T20 World Cup 2021: "Would not want to face Pakistan in the semi-final" - Michael Vaughan

Former England captain Michael Vaughan reckons that whichever team will face Pakistan in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2021 will have their work cut out. According to Vaughan, the England vs Australia game on Saturday could be huge because the winner could potentially avoid a semis clash with Pakistan.

Pakistan registered their third win in as many games, defeating Afghanistan by five wickets in Dubai on Friday. They are on top of the points table in Group 2 and look set to remain there.

In Group 1, Australia and England have registered two wins each. The side that clinches the clash on Saturday could top their group. In the semi-finals, the team which finishes first in its group will meet the side which finishes second in the other group.

Speaking about Saturday’s England vs Australia clash in Dubai, Vaughan said during a discussion on Cricbuzz:

“Tomorrow’s (Saturday’s) England vs Australia game is a monster. Whoever wins is going to finish top. I am sure Pakistan are going to finish top in their group. I would not want to face Pakistan in the semi-final. I’ll be more than happy to play in the other semi-final and hope someone knocks them (Pakistan) out. We are a long way off from the final but they seem to have everything.”

Elaborating on why Pakistan look favorites to lift the T20 World Cup 2021 crown, the former batter opined that they seem to have all bases covered. Vaughan explained:

“In this Pakistan team, you have that opening combination (Azam and Rizwan), you have got that experience in the middle with Hafeez and Malik. Now, you have got finishers, and with their bowling combination, they look a terrific side.”

The 47-year-old further stated that the manner of Pakistan’s victory against Afghanistan spells danger for other sides in the competition. He explained:

“To get over the line in the fashion that they ended up doing, it sends quite a strong message. They were pushed into a corner by Afghanistan and they came out with a fantastic victory because of a team contribution. It’s concerning for all other teams in the competition.”

Pakistan needed 24 to win off the last two overs. Asif Ali smashed Karim Janat for four sixes in the penultimate over to seal the deal.

“They put up a really good fight” - Vaughan hails Afghanistan for giving Pakistan a scare

Even though Afghanistan ended up on the losing side, Vaughan was mighty impressed with their performance. He stated that Afghanistan were very smart with their planning and only lost because the opponents were far too superior in terms of talent.

Backing Afghanistan’s decision of holding backing leggie Rashid Khan, Vaughan asserted:

“Afghanistan had the perfect tactic. They wanted to get that rate at something around 8, throw the ball to Rashid Khan and cause a bit of chaos. It nearly came off for Afghanistan. They put up a really good fight.”

Afghanistan recovered from 76 for 6 to post 147 for 6. They then had Pakistan in trouble at 124 for 5 before Asif Ali snatched the game away.