After quite a many close finishes and massive upsets till the last day of the ‘Super 12’ stage, the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 has got its four semi-finalists in India, Pakistan (from Group 2), England and New Zealand (from Group 1).
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It was a Super Sunday at the Adelaide Oval in particular. Pakistan had the luck all smiling at them when, thanks to Netherlands who crashed South Africa out with a 13-run victory, provided them with a massive lifeline which they humbly accepted with both hands and miraculously made it through to the semi-final after a 5-wicket victory against Bangladesh.
The Netherlands victory benefitted India as well, as they automatically advanced through without needing the mandatory victory required against Zimbabwe later, at the MCG.
Despite the development, India did play true to their potential against the African nation with a massive 71-run victory, which made them the eventual table-toppers of ‘Super 12 Group 2’.
They will now face the ever-challenging England side during the second semi-final of the tournament, scheduled to take place at the Adelaide Oval on November 10 (Thursday).
For those unaware, England had made it through to the semi-final after defeating Sri Lanka during a close encounter on Saturday, at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
Adelaide Oval Cricket Ground pitch report
During the previous few T20 World Cup 2022 matches at this venue, the two-paced nature of the pitch has brought the spinners into play, who have not only managed to keep the run-flow in check but pick up crucial wickets as well during the middle Overs.
Netherlands’ ‘Player of the Match’ against South Africa Colin Ackermann, and later Pakistan skipper Babar Azam as well post the next match at this very venue, mentioned about the slowness of the wicket which made it a tad difficult for the batters to get going with their innings.
“The surface was slower and we knew 160 was competitive, yeah it was a great performance,” exclaimed Ackermann while mentioning that his team’s total of 168/4 was defendable enough on the Adelaide pitch.
“Pitch wasn’t easy to bat on. Little bit two-paced. Me and Rizwan decided to go long, but unfortunately didn’t work out,” remarked Babar Azam who yet again struggled to get about with his innings.
Having said that, batting will become easier after spending some time at the crease, with the shorter square boundaries coming to their advantage.
