T20 World Cup: Pakistan outplayed us, a tough pill to swallow, says Williamson after New Zealand crash out

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson admitted that his side was "outplayed" by Pakistan in the first semi-final of T20 World Cup 2022 on Wednesday.

Pakistan clinched a clinical seven-wicket victory at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and qualified for the final. It would be Pakistan's first World Cup final since they were crowned T20 world champions in 2009.

Chasing New Zealand's below-par total of 152, openers Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam laid the platform for their side with a match-winning 105-run stand. Both players, who had been struggling going into the semi-final on Wednesday, scored a half-century each.

In the first innings, the BlackCaps lost both their openers in six overs. Williamson, coming at No. 3, stuck around for a while but could not accelerate the innings. He did score crucial 46 runs off 42 balls. No. 5 batsman Daryl Mitchell went after the Pakistan bowlers as he struck a six and three fours in his knock of 53 off 35 balls. Mitchell's fifty helped the Kiwis to reach a respectable total of 152.

In the post-match presentation, Williamson said that his side was disappointed to not have made Pakistan to work harder in the semi-final.

"We were put under pressure early. Pakistan bowled very nicely. We managed to wrestle back some momentum with an unbelievable knock from Mitchell. At the halfway stage we were feeling it was a competitive total. The wicket was a bit tough - used surface. Very disappointing to not make Pakistan work a lot harder. They were outstanding. We were outplayed.

"It's a tough pill for us to swallow. Babar and Rizwan put us under pressure. If we're honest, we wanted to be more disciplined in our areas. At the end of the day, Pakistan certainly deserved to be winners. There's been a lot of good cricket. Throughout the round-robin, we played nicely. Today we weren't at our best. Having said that, we know the fickle nature of T20 cricket," the BlackCaps skipper added.

T20 World Cup: Fast bowlers finished well, says Babar Azam

Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Babar Azam thanked the supporters, saying the boys felt like they were playing at home.

"Thanks to the crowd. We feel like we're playing at home. Got a good start with the first 6 overs with the ball. Later on, the ball didn't come on well. Fast bowlers finished well. We planned before going that we'll utilise the powerplay. He's a young guy and showing his aggression (Haris). He's playing very well. We're going to enjoy this moment. But at the same time have to focus on the final," added Babar after Pakistan's superb win in Sydney.

The second semi-final is between India and England and it is scheduled to take place on Thursday (Nov. 10) at Adelaide Oval. The winner of the game will face off against Pakistan in the final on Sunday (Nov. 13) at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). All three sides have won the T20 World Cup once and one of the said teams would join West Indies in the list of two-time winners.