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ADELAIDE (Australia): England, India, New Zealand and Pakistan have booked their semi-final places at the T20 World Cup after a tournament of upset.
AFP Sport looks at five top moments from the Super 12 stage in Australia.
1. India’s Virat Kohli entered the tournament on the back of his first T20 century in September and wowed over 90,000 ecstatic fans at the MCG with a match-winning 82 against arch-rivals Pakistan.
His two sixes off Harris Rauf at the end of the 19th over went down in folklore as his team chased down their victory target of 160 on the last ball of a match that launched India’s campaign.
“King Kohli” hit three more half-centuries as he beat former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene’s total of 1,016 runs to become the tournament’s highest ever run-scorer.
2. Ireland came into the Super 12 stage with a formidable reputation after knocking out two-time champions West Indies in the first round.
But Andrew Balbirnie’s side were not done there as they upset pre-tournament favourites, England, in a rain-affected game.
Balbirnie led from the front with a blistering 62 in Melbourne to set England a target of 158 runs and the Three Lions were 105-5 when rain stopped play, five runs behind the DLS target.
“It’s unbelievable, kind of emotional,” Balbirnie said after another famous victory.
3. In a tournament of shocks, Zimbabwe rose to the occasion by defeating Pakistan in a last-ball thriller in Perth.
The team led by Craig Ervine defended a modest 130 with a Pakistan-born spinner Sikandar Raza and fast bowler Brad Evans sharing five wickets between them to restrict Pakistan’s much-vaunted batsmen to 129-8.
Shaheen Shah Afridi fell to his knees after being run out on the last ball as Zimbabwe celebrated one of the most memorable moments of this tournament.
4. Australia’s title defense began a nightmare from which they never really recovered.
The hosts, holders and pre-tournament favorites – along with England – suffered a barely credible 89 runs at the hands of New Zealand in the first match of the Super 12.
And it came back to haunt Aaron Finch’s men as they fell short of the semi-finals on net run rate, finishing level on seven points with New Zealand and England.
5. It was a sunny Adelaide morning as South Africa’s players began to warm up for their must-win game against the Netherlands, but for them it was about the only bright spot on a dark day.
First of all, Colin Ackermann powered the lagging Dutch to a challenging 158-4 with his quick-fire unbeaten 41 and then the Dutch bowlers worked their magic for the minnows.
A powerful Protea batting line-up crumbled under the pressure of the required run rate and their World Cup was over in no time.
Probably the biggest shock of all in the Super 12 came on the final day.
AFP Sport looks at five top moments from the Super 12 stage in Australia.
1. India’s Virat Kohli entered the tournament on the back of his first T20 century in September and wowed over 90,000 ecstatic fans at the MCG with a match-winning 82 against arch-rivals Pakistan.
His two sixes off Harris Rauf at the end of the 19th over went down in folklore as his team chased down their victory target of 160 on the last ball of a match that launched India’s campaign.
“King Kohli” hit three more half-centuries as he beat former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene’s total of 1,016 runs to become the tournament’s highest ever run-scorer.
2. Ireland came into the Super 12 stage with a formidable reputation after knocking out two-time champions West Indies in the first round.
But Andrew Balbirnie’s side were not done there as they upset pre-tournament favourites, England, in a rain-affected game.
Balbirnie led from the front with a blistering 62 in Melbourne to set England a target of 158 runs and the Three Lions were 105-5 when rain stopped play, five runs behind the DLS target.
“It’s unbelievable, kind of emotional,” Balbirnie said after another famous victory.
3. In a tournament of shocks, Zimbabwe rose to the occasion by defeating Pakistan in a last-ball thriller in Perth.
The team led by Craig Ervine defended a modest 130 with a Pakistan-born spinner Sikandar Raza and fast bowler Brad Evans sharing five wickets between them to restrict Pakistan’s much-vaunted batsmen to 129-8.
Shaheen Shah Afridi fell to his knees after being run out on the last ball as Zimbabwe celebrated one of the most memorable moments of this tournament.
4. Australia’s title defense began a nightmare from which they never really recovered.
The hosts, holders and pre-tournament favorites – along with England – suffered a barely credible 89 runs at the hands of New Zealand in the first match of the Super 12.
And it came back to haunt Aaron Finch’s men as they fell short of the semi-finals on net run rate, finishing level on seven points with New Zealand and England.
5. It was a sunny Adelaide morning as South Africa’s players began to warm up for their must-win game against the Netherlands, but for them it was about the only bright spot on a dark day.
First of all, Colin Ackermann powered the lagging Dutch to a challenging 158-4 with his quick-fire unbeaten 41 and then the Dutch bowlers worked their magic for the minnows.
A powerful Protea batting line-up crumbled under the pressure of the required run rate and their World Cup was over in no time.
Probably the biggest shock of all in the Super 12 came on the final day.
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