Pakistan has started the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 on a high note where they have won all four games so far. However, they have been winning hearts both on and off the field now. After having won the match against Namibia by 45 runs, the Babar Azam-led Pakistan team came to visit the Namibian dressing room as well. And, congratulated them for their campaign as well.
Pakistan players like Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Hasan Ali, Fakhar Zaman, and Shadab Khan were seen giving a surprise visit to the Namibian team in a video shared by the Pakistan Cricket Board on social media as well.
#SpiritofCricket – Pakistan team visited Namibia dressing room to congratulate them on their journey in the @T20WorldCup#WeHaveWeWill | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/4PQwfn3PII
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) November 2, 2021
However, after winning the match, Pakistan became the first team to seal their place in the semifinal in the ongoing T20 World Cup in the UAE. After having been elected to bat first, the Pakistani openers – Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan provided the team with a solid start and helped them post a massive total of 189/2 on the board after 20 overs as well.
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Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batsman Rizwan scored an unbeaten on 79 off 50 balls and Babar Azam smashed 70 from 49 balls. While chasing, Namibia could only manage 144/5 in their allotted 20 overs, with David Wiese scoring an unbeaten 43 off 31 balls. Pakistan will now play against Scotland in their final Super 12 clash.
After the win, Pakistan captain Babar Azam said: “It’s really good, we’re maintaining our winning momentum. We wanted to do things differently today, test our batting. Conditions were tough early on, they bowled well and we wanted to take the partnership deep. The way Hafeez batted and got into form, it was important for us as he is a key player. Hasan Ali was given the new ball as conditions were suitable. If you need to win tournaments, you need to be consistent across all departments. The fielding was a bit lax, there was dew, so that’s an area to improve. Need to keep improving and irrespective of whom we face in the semifinal, we want to maintain the same intensity.”
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Mohammad Rizwan, who won the Player of the Match, said: “It was difficult to bat initially and conditions proved to be very tricky for both of us (Me and Babar). Even when we tried to play normal shots or big hits, it just didn’t work out and then we decided to take it deep and attack at the end. But that said, I want to give the credit to the (Namibia) bowlers because they kept bowling in the same area at the start and bowled really well. Hafeez’s innings gave us the momentum and he kept telling me to stay patient and in the last over I decided to go hard and got some useful runs. We are gelling well as a team and have ticked all the boxes and will see what lies ahead for us.”
