Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) will witness the megahit when the enigmatic Pakistan (PAK) takes on stalwart New Zealand (NZ) in the first semi-final clash of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022 on November 09 (Wednesday). New Zealand became the first team of this edition to qualify for the semi-final after registering a comprehensive 35-run victory over Ireland in their last super 12 match. Pakistan, who were technically written off in the contest, were miraculously granted one last chance to script their fate when Netherlands and not rains played the spoilsport for South Africa after giving them a 13 run shocking defeat, which eliminated the proteas from the tournament. The Green Shirts then defeated Bangladesh by 5 wickets to guarantee their spot in the semi-final and hence are scheduled to meet the Blackcaps on Wednesday. From Despair to Joy! How Pakistan Made the Miraculous Journey to the Semi-Finals of T20 World Cup 2022.

Pakistan and New Zealand have met in 28 T20 internationals in the past and as documented the Green Shirts have the upper hand with 17 wins. In contrast, the Blackcaps could manage 11 victories overall. Pakistan has a history of dominating New Zealand in global tournaments and haven't lost a single semi-final to the Blackcaps yet irrespective of the format. Having said that, the Kane Williamson led side would fair enough turn blind eye to the previous records and focus solely on the upcoming encounter. Meanwhile, we take a look at the previous five head to head face-offs between Pakistan and New Zealand in the T20Is ahead of the semi-final number one.

NZ vs PAK, 14 October 2022, Pakistan won by 5 wickets

Pakistan outplayed New Zealand in the final of the tri-series. After winning the toss, Babar Azam elected to field first. New Zealand amassed as many as 163 runs in 20 overs by the help of various cameos, mentioning the major ones comprising captain Kane Williamson's 59 off 38, Glenn Phillips' 29 off 22 and Mark Chapman's 25 off 19. While chasing, Pakistan lost its first wicket in the form of Skipper Babar by Michael Bracewell to almost run a ball 15 off 14. Soon after Shan Masood came into bat, he alongwith Muhammad Rizwan piled up some runs until Michael Bracewell had his another hunt, this time Shan Masood as Pakistan were 64 for 2 in 10 overs. Following this, Rizwan was dismissed by Ish Sodhi as the required run rate started rising. However, thankfully some timely match winning cameos in the middle by Muhammad Nawaz (38 off 22), Haider Ali (31 off 15) and Iftikhar Ahmed (25 off 14) shoved Pakistan to the victory by 5 wickets and 3 balls remaining. ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Semifinals Schedule, Who Plays Who? Match Timings in IST, Venues and Teams for Semis 1 and 2.

NZ vs PAK, 11 October 2022, New Zealand won by 9 wickets

In the fourth match of the tri-series in New Zealand, Pakistan elected to bat first. New Zealand bowlers made sure not to let the green shirts breathe freely as Pakistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Michael Bracewell removed both the openers, Muhammad Rizwan and Babar Azam on 16 and 21 respectively. Meanwhile, Mitchell Santner got rid of Shan Masood for 14 and Shadab Khan for eight. Iftikhar Ahmed scored run a ball 27 but not enough and lost his wicket to Tim Southee as Pakistan were 128/6 in 19.1 overs.  Asif Ali remained unbeaten while contributing 25 off 20 balls as Pakistan scored 130 in 20 overs. The score never looked enough as the opening pair of New Zealand, Finn Allen and Devon Conway stitched a 117 run partnership to lead their side home in just 16.1 overs. Shadab Khan could scalp a wicket of Finn Allen who scored 62 but quite late as hosts won by 9 wickets and 23 balls remaining.

NZ vs PAK, 08 October 2022, Pakistan won by 6 wickets

In the second match of the tri-nation series, New Zealand elected to bat first. After an early wicket of Finn Allen by Muhammad Wasim in second over, Devon Conway and Kane Williamson steadied the innings by 61 run second wicket partnership. As soon as Muhammad Nawaz came into the attack, New Zealand lost both Conway and Williamson to left arm leg spinner in his consecutive overs. Mark Chapman later carried on the innings after scoring an impactful 32 off 16 balls to help NZ post a total of 147 runs in 20 overs. In response, Babar Azam's unbeaten 79 off 53 guided Pakistan to a comprehensive win by six wickets. Apart from skipper Babar's performance, Shadab Khan's 34 off 22 was another impactful performance in the chase. PAK in Semis! Fans Share Funny Memes As Pakistan Qualifies for Semi Final of T20 World Cup 2022, See Twitter Reactions.

NZ vs PAK, 26 October 2021, Pakistan won by 5 wickets

In the 19th group match of ICC Men's T20I World Cup 2021, Pakistan won the toss and invited New Zealand to bat first. Haris Rauf's fiery spell of 4/22 along with other bowlers aided Pakistan to restrict New Zealand on an average total of 134 runs. To name a few, Kane Williamson's 25 runs, Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway's 27 each contributed to the final total. While chasing, Pakistan made it hard on themselves as runs kept coming slow on the board. Muhammad Rizwan top scored 33 off 34 balls while as Shoaib Malik's 26 off 20 was another major innings in the chase. Ish Shodi scalped two wickets of Muhammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman meanwhile Tim Southee bowled out Babar Azam on nine. Mitchell Santner got rid of another danger man Muhammad Hafeez for 11 off 6 balls as Pakistan was yet to reach their target of 135 runs. And finally, it was Asif Ali's 27 off 12 balls that ended the contest in Pakistan's favour as they won by 5 wickets with 8 balls remaining.

NZ vs PAK, 22 December 2020, Pakistan won by 4 wickets

In the third and final T20I of the three-match series held in New Zealand, Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first. As New Zealand came into bat, Devon Conway's sensational knock of 63, complemented by Tim Seifert's 35 and Glenn Phillips' 31 helped Kiwis post a defending total of 173 runs. Faheem Ashraf remained the most economical bowler for Pakistan as he delivered a decent spell of 3/20 in 4 overs. In response to New Zealand's target, Pakistan saw opener Muhammad Rizwan thrashing the kiwi bowlers as he smashed a top-notch 89 off 59 deliveries. From the other side, it was Muhammad Hafeez who amassed 41 off 29 balls to get the team near to the target. While Scott Kuggeleijn and Tim Southee took two wickets each in the middle, it was Iftikhar Ahmed who closed the contest with his 14 off 7 balls as Pakistan registered a 4 wicket win.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 08, 2022 08:57 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).