma’s struggle continued dismissed cheaply. KL Rahul came back into form with a sensational knock while Virat Kohli also impressed with his shots. Rahul and Kohli added 67 runs for the second wicket. Surya Kumar Yadav continued to dominate Bangladesh bowling with a quickfire knock.
Virat Kohli looked apart with another unbeaten 64 off 44 balls along with a cameo by Ravichandran Ashwin helped the Indian team post 184 for 6.
Chasing 185 runs to win, Liton Das looked in sensational touch putting pressure on the Indian bowling. The target was revised to 151 from 16 overs as KL Rahul produced a direct hit to dismiss Litton Das. Das and Shanto added 68 runs for the opening wicket. The Indian bowlers made a strong comeback as Arshdeep Singh took 2 wickets in an over dismissing Afif and Shakib Al Hasan.
Hardik Pandya dismissed Yasir Ali and Mossadek Hossain in the same over to stall Bangladesh’s batting. Taskin Ahmed and Nurul Hasan’s efforts went in vain as the Indian team won the match by 5 runs via the DLS method. For his unbeaten 64 off 44 balls, Virat Kohli was named the player of the match award.
5. Afghanistan vs Australia
Afghanistan almost stunned defending Champions Australia at Adelaide Oval on 4th November 2022. Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi won the toss and decided to field first. David Warner started off brightly with aggressive shots before Afghanistan bowlers kept a tight leash on Australian batters.
Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis steadied the ship for Australia putting on 53 runs for the fifth wicket. Maxwell showed his unbeaten 54 off 32 balls to help Australia post 168 for 8.
Chasing 169 runs to win, Gurbaz provided the impetus with aggressive shots. Gulbdain Naib and Ibrahim Zadran kept the momentum going for Afghanistan putting on 59 runs for the third wicket. Afghanistan lost 3 wickets in succession losing Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi.
Rashid Khan hit some big shots along with Rasooli. The match went right down the wire but Rashid Khan could not take Afghanistan home as Australia won the match by just 4 runs. Rashid and Rasooli added unbeaten 45 runs for the seventh wicket. Rashid made an unbeaten 48 off 23 balls with a strike rate of 208.70.
For his unbeaten 54 off 32 balls, Glenn Maxwell was named the player of the match award. Australia did not qualify for the semi-finals as England won their match against Sri Lanka.
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