After a host of close finishes and a few upsets, the ‘Super 12’ stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup has finally come to an end, leaving us with the four semi-finalists who will now fight for a place in the grand finale, set to take place on November 13, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
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A pumped-up Pakistan will take on New Zealand during the first semi-final, at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Wednesday, November 9.
While the Kiwis made it through to the semis post comfortably winning their last ‘Super 12’ fixture against Ireland, Pakistan had their most intimate relationship ever with good fortune on Sunday, which miraculously booked their berth in the final-4 with a win over Bangladesh.
ALSO READ: Pakistan vs New Zealand semi-final SCG pitch report
The Kiwis do look like a a team with fewer loose ends as compared to the Pakistani side, but they will be wary of the threat the Pakistani pace quartet particularly possess.
As for Pakistan, their opening batting pair of Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan have so far only played as a liability in the team, consistently making way for undue pressure on the rest of the batters.
Sydney Cricket Ground average score in T20 international
Across the 16 complete T20Is at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) from 2007-2022, the average score stands at 164.2 runs.
The pitch at this venue has proved to be ideal for batting in the ongoing T20 World Cup as well, with two lone scores of 200 runs or above being hit at this venue itself.
Highest successful run chases at the SCG in T20I history
The record for the highest successful T2oI run-chase at the SCG belongs to team India, when they chased down the total of 197/5 scored by hosts Australia during the third T20I on the last ball, with 7 wickets in hand in January 2016.
Shane Watson’s century (124* off 71) went in vain, as half-centuries from Rohit Sharma (52), Virat Kohli (50), and a 25-ball 49* off the bat of Suresh Raina chased the target down.
In fact, the record for second and third highest successful run-chases at this venue is also registered under team India’s name, in the years 2020 and 2018 respectively.
