Haris Rauf stole the show with his outstanding skill with the ball as he picked four wickets in four overs and conceded only 22 runs.
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An incredible bowling performance by Pakistan saw them restrict New Zealand to 134-8 in 20 overs on Tuesday in the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The star of the bowlers was Haris Rauf who picked four wickets, followed by Shaheen Shah Afridi and Imad Wasim who bowled highly effective economical spells. The Kiwi batters were stumped by the sheer quality of their opponent’s bowling attack. While there were some who got decent starts, nobody could turn it into a big score. Pakistan will need 135 runs to win in 120 deliveries and they will be hoping to record another massive victory.
The bowling attack by Pakistan was absolutely world-class. Rauf stole the show with his outstanding skill with the ball as he picked four wickets in four overs and conceded only 22 runs in the process. He was the one who bowled the final over of the innings and was absolutely unplayable.
Shaheen Afridi kept his good run of form going as he picked one wicket and conceded 21 runs in four overs. Imad Wasim also bowled an economical spell, picking up one wicket for just 24 runs in four overs. Veteran bowler Mohammad Hafeez also picked a wicket and conceded 16 runs in two overs.
However, the most outstanding wicket has to be the run out of New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson. Williamson was starting to look dangerous and had he stayed until the end, the Kiwis might have had a larger score to defend. Williamson made 25 runs at the time and tried to take a quick single after pushing a Hasan Ali delivery. His partner at the time, Devon Conway, refused the run. A stranded Williamson had to scramble back to the crease but a pinpoint throw by Ali hit the stumps and sent the Kiwi skipper packing.
There were quite a few batters among the Kiwi ranks that got good starts on the day. Openers Martin Guptil and Daryl Mitchell scored 17 runs off 20 balls and 27 runs off 20 balls respectively. Skipper Williamson scored 25 runs off 26 balls before being run out. Conway scored 27 off 24 deliveries and Glenn Phillips made 13 off 15.
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