Four wins out of four ensure a semi-final berth for Babar Azam's men in Abu Dhabi
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00:00Hello everyone, this is the Straight Bad with Gulf News and Mr Cricket UAE, that is Anish
00:14Sajjan.
00:15We have a doubleheader today, both the matches in Abu Dhabi and the first match South Africa
00:19beat Bangladesh by four wickets and in the second match there was a comprehensive win
00:23for Pakistan, 45-run win against Namibia, which means they are in the semifinals already.
00:29So let's discuss, let us ask Anish Sajjan to take us through the matches today.
00:36Thank you Shyam.
00:37Hello Ashfaq bhai.
00:38Hi Sahil.
00:39Well, yes, South Africa had a comprehensive win today, bowling out Bangladesh for 84 and
00:45they are one step closer.
00:47They need to see how they perform in the last match, whereas congratulations to Team Pakistan
00:51being the first team to qualify for this World Cup semifinal.
00:55Once again, they were clinical in their performance, where they put up a decent 189 and made sure
01:02that Namibia were never in the game and won it comprehensively by 45 runs.
01:07Sahil, your thoughts on today's matches?
01:12I mean, both games looked one-sided today, obviously, congratulations to Pakistan, obviously
01:18they're well-deserved.
01:19They have reached the semifinals and also South Africa, again, looking like a dangerous
01:24team, like we had mentioned, how they have one of the most dangerous bowling lineups
01:27in this tournament.
01:29And clearly they have proved that.
01:31But both matches were one-sided, so not much entertainment today.
01:34Ashfaq, I will come to you with the Pakistan match, I'll spare you of the South Africa-Bangladesh
01:39so keep your forehead dry for the Pakistan match.
01:42Yes, sure.
01:43Okay.
01:44And South Africa is interesting in the sense that they are in with the possibility to take
01:49a second slot, either between Australia or South Africa, England definitely will be the
01:56top of the group.
01:57So how do you see the South Africa's prospects there?
01:59Anil?
02:00Yeah, you're asking me this, right?
02:04Yes.
02:05Yeah.
02:06Well, to be very honest, like Sahil mentioned, the bowling attack of South Africa looks very
02:11potent with both now Rabada coming in form, Nokia was already doing well, and I'm a big
02:16fan of the left-arm Chinaman Tabrez Shamsi, plus they have Keshav Maharaj.
02:21So South Africa's bowling looks very good.
02:24Their last match is obviously against England, we need to see how they play against that
02:28team, because England is the team to beat in the other group.
02:32And if they are able to manage to restrict England and chase down the target, or probably
02:37defend the target, they should be going ahead of Australia, because even if Australia win
02:42both their matches, Australia also has to win the last match.
02:47So if Australia also wins, the net runner of South Africa is very good.
02:50So I probably somehow feel it's going to be quite tight between two groups.
02:55If South Africa loses, it will be Australia going through, but if South Africa wins, then
02:58I believe it will be South Africa going through.
03:01Sahil, I'm going to ask you a tough question.
03:06South Africa or Australia, which will go through?
03:11Tough one.
03:13Your gut feeling?
03:14I have to bag the Aussies.
03:16I don't know why, I have to bag them, you know.
03:19I am with you, I am with you.
03:22I like their mentality, the Aussies, you know, they never give up.
03:25I mean, South Africans have been outstanding this tournament with their bowling, especially
03:29like I mentioned.
03:30But the Aussies just have it in them, I mean, and plus South Africa are playing one of the
03:34strongest teams, England.
03:37So it's going to be a nail-biting question.
03:38I am with you on this.
03:40I know it's not an easy answer here, but I am with you on this simply because right even
03:45before the tournament started, we had a preview and I had picked Australia to make the semis.
03:51So I mean, you have my backing on this.
03:54Of course, this is going to be interesting because the last few matches are going to
03:58be really, really going down the wire, which is what we want.
04:01Now, sorry to keep you waiting, Afar, give us your rundown of today's Pakistan win.
04:07We know it's a comprehensive win, but what is your takeaways from today's match?
04:11Hey, Shyam, thank you so much.
04:14Thank you, Anisbhai.
04:15Thank you, Sahib.
04:16Shyam, in today's match, one thing is clear that Pakistan is not an unpredictable team
04:23anymore.
04:24They are coming to this, they have come to this T20 with a plan.
04:29Earlier, they were never unpredictable, they performed one match, another match, they are
04:34just out.
04:35This is a fourth consecutive win and very clinical when they have their game plan, they
04:40have their bowling, they have their batting.
04:43This match, Babar Azam took the risk, he batted first because he wanted to try whether his
04:48batsman can score in the first innings and the ball was moving a lot.
04:53The women bowlers gave them a very tough time, they could score only 29 runs in the first
04:59power play.
05:01It was a tough call and they had very close calls as well, like before, LBW calls and
05:08it was unplayable in the first five fours.
05:11So Babar tested that and the batters succeeded his test and 10 overs is 59 runs and 60 balls
05:19and next 10 overs, he scored 130 runs.
05:24And the good thing was that Hafeez gets his form back, the kind of shots he played was
05:31like, he improvised and the bowler didn't know where to bowl, he was hitting the ball
05:38every way and he just got very hot for the Zambian bowlers in the slow overs and hitting
05:4723 runs in the last over, this was like everything was perfectly placed and 189 runs was too
05:55much for him.
05:58And I'm sure you must be loving the form of Rizwan because as an opener, he stayed
06:04in the 20th over.
06:05In fact, the last 20th over, he hit four fours and a six and a two and for an opener to stay
06:13till the 20th game and score heavily off it, that must be really, really good for Pakistan.
06:18I think this, Shyam, this is a very stubborn opener partnership for Pakistan.
06:26It has never, we have never seen this before until if you go back to Syed Anwar Ahmed Suheil's
06:33days, they were after that, I think this, now we have got this solid opening partnership
06:39and keeping the wicket safe on one end and hitting from the other hand was the strategy.
06:45I think that Rizwan kept his wicket till end and he got the chance, they were wicket in
06:51hand and he just went out and hit everywhere, all around the ground and he scored 79 in
06:5849 balls and this was excellent.
07:05And this guy Ashfaq was saying that Pakistan has ceased to be unpredictable in the sense
07:11that if you look at the Pakistan's win, all of them have been very comprehensive and very
07:15clinically done.
07:16So what changed from the previous, what is the difference you see from the previous Pakistan
07:21sides and this one?
07:23What I like in this tournament about Pakistan, especially in the batting, the start what
07:28both the openers have given in all the matches, even in the New Zealand match where probably
07:33Babar got out after scoring 15-16, but all the matches, they look very stable.
07:37And that is where, you know, Pakistan, as Mr. Ashfaq mentioned, it reminded about Amir
07:41Suheil and Syed Anwar when they used to give the start.
07:45After that, I don't remember any of the opening batsmen used to stick around.
07:48And now these two players have been playing with each other for a long time.
07:52They understand each other.
07:53They run hard between the wickets.
07:54That is one important key factor.
07:57And when you have a good start in almost every game, so the other batsmen to follow are not
08:02under so much pressure.
08:03And secondly, when you talk about the other part, they've improved a lot on the fielding.
08:07Okay, today they dropped a couple of catches.
08:08Mind you, there was a bit of dew, but otherwise Pakistan fielding has been top notch in this
08:14tournament.
08:15The bowling has been always very good.
08:17So this time, like Ashfaq bhai said, they don't, they are not looking like an unpredictable
08:20team.
08:21They're playing the cricket according to the format and setting the template right.
08:25Okay, Sahil, your thoughts on today's Pakistan win?
08:31I mean, again, impressive performance, you know, as mentioned by Mr. Ashfaq, you know,
08:36Rizwan stayed till the end, scored a good 79.
08:39It's not easy for an opener because, you know, they get tired eventually and hitting 20 plus
08:44runs in the last over, it's not easy for an opener.
08:47So credit to Pakistan again, I mean, for the first time, they fielded poorly in a game,
08:51which is shocking because this whole tournament, they have been outstanding in the field.
08:56But it happens, you know, but Pakistan have been impressive.
08:59And again, they deserve to go to the semifinals.
09:03And yes, as mentioned earlier in the call, that they have not played like an unpredictable
09:06team.
09:07They have deserved to win every game, hands down.
09:11So Ashfaq, back to you again, Pakistan are in the semis.
09:14So where do you Pakistan go from here?
09:18What do you see?
09:19One thing we have seen, Babbar got the chance to try some new player, but he didn't.
09:27He kept the team as it is because he doesn't want to experiment new player.
09:31He doesn't want to break the rapport.
09:34He will continue with the same team.
09:37And if they go by the game plan and if they are lucky enough to win the toss, I think
09:42that then it's their match, they will win the match as well, if they bat second.
09:49OK, before we wind up, Anish, any last thoughts you want to do, your impressions, anything
09:54more to add to the show today?
09:57Well, like Ashfaq mentioned that if they bat second, Pakistan are unbeatable.
10:03And at the same time, like we were discussing off-air, it's a little bit of an advantage
10:07for a team batting second because we see the due sets heavy.
10:11And today, in spite of Pakistan scoring a 190, you know, like Ashfaq mentioned in the
10:16initial ten overs, it was so difficult to bat.
10:18The ball was moving around and due credit to Pakistan that they managed to survive that
10:23tough period.
10:24And that is why they were able to post this 190.
10:26And similarly, which we saw yesterday, Butler made sure that he anchored the innings and
10:31stayed till the end and which gave them a respectable total.
10:33So teams which bat first and if the opening guy survives till the end, they can put up
10:38a respectable total to have a fight.
10:41Teams batting first, if they go off to a disastrous start, they will struggle.
10:45Looks like that's the template for this tournament, an opener staying till the end or anchoring
10:52the innings.
10:53We have seen that actually in the IPL also, like if you look at Chennai Super Kings' win,
10:58it was basically strung by Hrithiraj Gaikwad.
11:02He used to give them good starts, he used to spar through the middle overs and that's
11:07what actually pushed the Chennai Super Kings to the win.
11:10I think that template still holds good and as I was saying here, the opener staying till
11:16the end or at least till the slug overs are actually deciding the games for teams batting
11:23first.
11:24Because teams batting second are obviously at an advantage.
11:28If you look at even Nabiwi's performance today, to me, they exceeded their expectations because
11:34in the previous two matches, or at least in the previous match, they folded up very fast
11:40actually because they were batting first.
11:41So here, they got a chance at least to take it a distance and have some kind of respectability.
11:47And that's all for today's matches.
11:49But tomorrow, we have another doubleheader coming up but in two different venues here.
11:52New Zealand plays Scotland in Dubai and India take on Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi.
11:59That is a must-win match to preserve India's mathematical possibility, although it's not
12:04very much a feasible possibility, but even then, to preserve that mathematical possibility
12:13is not an easy task because Afghanistan are a tough side.
12:17And your thoughts on that?
12:19You're right, Afghanistan is a tough side, like we're talking about India trying to sneak
12:24through the back door, provided there is an upset by Afghanistan in the match against
12:28New Zealand.
12:29But first, India needs to beat Afghanistan.
12:31That's the first job they have in hand.
12:33And also, as you mentioned, their net run rate is so bad that they need to beat hands-down
12:38Afghanistan.
12:39So we need to see what sort of style India play.
12:42But I believe India now has nothing to lose, everything to gain.
12:46So they probably can get out of the shackles and play that fearless cricket.
12:51And that is the only way up.
12:52If things go in their way, if there's an upset, they go through.
12:55Otherwise, anyways, they are out.
12:58And Sahil, your thoughts on tomorrow's match?
13:02I mean, as mentioned, there's nothing to lose now.
13:07There should not be high hopes.
13:08There is a mathematical chance, but high hopes should not be there.
13:12The Indians should just go out to the game and just enjoy and win it hands-down.
13:18That's all I can say.
13:19Let's hope tomorrow we will have some interesting matches because New Zealand-Scotland is clearly
13:26New Zealand has put up a hand there.
13:29Let's see what Scotland can do.
13:31And I'm sure all eyes are on the Afghanistan match.
13:34And that's all from us today here from the Gulf News.
13:38So for the latest news and updates and developments,
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13:45Thank you very much.
13:46Good night.