Following the team’s 7-wicket defeat against Pakistan in the semi-final, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said that they were put under pressure early in the innings and loss in the semi-final is “tough pill for to them swallow.”
Star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan found form at the right moment, smashing key half-centuries to help Pakistan cruise into the final of the ICC T20 World Cup after defeating New Zealand by seven wickets in the first semifinal at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday. “We were put under pressure early. Pakistan bowled very nicely. We managed to wrestle back some momentum with an unbelievable knock from Mitchell. At the halfway stage we felt it was a competitive total,” said Williamson in a post-match presentation.
“Wicket was a bit tough – used surface. Very disappointing not to make Pakistan work a lot harder. They were outstanding. We were outplayed. It’s a tough pill for us to swallow. Babar and Rizwan put us under pressure. If we’re honest, we wanted to be more disciplined in our areas,” the New Zealand skipper further stated.
Pakistan needed a steady start to chase the target but they got much more than that as Babar and Rizwan put up solid base for their victory. While Rizwan scored 57 from 43 deliveries, Babar played a knock of 42-balls 53.
“At the end of the day, Pakistan certainly deserve to be a winner. There’s been a lot of good cricket. Throughout the round-robin, we played nicely. Today we weren’t at our best. Having said that, we know the fickle nature of T20 cricket,” Williamson said.