We’ve played a lot against Pakistan and we know they are a dangerous side: Tim Southee
The stage is set for the four semi-finalists after the conclusion of the final Super 12 stage fixture on Sunday. Last year’s runner-up New Zealand will square off against Pakistan, while tournament favorites England will face a stern test against an in-form Indian side. New Zealand’s Tim Southee has admitted that the team won’t be making the mistake of taking their opponents lightly ahead of the encounter at the SCG.
Pakistan, the side with a record number of semi-final appearances in the tournament’s history, were on the brink of an early exit after losing both their opening matches. But back-to-back victories against the Dutch and South Africa kept their hopes alive, and a typical slip by the Proteas presented them with an opportunity for the semis. The Kiwi pacer acknowledges their efforts and is well aware of Pakistan’s threats at the knockout stages of the competition.
“When you get to the top four every side has a chance. We’ve played a lot against Pakistan in recent times and we know they’re a dangerous side. Credit to them, they probably turned up thinking they didn’t have much of a chance, but they put on another good performance and they’ll be a massive threat come to the semi-final,” Southee said ahead of the first semi-final.
There’s still a lot of cricket to be played until we get to the final: Tim Southee
On New Zealand’s chances of making it to the final for a second successive time, Southee revealed that the team is taking one game at a time and needs to bring out their best game to make it to that stage. The veteran quick revealed that they are not trying to do something different for the upcoming game and will approach it like they did all the previous matches.
“There’s still a lot of cricket to be played until we get to that stage. Pakistan are a quality side and we’re going to have to be on top of our game to get past them on Wednesday. Hopefully, we can continue the way that we’ve been playing and have another good performance in the semi. One of the consistencies of the side is the way we approach things is pretty much the same, no matter what game it is. That’s something to come back to and that’s something we’re very good at,” he added.
