Images from the T20 World Cup semi-final between Pakistan and Australia, in Dubai, on Thursday.
Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis produced a late assault, after David Warner’s fiery 49 set the chase up, to enable Australia beat Pakistan by five wickets and enter the final of the T20 World Cup, in Dubai, on Thursday.
In Sunday’s final, Australia will meet New Zealand, who beat England in the first semi-final.
Chasing down 177 to win the second semi-final, Australia were on the backfoot after Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed Aaron Finch for a first-ball duck, with the third delivery of the first over, and Mitchell Marsh survived a close leg before review off the next delivery.
But the Aussies rode out the storm and seemed to be taking control of the match as Warner raced to a fiery 49.
Spinner Shadab Khan then turned the game Pakistan's way, taking four wickets for 26 runs, including a controversial dismissal of Warner, to leave the match on a knife’s-edge.
In the end, the remarkable semi-final had a final twist in the tale, as Wade and Stoinis blazed away in the final overs to get Australia across the line and knock out the thus far tournament’s undefeated team out.
Stoinis finished with 40 from 31 balls, but it was Wade who was the hero, his 41 coming off just 17 deliveries, including three consecutive sixes off Afridi to seal victory with an over to spare.
Earlier, Mitchell Marsh came to the crease after the early fall of Finch and, after surviving Afridi’s stunning opening spell, joined forces with Warner to lift Australia to 52 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay.
But Shadab ended the partnership as Marsh miscued to Asif Ali in the deep, and Steve Smith also fell to Shadab in the deep soon after, scoring just five from six.
Warner though kept the scoring going, with one particular ball yielding seven runs as Mohammad Hafeez got it all wrong to send a double-bouncing no-ball trickling towards Warner, who still somehow muscled it for six.
Warner looked to be taking the game away from Pakistan until he edged a Shadab googly behind one run short of his 50... or at least until it looked like he edged it behind.
Both the bowler and Rizwan raced away in celebration and a furious Warner walked off, with the umpire raising his finger.
Replays suggested Warner had not connected with the ball, meaning there must have been some other movement or click, potentially in the bat handle, that confused all parties.
Shadab then wrapped up his four-for in his final over when the dangerous Glenn Maxwell was superbly caught by Haris Rauf.
Earlier, Mohammad Rizwan punished Australia for two dropped catches to post his third half-century in the T20 World Cup as Pakistan posted an imposing 176 for 4.
It was the opener's tenth fifty of an extraordinary 2021 that has seen him become the first batter in T20I history to score over a thousand runs in a calendar year.
Rizwan’s innings wasn't without chances, with Pakistan given a major let-off early on when he was dropped by David Warner without scoring.
The opener went for a big hit off Glenn Maxwell and miscued it, but Warner, running backwards and watching the ball drop over his shoulder, couldn't hold onto the catch and watched as it trickled away for four.
Pakistan and Rizwan had another lucky break off the final delivery of the Powerplay, when Adam Zampa got his hands to what would have been a spectacular catch in the deep, but couldn't hold on.
Rizwan was also on the receiving end after he completely missed a short ball from Mitchell Starc which clattered straight into his helmet and left him needing treatment for some bruising to the side of the face.
Rizwan and Babar Azam got Pakistan off to a flier after losing the toss and being put in to bat, putting on the biggest opening stand against Australia in the tournament.
But skipper Azam fell off the final delivery before the drinks break, caught in the deep off Adam Zampa for a typically fluent 39 off 34.
Pakistan were reduced to 71 for 1 after 10 overs, but did well to add 105 in the following ten, thanks largely to Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman.
Rizwan was dismissed by Mitchell Starc in the 18th over after brilliant 67 off 52 balls and Pakistan were reduced to 143 for 2.
But the platform he had laid did not go to waste as Zaman produced a stunning display late on, smashing 55 not out off 22 deliveries including two enormous sixes off the final over after
Asif Ali (0) and Shoaib Malik (1) were both dismissed cheaply.
The last five overs yielded 59 runs for Pakistan.
