New Zealand Advances to T20 World Cup Semi-Finals

New Zealand secured a spot in the semi-finals of the Women’s T20 World Cup with a decisive 54-run victory over Pakistan in Dubai. Pakistan faced a daunting task, needing to chase down a target of 111 runs within 10.4 overs to stay in contention for the knockout stage via net run rate. However, their aggressive strategy backfired, resulting in a collapse to 56 all out in just 11.4 overs.

Despite struggling early and falling to 28-5 after the six-over powerplay, the Pakistani batters maintained their attacking approach. New Zealand’s batters encountered difficulties against Pakistan’s spin attack which effectively stifled the run rate but suffered from poor fielding, dropping eight catches. Suzie Bates, who top-scored with 28, benefitted from two dropped catches during her innings.

Additionally, three more catches slipped through in the final over allowing Maddy Green and Izzy Gaze to add nine extra runs. New Zealand’s total of 110-6 felt subpar but their disciplined bowling performance capitalized on Pakistan’s chaotic batting. Leg-spinner Melie Kerr excelled with figures of 3-14 while Eden Carson contributed 2-7. This victory is New Zealand’s first semi-final appearance in a white-ball tournament since 2016.

They join six-time winners Australia from Group A while India has been eliminated from the tournament. New Zealand will face the winner of Group B which includes South Africa, England or the West Indies. New Zealand’s journey to the semi-finals has been remarkable especially considering their 10 consecutive T20 defeats before the tournament.

They began the competition by defeating potential champions India and continued their strong performance against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Meanwhile, Pakistan will reflect on their poor fielding and batting, as captain Fatima Sana acknowledged that they need to improve to compete at this level.