Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade stood unbeaten as Australia beat Pakistan by five wickets in the second Twenty20 World Cup semi-final on Thursday and set up a title clash with New Zealand.
Chasing 177 for victory, Australia were in trouble at 96-5 when Stoinis (40) and Wade, who hit three successive sixes in his 41, put on 81 to finish off the match with one over to spare in Dubai.
David Warner made 49 before being caught behind off leg-spinner Shadab Khan who took four wickets.
Hasan Ali’s dropped chance proved costly in the end as Wade who received a new life at the crease hit three sixes of Shaheen Afridi to win Australia the match with an over to spare.
Here are some of the best reactions to a thrilling semi-final.
Well played Australia! An outstanding game of cricket indeed.#WeHaveWeWill | #T20WorldCup | #PAKvAUS pic.twitter.com/jmWlMctivN
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) November 11, 2021
What a game of cricket! 🤯#Pakistan played some good cricket but #Australia came back hard in the last 5 overs of the match and finished the game strong. 💪🏻 @MStoinis got them back into contention & @MatthewWade13 capitalized on the chance to take Australia through.#PAKvAUS pic.twitter.com/hMfIOfmD3r
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) November 11, 2021
A fantastic cricketer and match-winner. Everyone can have a bad day. Hassan Ali deserves backing and support, not abuse or finger-pointing #T20WorldCup #PAKvAUS pic.twitter.com/vdnhBreVP9
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) November 11, 2021
Special innings by Matthew wade ! Catches win matches and drop catches sometimes can be costly , ! Bad luck Pakistan I thought they were brilliant throughout the tournament . Congratulations to Australia and New Zealand! Should a be a cracker of a Sunday #PAKvAUS
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) November 11, 2021
What an eye catching match it has been, congratulations to team Australia for making it to the finals! Well played Team Pakistan #PAKvAUS #T20WorldCup 🙌
— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) November 11, 2021
You guys have not Won the World Cup but Won Hearts of every Pakistani. We couldn’t have ask for more. You guys gave your Best. So So proud of you Team Pakistan🇵🇰. Keep your Head High #PAKvAUS #PakistanZindabad pic.twitter.com/rwMOWn61VP
— Waqar Younis (@waqyounis99) November 11, 2021
Tough day for our team but they've made us all very proud with their outstanding effort and a memorable run in this mega event. Heads up guys until next time insha'Allah 💪🏻#PakistanZindabad #PAKvAUS pic.twitter.com/wM8XGIpyId
— Wahab Riaz (@WahabViki) November 11, 2021
Proud of our team. They deserve a heroic welcome back. The professionalism and spirit with which they played speaks volumes of what’s coming in the future for Pakistan cricket. Also must say, Australia, that was hell of a knock and those two sweeps! Wow! #Pakistan #PAKvAUS
— Ali Zafar (@AliZafarsays) November 11, 2021
Matthew wade last night 😂 #PAKvAUS #Wade#Warner #ShaheenShahAfridi pic.twitter.com/NwhxfIXVE7
— Shafeeq (@imshafeeq27) November 12, 2021
Peaking at the right time Australia! Should be an incredible final. Pakistan & England can still be so proud of what they’ve done this tournament. Sport can be cruel & the pressure is immense in the final moments. I’m sure both teams will bounce stronger #ICCT20WorldCup
— Isa Guha (@isaguha) November 11, 2021
Babar Azam is a fantastic batsman, but his demeanour as captain also impressive. Unpretentious after a heart-breaking defeat, making no excuses,m, optimistic about doing better going ahead but also calling out shortcomings and mistakes made
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) November 11, 2021
Matthew Wade feared the #T20WorldCup semi-final would be his last international game, and played like a man who still has plenty to offer Australia | @LouisDBCameron https://t.co/MCdf60JEFa pic.twitter.com/qe08P4wxK4
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 11, 2021
Well played, #Pak You should be extremely proud of your campaign. Plenty of positives. But the people in Pakistan must also remember that nobody drops a catch on purpose. It’s the better team on the night that wins the match. What needs fixing is your mindset. #T20WorldCup
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) November 11, 2021
Great fight boys you make us proud, wonderful effort throughout the tournament, well played Australia. I really feel this team can win the T20 World Cup next year, we all need to continue to back the players! 🇵🇰🇵🇰
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) November 11, 2021