Pakistan vs Scotland, 41st Match, Group 2 at Sharjah, T20 World Cup, Nov 07 2021 - Ball by Ball Commentary

9.40pm: Well that's that then. Pakistan have rolls-royced their way into the semi-finals. The four teams who played the best in the league stages are in the final four. We still have a game tomorrow, India vs Namibia, so make sure you join us for that - and then for the semis and the big final. Till then, this is Saurabh Somani bidding you goodbye, on behalf of Danyal Rasool too.

Babar Azam: One thing if I have to say, we are playing like a unit and everyone has confidence and belief in everyone else. Our plan was to bat first. We couldn't utilise the powerplay early on but then we had a partnership with Hafeez bhai and me, and then Shoaib bhai, the way he finished, the way he showed his experience, that's what he's known for. The way we've played cricket we've got good confidence. We'll carry that into the semifinals and try to play in the same way. Definitely (Dubai) is one of the best stadiums. As a player if you play in front of a whole crowd that cheers for you, your confidence increases.

Kyle Coetzer: I thought we bowled really well today, specially in the powerplay. When you've got the power in the batting line-up like Pakistan you know that they are going to find the boundaries at some stage, but I thought our guys fought really hard today. It's a huge occasion for any team, but for Associate nations it's so important. Hopefully we've inspired as many people as possible in Scotland, and hopefully Namibia have inspired as well. It shows that if you work hard enough you can deserve a spot in a competition like this. Special day for us. Tough day, but to see some of these guys in action is great. We're going to take some huge learnings from this. Playing in these conditions are different from us. And we'll have to focus on the challenges of playing in Australia (for next year's T20 World Cup).

Hassan: "5 matches and 5 different man of match for Pakistan. This show that its a team effort. "

Shoaib Malik is the Player of the Match: As we have seen in previous games, if you don't lose early wickets you have a chance of putting a good total in the end. We were discussing in our dressing room to at least get 150 and not give too many wickets early on. If you are playing on a good strip, the goal is to take a couple of balls and then start playing your game. On these tracks, you take 6-8 balls and then start playing your game. You take all the confidence going deep in the tournament. Yes i'm in good form but I want to see myself more consistent to help the team. Overall, feel fit. We have to give our best shot.

Semifinals:

England will face New Zealand on November 10 in Abu Dhabi.

Pakistan will face Australia on November 11 in Dubai.

9.24pm: Pakistan end with a spotless record in the Super 12s, with five wins in five. Dominant 72-run win to close things out. They're looking very formidable indeed. They were dawdling a bit at the start of the match, then Hafeez came and revved things up a bit, while Malik turbo-charged them. A total of 189 was always beyond Scotland, and they just concentrated on batting the overs out. Richie Berrington was superb, but the Pakistan bowlers had too much quality for Scotland.

Anjum: "Babar's approach is ideal in UAE conditions. Where he does well to score runs at start by not throwing his wicket and lay plate forms for hitters at the end. "

Badar: "Hi Saurabh, totally agree with you on Babar needing to score more quickly in next games. That's one reason he may have plenty of 50s but not many 100s. He eats up almost all overs then gets out in 60s "