Sharjeel's cameo went in vain. © Getty
Guptill's role in the team is to get after the bowling right from the outset and he did that perfectly today. Pakistan's much-vaunted seam attack was taken apart quite clinically by some smart hitting from Guptill. It helped that the likes of Mohammad Amir were not getting much swing early on. The pitch at the PCA stadium in Mohali was one that the stroke-makers clearly loved. Guptill's mode of stand and swing worked perfectly in these conditions.
No bowler was spared as New Zealand raced away to 55 in the powerplay overs. Kane Williamson was reduced to a sidekick in the 62-run opening stand between the duo. And when he finally tried to go for the big hits as well, his lack of power did him in. Pakistan managed a fightback thereafter and pulled the run-rate back considerably.
But Guptill was still hanging in despite the loss of wickets at the other end and he managed to keep them going. New Zealand were in danger of losing out on a very good start, as they meandered in the middle overs but the finishing touches were given by an attacking Ross Taylor whose 23-ball 36 turned out to be quite decisive in the end. Without Guptill's 80 though, Pakistan could have still restricted New Zealand to a considerably lesser total but the opener's belligerence at the top turned out to be the perfect tonic to kickstart the innings.
In the chase, Pakistan's innings progressed in a very similar path to New Zealand's, particularly at the start. Sharjeel Khan, the burly left-handed opener, muscled his way to an attacking 45 at the top as Pakistan too raced away at over ten an over in the powerplay. Sharjeel's powerful pulls and drives were the perfect kickstart to the chase and New Zealand's bowlers were under pressure through the bat for the first time in the tournament.
However, it was important to note that this was probably the best batting pitch that the attack had come across so far in India. Pakistan were relishing the prospect of a mammoth run chase but the loss of Sharjeel in the 6th over turned the tide around. Khalid Latif, who came in for an injured Mohammad Hafeez, didn't quite fit the bill at No. 3.
Ahmed Shehzad too found it tough to clear the big boundaries in Mohali and eventually holed out to deep mid-wicket to put Pakistan under more pressure. Shahid Afridi's 9-ball cameo lifted Pakistan again but it all came down rather quickly thereafter. Pakistan's middle-order lacked the kind of finishing that Ross Taylor gave the Blackcaps. It was definitely more difficult with the pressure of the chase but none of the Pakistani batsman had the power to clear the fences regularly.
For New Zealand, Ish Sodhi was brilliant once again with his skiddy leg-breaks and Adam Milne managed a couple of important strikes to stem the run-flow. The innings opened into a downward spiral since the high of Sharjeel's cameo and New Zealand went on to become the first team in the tournament to bag a spot in the semi-final.
For Pakistan, the second loss in the tournament puts them in a very tight spot. They will have to win their remaining game against Australia and also hope for other results to go their way if they are to make it to the knockout stages. The margin of their loss will also reflect heavily on the net run-rate which could play a key role for the teams qualifying from this group.
Brief scores: New Zealand 180/5 in 20 overs (Martin Guptill 80, Ross Taylor 36*, Mohammad Sami 2-23) beat Pakistan 158/5 in 20 overs (Sharjeel Khan 47, Adam Milne 2-26, Mitchell Santner 2-29) by 22 runs.
NZ 180/5 (20.0 Ovs)
PAK 158/5 (20.0 Ovs)
New Zealand won by 22 runs
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