Aaron Finch of Australia looks on while fielding during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup semi-final match between Pakistan and Australia at Dubai International Stadium on November 11, 2021 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Following Australia's come-from-behind win over Pakistan to reach T20 World Cup final, team's captain Aaron Finch said it was a great game of cricket and credited match-winner Matthew Wade (41 not out of 17 balls) for holding on to his nerve to provide an amazing end to the semi-final in Dubai on Thursday.
Wade stuck four sixes in the death overs to propel Australia to the 177-run target while adding 81 runs for the sixth wicket with Marcus Stoinis (40* off 31)
"Never thought it was in the bag. It was a great game of cricket," said Wade at the post-match presentation ceremony. "The way Wade held his nerve at the end was amazing. That partnership with Stoinis was crucial."
It was believed that dew came to aid of Australia in the second innings after Mohammad Rizwan (67) and Fakhar Zaman (54*) powered Pakistan to 176/4 in 20 overs. However, Finch said there was no dew during the second innings.
"We have played some really good cricket in the back end. Teams chasing have been successful. There is no dew, the lights take effect. I was hoping I'd lose the toss, bat first and put up a good score on the board," he said.
Meanwhile, Mathew Wade said he didn't feel comfortable batting on the sluggish surface but Stoinis soon showed him the way while making his job easier at the end.
"I was a bit unsure but Marcus showed me the way out," Wade said. "There was one short side and I was confident that if I had to target that then I could pull it off, but it got down to two-a-ball and you had to hit everything in your arc. I got a boundary away early on and then stalled for 5-6 balls, but Marcus got the boundary away and got us to a total where I was confident in the last two overs."
