Daryl Mitchell equals Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle in a rare milestone

Daryl Mitchell in action [Source: Associated Press]

Riding on a disciplined bowling performance and a match-winning opening stand, Pakistan handed New Zealand a crushing seven-wicket defeat in the first semifinal of the T20 World Cup in Sydney. Bowling first, Pakistan restricted the Blackcaps to a modest 152 and chased it later without breaking a sweat. 

However, Daryl Mitchell put up a fight with the bat for the Kiwis, slamming a tremendous 35-ball 53, which was vital in powering his side to a decent total. Although his efforts eventually went in vain, the swashbuckling right-hander equalled Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle in a unique milestone in this process. 

Notably, this was Mitchell's second fifty in a T20 World Cup semifinal, the first one being a match-defining 47-ball 72* against England in Abu Dhabi last year. Thus, the 31-year-old joined Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle, the only two batters to have done it in the past. 

While Kohli did it in 2014 and 2016, Gayle hammered two sensational fifties in the 2009 and 2012 T20 World Cup semifinals. 

Mitchell has had a stellar run in international cricket this year, amassing 1265 runs across formats at a stupendous average of 50.6. Despite blowing hot and cold in the group stage, Mitchell proved himself a big match player with this scintillating knock in the all-important semifinal. 

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