T20 World Cup: Rizwan, Fakhar help Pakistan make 176 for four against Australia

Rizwan and Fakhar hit fine half centuries

A fine half-century from Mohammad Rizwan and an equally impressive knock from Fakhar Zaman helped Pakistan post 176 for four in the T20 World Cu semifinal against Australia on Thursday.

After being asked to bat first, Rizwan (67, 52 balls) and skipper Babar Azam (39 off 34 balls) shared 71 runs for the first wicket in 10 overs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Babar and Rizwan played fluently on a track that offered little support to the Australian bowlers.

After Babar fell to leg-spinner Adam Zampa, Rizwan began playing more attacking shots. He found a good partner in Zaman (55 off 32 balls) as the two batsmen shared 72 runs for the second wicket off just 42 balls.

But the Pakistani six-hitting machine, Asif Ali (0), failed to click on Thursday after Rizwan's dismissal.

And the veteran Shoaib Malik (1) also failed to find the big shots.

But Zaman hit two big sixes against Mitchell Starc in the final over to help Pakistan post a challenging total.