THE vagaries of sports came to haunt Pakistan in a profound manner in the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 Championship as the favourites were pipped to the post by Australia. The thriller in Dubai yet again showed that one’s moment of fame can turn into darkness in a jiffy. After their victories over India and New Zealand in the group stage, Pakistan were a strong contender to win their second WT20 title.

 

Up against the in-form Pakis were the struggling Australians, who had somehow lived to see another day in the tournament. But as the glorious game of uncertainties send timely reminders to its pliers, cricket once again displayed its quirky side and bestowed magical powers on Matthew Wade to pull off an improbable heist. Not among the regular list of dependable saviours, Wade produced an exhilarating stuff against the bowler who had taken the tournament by storm. His audacious hitting against Shaheen Shah Afridi in the penultimate over was the perfect example of how an underdog’s bite can cause excruciating pain to the mighty. Wade displayed the never-say-die attitude on which the Aussies thrive while Pak imploded, yet again!