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Pakistan could have been eliminated from the 2023 Cricket World Cup on Saturday with a defeat but as ‘qudrat ka nizam‘ (law of nature) would have it, they won the match despite New Zealand scoring 401/6 batting first as rain came to Men in Green’s rescue.
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At M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the Kiwi batters made the most of the batting-friendly track as Rachin Ravindra (108) and Kane Williamson (95) played quick-fire innings to take the total past the 400-run mark. Mohammad Wasim Junior was Pakistan’s best bowler as he took three wickets for 60.
In reply, Fakhar Zaman made a blistering 126 not out off 81 balls and Babar Azam scored an unbeaten 66 off 63 to push Pakistan to 200/1 in 25.3 overs when rain forced the match to be called off and the Men in Green won by 21 runs on DLS method.
As Pakistan celebrates the team staying alive in the semi-final race, we take a look at the top moments from the match:
Williamson is back
One of the most significant moments came right at the toss as skipper Kane Williamson was back for New Zealand. Williamson missed the first two matches of the World Cup as he was not 100 per cent fit after suffering an ACL injury in IPL 2023. When he made a return, he was hit by a throw and fractured his thumb in the Bangladesh game. He made his second comeback for the tournament on Saturday and also scored 95 off 79 balls. New Zealand will need Williamson’s astute leadership in the business end of the World Cup.
Waterboy for his team. Plays through injury in a must win game. Doesn’t care about his 100.
Kane Williamson, you’re selfless 👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/HqMNFNIKfr
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) November 4, 2023
Rachin equals Sachin
Before Ravindra got out he hit a four off Wasim through extra cover. That boundary took his tournament total to 523. He has now equalled Sachin Tendulkar for most runs in a men’s ODI World Cup for an Under-23 batter. Sachin got 523 runs in seven innings in the 1996 World Cup.
Expensive Shaheen
M Chinnaswamy is not known for being nice to bowlers and Pakistan’s pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi faced the brunt today as he was smashed for 90 runs in 10 overs. These are the most expensive figures for a Pakistan bowler in men’s ODI World Cups. God was kind to Pakistan today, but not to Shaheen.
Fakhar fires
Pakistan has been guilty of being slower in the powerplay and in general when compared to other teams in the World Cup, but try saying that to Fakhar Zaman. The southpaw took 63 balls to get to his ton — the fastest for a Pakistan batter in World Cups — but the most impressive part was that he hit 11 sixes on the night, the most for a Pakistan player in an ODI innings.
Qudrat ka nizam
There were predictions of rain in Bengaluru for Saturday but a washout was not what people expected but guess what once it started to rain at 18.30 it never stopped. The organisers were forced to end the match prematurely and Pakistan secured a lifeline as they stayed alive in the World Cup 2023. With 200/1 in just 25.3 overs in the 402-run chase, Pakistan probably would have won in any case, but the rain ensured that there was no late drama.
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