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Netherlands player's heartwarming chat with Babar Azam post South Africa upset (Image Source: Twitter)
The first match of the triple-header between South Africa and Netherlands turned out to be an upset as the team led by Scott Edwards managed to defeat the Proteas by 13 runs, preventing them from making it through to the semis. For the unversed, after putting 158 runs on the board at the end of the first innings, Netherlands managed to defend the total and restrict South Africa to just 145 runs, shocking the entire cricket fraternity.
The match happened in Adelaide and the match that followed was between Pakistan and Bangladesh. Tom Cooper, the star cricketer from Netherlands, told the Pakistan skipper while returning back to the pavilion post the win, to seal the match against the Bangla Tigers and allow them to finish in the Top 4 in Group 2.
To add more, Pakistan had to win the match against Bangladesh to let Netherlands stay in the Top 4 of the group and Babar’s men did manage to take home the 2 points. With the win, while they let Netherlands stay in the Top 4, the Men in Green finished second in the points table and made it through to the semi-finals.
“Hey! make sure you win(against Bangladesh), so that we finish fourth(on the points table),” Cooper said as he waved his hands at Pakistan’s skipper. The video, which was uploaded by former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar, was shared all over the internet and fans from both countries came together to cherish the moment.
What a beautiful moment between the captains of Netherlands & Pakistan.
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) November 6, 2022
They got us into the semifinals. We ensured their entry into next T20 World Cup. pic.twitter.com/FC13lteSwN
Pakistan sneak into semis
With Netherlands crushing the Proteas out of the ongoing 20-20 World Cup, Pakistan’s hopes of making it to the semis came true as they only needed to win the match against Bangladesh on Sunday. After restricting Bangladesh to just 127 runs in the first innings, the Men in Green chased down the target with 5 wickets to spare and stormed into the knockouts.
Stunned by the turn of events, the Pakistan skipper Babar, said that it was a team game and hoped to make it to the finals. Saying that his boys were excited to play in the semi-finals against New Zealand, Babar lauded his team for their courage and valiance.
“It's a team game. Cricket is a funny game. Appreciate all my team the way they played all matches. Pitch wasn't easy to bat on. Little bit two-paced. Me and Rizwan decided to go long, but unfortunately didn't work out. Haris showed aggression, good to see him play. Looking forward to the semifinals. All of us are excited to play,” said Babar in the post-match interview.