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Pakistan will continue their rollercoaster ride at the Twenty20 World Cup into the final after beating New Zealand by seven wickets in front of a raucous crowd largely made up of their compatriots at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

Paceman Shaheen Afridi led the way with 2-24 as the Black Caps were restricted to 152-4 before openers Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam finally found their scoring touch with half centuries in a 105-run stand to lay the foundation for victory.

Pakistan scraped into the last four only after the Netherlands had upset South Africa last Sunday but will now play India or England, who face off in the second semi-final in Adelaide on Thursday, in Sunday’s title decider in Melbourne.

“It means a lot (to reach the final),” said Pakistan captain Babar.

“We did not start the tournament well but after South Africa lost we took our opportunity and we are playing our best cricket and in the final.”

Riding the momentum of their great escape from the group stage, the 2009 champions lost the toss but still looked charged with confidence from the moment Afridi took the ball for the opening over.

New Zealand’s powerplay maestro Finn Allen cracked a four off the first delivery but had to be rescued from an lbw decision by DRS on the second before departing trapped in front on the third.

Devon Conway was run out by a direct hit from Shadab Khan for 21 on the final ball of the powerplay to leave New Zealand on 38-2 and another dangerman Glenn Phillips was meekly caught and bowled by spinner Mohammad Nawaz for six soon afterwards.

Skipper Kane Williamson steadied the ship with Daryl Mitchell but departed for 46 when he attempted to paddle a slower Afridi delivery which rattled into his unguarded stumps.

Mitchell, New Zealand’s batting hero on their run to last year’s final in Abu Dhabi, continued to an unbeaten 53 but his 35-ball innings featured only four boundaries as tight bowling and athletic fielding kept him shackled.

Babar and Rizwan had failed to deliver on their considerable reputations in the group stage but made up for it in some style with a blockbuster opening partnership.

The captain enjoyed a stroke of luck when he was dropped by wicketkeeper Conway off his first ball from Trent Boult but hammered 53 runs off the next 41 deliveries he faced before holing out in the deep, according to Reuters.

Mon of the match Rizwan reached the half century mark soon afterwards before also holing out for 57 but Mohammad Haris kept up the pace with a bright 30 and Shan Masood got them over the line at 153-3 with five balls to spare.

Shaheen Afridi's four-wicket haul and a calm hand from the Shan Masood helped Pakistan beat Bangladesh by five wickets and qualify for the semi-finals, Hindustan Times reported. South Africa's stunning loss to the Netherlands earlier in the day made this game a virtual quarter-finals, with both Bangladesh and Pakistan having a chance to finish in the top two. It was Pakistan who prevailed in a nervy chase in which both sides made a lot of mistakes. Bangladesh have finished fifth in the group, below the Netherlands.

A charge sheet has been filed against Nepal national cricket team skipper Sandeep Lamichhane at the Kathmandu District Court on Monday, demanding 12 years of imprisonment. Laxman Upadhyay, District Attorney and spokesperson at the District Public Prosecutor's Office in Kathmandu, said that a rape charge has been filed against Lamichhane at the court, demanding 10 to 12 years of imprisonment. Earlier, a 17-year-old girl had filed a rape complaint against Lamichhane at the Metropolitan Police Circle, Gaushala when he was abroad to play Caribbean Premier League (CPL) from Jamaica Tallawahs. According to the complaint, Lamichhane had allegedly taken the girl to various places in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur on August 21 and raped her in a hotel room the same night.

Nepal performed satisfactorily in the FIA Motorsport Games 2022. Based in Olympic format, the event is equal to the World Cup as teams from all over the world participated in this mega event. This is the first time that Nepal took part in such a high level competition in motorsport games. Anil Baral (Team Captain), Diprash Shakya (Karting Sprint), and Jiswan Tuladhar Shrestha had taken part in the games from Nepal. “This is a proud moment for Nepal and for us to represent our country on the world stage. I would like to congratulate all the participants for further success,” Nepal Automobiles Association (NASA Nepal) President Dasarath Risal said. Players from more than 70 countries had taken part in the tournament. Despite lack of high-level training and infrastructure, Nepali players finally got an opportunity to participate in the games, he said. Baral delivered a world-class performance in the tournament while Shakya’s performance was also highly appreciated.