Sports Bulletin

Special Report DUBAI:-The stage is ready for the championship match of ICC T20 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2021 at Dubai International Stadium, Dubai on Sunday night. AUSTRALIA (Playing XIs): 1. Aaron Finch (C) 2. David Warner 3. Mitchell Marsh 4. Glenn Maxwell 5. Steve Smith 6. Marcus Stoinis 7. Matthew Wade (WK) 8. Pat Cummins 9. Mitchell Starc 10. Adam Zampa 11. Josh Hazlewood NEW ZEALAND (Playing XIs): 1. Daryl Mitchell 2. Martin Guptill 3. Kane Williamson (C) 4. Glenn Phillips 5. Tim Seifert (WK) 6. Jimmy Neesham 7. Mitchell Santner 8. Adam Milne 9. Tim Southee 10. Ish Sodhi 11. Trent Boult Match Officials: Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle On-field umpires: Marais Erasmus and Richard Kettleborough TV umpire: Nitin Menon Fourth umpire: Kumar Dharmasena Australia Squad: Aaron Finch (C), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (VC), Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa New Zealand Squad: Kane Williamson (c) – Todd Astle – Trent Boult – Mark Chapman – Devon Conway – Lockie Ferguson – Martin Guptill – Kyle Jamieson – Daryl Mitchell – Jimmy Neesham – Glenn Phillips – Mitchell Santner – Tim Seifert (wk) – Ish Sodhi – Tim Southee – Adam Milne* (injury cover)  

DUBAI,UEA(Aamir Ali Janjua)Aaron Finch says the aftermath of Australia’s heavy defeat to England helped propel his side into the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 final, where they face New Zealand. Finch’s side were soundly beaten by the ICC Cricket World Cup (50-over) champions in their third Group 1 game, going down by eight wickets. Their campaign hinged on the five-day period that followed, allowing them to recover physically and redouble their tactical focus. “We were disappointed after that game, obviously,” said Finch. “We had a couple of days off to regroup after a gruelling couple of weeks of the tournament when we had to go through quarantine and really hard training. “It gave us the chance to freshen up mentally and physically. We talked about staying committed to being aggressive. “We felt we were a bit timid against England and got outplayed in the powerplay, particularly with the way that Chris Woakes bowled. “It was just about staying really aggressive. In this format, when you’re up against top opposition, you don’t get many opportunities to get into the game and you have to find every small edge. “We just reiterated that, as a team, that’s the way we wanted to go about the tournament.” Since then, Australia overran Bangladesh and West Indies by eight wickets before a stunning five-wicket semi-final triumph over Pakistan, coming up on the rails to reach the final. It is the second time an Australian men’s team have reached the T20 World Cup final, reaching that stage for the first time in 2010 when they went down to England. Australia’s results in the shortest form of the game have been patchy in recent years - they last won a bilateral series in February 2020 and lost five in a row coming into the tournament. “Everyone had written us off but we had a lot of confidence within in the way we were preparing and our strategy was coming together,” said Finch. “We haven’t defied expectations, we came here with a clear plan to win the tournament and we’ve still got the squad to do that.” Similarly, it feels like New Zealand are pegged as dark horses every time they enter an ICC major event. That doesn’t stack up with their record - they reached the finals of the last two Cricket World Cups, the semi-finals of the 2016 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and won the inaugural ICC World Test Championship. They proved their big-game mettle in the semi-finals with a five-wicket win over England. Captain Kane Williamson said: “The side has been operating well as a collective and playing for each other. “We saw a pretty exciting semi-final, both semi-finals actually were somewhat similar. You see moments in games that are match-defining and games that can take quite a sharp turn when you have some key performances. “That’s why the tournament has been exciting, you looked across the board and saw match-winners throughout and that every team could beat anyone on their day. “We’ve tried to learn and grow throughout and we have another opportunity to do that.” New Zealand lost fast bowler Lockie Ferguson to injury before the tournament and now will be without batter Devin Conway for the final. Conway suffered a hand injury after punching his bat after being dismissed in the semi-final. “The loss of Devin is a big one, he’s been a big part of all formats for us,” said Williamson.“ It’s a disappointing and freak thing to happen.” “For us, it’s keeping our focus on the task and all of our players are focused on the opportunity, to go out and adjust to a different venue and opposition tomorrow.”

SPECIAL REPORT: While the spotlight was on India, Pakistan, England and Australia throughout the tournament there was a little voice inside my head saying: ‘hang on don’t forget about New Zealand’. They are the current World Test champions, played in the last 50-over World Cup final and their white-ball cricket has been exceptional over the past couple of years. They are street smart and organised and have an inspirational leader in Kane Williamson. Batting first, England would’ve felt the pressure to put a good score on the board with teams in this tournament preferring to chase. New Zealand have a very strong bowling attack and had the perfect start, breaking the new opening partnership of Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler. In a high-pressure game, 160 is a good score and thanks to Moeen Ali, Dawid Malan and a late cameo from Liam Livingstone they reached a total they would’ve felt was defendable in a finals match. Chasing in a semifinal, you want your big guns to fire but when the Black Caps lost Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson, the hopes of a nation were on the shoulders of World Cup newcomers Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway. On the big stage, this was their opportunity to make a name for themselves in white-ball cricket, and they knew exactly the game they needed to play, blocking out the noise and playing every ball on its merit. That’s the important thing about T20, if one solid partnership can take the game as deep as possible and you have big hitters at the back end, anything is possible. New Zealand won’t mind who they are playing in the final. They’ve already overcome a huge hurdle and got one over England which shows they can handle the heat when it's on them. In a final, it's about doing the basics as well as possible. That, group is really focused on the fundamentals, but also have the ability to flick the switch to fifth gear and blow teams out of the water. Their focus will be on getting themselves ready and controlling what they can control. Whoever they come up against, they'll be ready for them.

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Dubai (November 12, 2021):-Umpires Marais Erasmus and Richard Kettleborough will assume on-field duties in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 to be played between Australia and New Zealand at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. Umpires Marais Erasmus and Richard Kettleborough will assume on-field duties in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 to be played between Australia and New Zealand at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. Nitin Menon will be the TV umpire for the match while Kumar Dharmasena will be the fourth umpire. The final will be overseen by Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle. Match Officials for the final: Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle On-field umpires: Marais Erasmus and Richard Kettleborough TV umpire: Nitin Menon Fourth umpire: Kumar Dharmasena

SPECIAL REPORT: Even though they ended up losing, I’m incredibly proud of the way this Pakistan team performed and how close they came to reaching the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 final.  In the end it came down to a few lapses in the field because they had put the runs on the board and everyone contributed. They just could not quite get over the line against Australia.  Shaheen Shah Afridi’s first over was incredible. That is becoming an event, everything stops when he has the new ball in his hand. He has been brilliant and builds up pressure because of his consistency, his application and his skill. The best batters in the world feel under pressure when he has that new ball and it is incredible the way he has used it in this tournament.  This team knew they were good enough to perform like this, 12 of the 15 won the Champions Trophy so it was in their muscle memory. That’s why I, along with a lot of people, knew that you could not rule them out.  The tournament did show that Pakistan are still quite new to these sort of match-ups and how teams use data to plan, execute and select their teams. That is an area where I think they can improve, and likewise when it comes to dealing with pressure.  And the last thing, which might have been the key to the semi-final, is about using all 15 players in the squad. Since the warm-ups, Pakistan have stuck with the same XI throughout, whereas there might have been an opportunity to try some other plans, or bring in a top player like Mohammad Wasim Jnr at some point. We saw Australia change things, leaving out Marcus Stoinis at one point then bringing him back and he ended up being the match winner.  It can be good to test a few people just to give yourself options when it comes to the knockout stages.  Australia seem to be peaking at just the right time and the way they have planned and covered all bases for these knockout stages has been really impressive. They knew they needed the extra batting and it won them the semi-final.  What is great about this team is that they were still not at their best, they missed a few chances in the field so they can still improve on this performance which makes them even more dangerous.  I would love to see New Zealand lift the trophy, but I think Australia may have the edge in the final because they have the better balance, particularly with Devon Conway out injured. He has been such a key player for New Zealand and his absence might just swing it Australia’s way. 

SPECIAL REPORT Dubai (November 11, 2021):-Australia reached in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup 2021 after beating Pakistan by five wickets in the second semifinal at Dubai International Stadium Dubai on Thursday night. When David Warner and Glenn Maxwell fell in successive overs from Shadab Khan, the chase of 177 seemed doomed, but Stoinis and Wade had other ideas as they put on 81 in 7.4 overs. Stoinis started the comeback as he went after Haris Rauf, but it was Wade who did the most damage with three consecutive sixes off Shaheen Shah Afridi after being dropped by Hasan Ali to seal an unlikely success. Pakistan had made 176 for four batting first thanks to half-centuries from Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman, while Shadab Khan’s four for 26 looked to have swung the game their way. But this Australia team has already shown incredible resolve in this tournament and it was the case again here as they dug themselves out of a hole to reach a second ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final. It was a remarkable game, with Pakistan batting consultant Matthew Hayden revealing that Rizwan had spent the previous night in hospital with a lung problem, but he was fit to take his place in Dubai as Pakistan were put in to bat. And while he looked very nervous early on, Babar Azam was able to score quickly before Rizwan settled in. He was almost dismissed off Maxwell, a surprise choice to bowl in the powerplay, with Warner racing back but not quite able to take a stunner over his shoulder. The turning point for Rizwan seemed to be the first ball of the fifth over from Josh Hazlewood which he smashed for six over the legside, before being given a second life, Adam Zampa this time putting down a tough chance off the last ball of the powerplay when it was whipped flat down to him at long leg but slipped from his grasp inches from the ground. With 47 for none, Pakistan had their best score of the powerplay in the tournament and Babar continued to press on. But Maxwell and Zampa then managed to stem the flow of runs and that pressure told as Babar tried to take on the latter, picking out Warner on the boundary. Maxwell’s bowling was proving crucial, ensuring that Australia’s fifth bowler would not prove the weak link as he went for just 20 from three overs. Rizwan’s charge was slowed by a vicious short delivery from Mitchell Starc which rattled into the grill on his helmet. He responded by hitting Hazlewood for six before getting to his half-century the next delivery.  In this tournament, Pakistan have been exceptional in the final four overs, and it was no different here as Fakhar finally found his groove, smashing Hazlewood for six over long-on before Rizwan put a high full toss away for four and the resulting free hit into the stands for six. With 21 off that over and 49 off his four, Hazlewood proved expensive. Eventually, Rizwan went for 67, scooping Starc to mid-off, but Fakhar, the only Pakistan batter who had not really fired in this tournament to date, had his eye in. The next ball he smashed Starc miles back over his head before almost taking out umpire Chris Gaffaney with a straight four. Asif Ali had averaged a six every three balls in this tournament, but he could not contribute this time, picking out Steve Smith on the boundary on his first ball, from Pat Cummins. It should have been two in two but Smith put down Fakhar next ball, running in from the boundary as he watched the ball bounce out of his hands.  While Cummins went for just three runs off the 19th over, and Starc removed Shoaib Malik at the start of the last, back-to-back sixes from Fakhar took him to an unbeaten 55 and Pakistan to an imposing 176 for four. Australia’s chase got off to the worst possible start as Shaheen produced one of the overs of the tournament to kick things off. He trapped Aaron Finch leg before off the third delivery, then Mitchell Marsh almost suffered the same fate from a yorker next ball, surviving the review thanks to a pair of umpire’s calls. In the fourth over, Warner started to take a liking to Imad Wasim, and as he and Marsh got going, suddenly Australia were motoring along. By the end of the powerplay, they had 52 for one, the best of any team against Pakistan, but Shadab did for Marsh, a steepling catch well held by Asif as he fell for 28. Mohammad Hafeez was brought into the attack and his first ball gripped in the hand and came out all wrong, bouncing twice before Warner lifted it into the stands, a no-ball rubbing salt into the wounds. Steve Smith became Shadab’s second victim, again trying to attack and finding the fielder in the outfield, Fakhar the safe pair of hands on this occasion. Warner was nearly run out after a misjudged single from Maxwell gave Fakhar a chance with a direct hit. It felt like Warner had the win at his fingertips, while he was there, Australia were favourites. But the ball after the drinks break he went after one from Shadab that went away from him, nicking through to Rizwan. The elation from bowler and keeper as Warner fell for 49 told its own story. Remarkably, a replay appeared to indicate that Warner had missed the ball, but like everyone else, he obviously thought he had hit it, choosing not to review. Shadab was piling on the pressure and he got another, again with the help of some good fielding, as Haris Rauf caught Maxwell with a diving grab in the deep from a reverse sweep as Australia’s most destructive batter departed for seven. It was down to Stoinis and Wade and after another fine over from Shaheen, the equation was 62 from five overs. Stoinis was first to take on the bowlers as targeted Haris, with a huge six over midwicket followed by a four driven straight back past the bowler. The next over it was Wade who stepped into Hasan, hitting him back over his head for six to bring up the fifty partnership as Australia took 15 off the over in all, leaving 22 to get off two. Shaheen returned for the penultimate over and Hasan had the chance to remove Wade, dropping the keeper in the outfield after he did not connect with a heave over midwicket. A ball later, Wade jumped across his stumps and scooped Shaheen for six to take Australia to within touching distance. Scores in Brief Australia beat Pakistan at Dubai International Stadium, Dubai by five wickets Pakistan 176/4 in 20 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 67, Fakhar Zaman 55 not out; Mitchell Starc 2/38, Adam Zampa 1/22) Australia 177/5 in 19 overs (David Warner 49, Matthew Wade 41 not out; Shadab Khan 4/26, Shaheen Shah Afridi 1/35) Player of the Match: Matthew Wade (Australia)

SPECIAL REPORT Dubai (November 11, 2021):-Pakistan set a-177-run target for Australia in the second semifinal of ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup 2021 at Dubai International Stadium Dubai on Thursday night. Pakistan (Playing XIs): Babar Azam (Captain), Mohammad Rizwan (Wicketkeeper), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shahdab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf Australia (Playing XIs): Aaron Finch (Captain), David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade (Wicketkeeper), Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.  Scorecard: Pakistan Batting: Australia Bowling: Australia Batting: Pakistan Bowling:  

Sports News Abu Dhabi (November 10, 2021):-New Zealand reached into the final of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after beating England by 5 wickets in semifinal at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. Chasing 167, the Black Caps were on the back foot when key duo Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson were dismissed by Chris Woakes inside the first three overs of the reply. But the ship was steadied by Mitchell and Devon Conway, who added 82 for the third wicket, before Jimmy Neesham blasted 26 from 10 to turn the tide in his side’s favour. And Mitchell was on hand to hit the winning runs from the final ball of the 19th over, finishing with 72 from 47 as Williamson’s men gained revenge for their dramatic 2019 Cricket World Cup final defeat against the same opponents. Moeen Ali’s unbeaten 51 had earlier propelled England to 166 for four and though Liam Livingstone (2/22) impressed with the ball, their ambitions of becoming the first men’s team to hold both ICC World Cups at once are now over. England were put in and new-look opening pair Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler were given a thorough test early on as New Zealand’s seamers probed with the new ball. Buttler got into his stride with back-to-back boundaries off Trent Boult but lost his partner following the introduction of Adam Milne, whose first delivery was chipped by Bairstow to a diving Williamson at mid-off. England had been flying starters with the bat in the Super 12s but reached the end of the powerplay here on 40 for one, at which point Williamson turned to spin to keep the squeeze on. Buttler released some of the pressure with a reverse swept boundary off Mitchell Santner but the same shot brought his downfall as he was struck on the knee roll by Ish Sodhi and departed for 29. That brought Moeen and Dawid Malan together and the latter benefited from a let-off on ten when Conway put down a tough low chance to his left off Neesham. Malan responded by unfurling a glorious cover drive to take England to the halfway stage in style and went inside out through the same region twice in three balls against Glenn Phillips as the run rate ticked above seven. Moeen was equally quick to punish anything loose, cutting Sodhi to the point boundary before working Boult through fine leg to leave the innings delicately poised on 110 for two after 15. England’s momentum was checked when Malan feathered an edge behind the ball after pulling Tim Southee for the first six of the match but his departure saw Moeen step on the accelerator, with Sodhi and Milne deposited into the stands. New man Liam Livingstone did not take long to find his range, launching Milne for an 88-metre straight six in an 18th over costing 16, though he couldn’t muster the same power off Neesham and picked out Santner at long-off. Moeen brought up his 36-ball half-century later in the final over which ended with Morgan dropped by an off-balance Phillips in the deep as England set the Black Caps 167 to win. The total appeared about par but any hopes New Zealand had of making quick inroads were quickly dashed as Morgan’s men – and specifically Woakes – made a dream start with the ball. The reply was just three balls old when Guptill, who had struck his first delivery for four, saw a leading edge easily taken by Moeen at mid-on. And Woakes’s work was not done there as he went on to claim the huge early scalp of Williamson, whose attempted scoop did not have the legs to clear Adil Rashid at short fine leg to leave New Zealand 13 for two. Mitchell and Conway were tasked with repairing the damage and began to pick up valuable boundaries as they negotiated the remainder of a powerplay which was brought to a close by an excellent cover drive by Conway. Just 14 runs came between the sixth and ninth overs, though Conway released the shackles by lofting Livingstone down the ground for a much-needed boundary as the required rate neared 11. He followed up by flaying Mark Wood over backward point for a remarkable six and Mitchell soon cleared the ropes himself – despite a magnificent effort by Chris Jordan on the long-off boundary – as the pair continued to keep Black Caps dreams alive. Enter Livingstone, who struck twice in quick succession as Conway was stumped for 46 and Phillips picked out Sam Billings on the long-off boundary to leave New Zealand needing 57 from the final four overs. But the pendulum swung towards the Black Caps during a dramatic 17th over as Neesham ran riot. Two sixes off Chris Jordan, the second of which saw Bairstow’s knee land on the rope just before he released the ball to Livingstone, contributed to 23 runs in all and there was no let-up when Rashid returned. Neesham and Mitchell both slammed maximums, the latter bringing up his half century in the process, though the game took another twist when the former couldn’t clear Morgan at cover to leave 20 runs needed from the final two overs. They needed just one to complete the job, however, as successive Mitchell sixes took the target into single figures before a boundary behind square leg allowed the celebrations to begin. New Zealand will now take on either Australia and Pakistan in Sunday’s final as they look to add T20 glory to their ICC World Test Championship crown. Summarized Scorecard: Toss: New Zealand won the toss and decided to field first England Batting (166 for 4 in 20 overs): Moeen Ali 51 not out (37 balls, 4X3, 6X2), Dawid Malan 41 (30 balls, 4X4, 6X1), Liam Livingston 17 (10 balls, 4X1, 6X1) New Zealand Bowling: (167 for 5 in 19 overs) Tim Southee (1 for 24), Adam Milne (1 for 31), Ish Sodhi (1 for 32) New Zealand Batting: Daryl Mitchell 73 (48 balls, 4X4, 6X4), Devon Conway 46 (38 balls, 4X5, 6X1), James Neesham 27 (10 balls, 4X1, 6X3) England Bowling: Liam Livingston (2 for 22), Chris Woakes (2 for 36), Adil Rasheed (1 for 39) Player of the match: Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand)

SPECIAL REPORT:After almost a month of action, it all comes down to five days, four teams and three matches at the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup 2021. And I reckon this could be Australia’s year. England are the favourites from here but I sense the belief in the Australia camp and I think there is some real momentum there. Everything is clicking nicely ahead of Thursday's semi-final against Pakistan. Go back a month and Australia didn’t have any form on the eve of this tournament but their big players have caught fire. I was speaking to David Warner before it started and told him 'I have you down to be Australia’s leading run-scorer, so don’t let me down!' I did that on the belief that he is a big-match player, a big tournament player and that has not changed. Aaron Finch has found some form, Mitchell Marsh is hitting the ball well and Glenn Maxwell will come good. They have been underdogs in this tournament and going under the radar has really helped them. When you go in as one of the favourites like England, with their history and success, it breeds confidence but also expectations. If England don’t beat New Zealand and make the final, people will be asking questions, just like India, who started slowly and didn’t peak at the right time. I think we have the right four teams in the semi-finals and it’s interesting to note that only one of them is from the sub-continent. We thought the conditions would favour the likes of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan but it just didn’t happen for them. A key reason for Australia's success is how they have utilised spin. With the bat, we have some great players of spin and they have shown that in this tournament, but the big weapon is Adam Zampa. His form spinning the ball has been key and Australia have embraced a different T20 style with him. Before, the method was always to try to score 170-odd and then try and blow teams away with the quicks. But they know they can’t do that in the UAE and introducing a bigger spin element has helped massively. These are the games we live for as cricketers and the team that wins the tournament will be the one that does the basics the best – and I mean things like making sure there are no stupid run outs, not bowling no-balls, running the twos very hard. I love those things. There is the old cliché that it’s just another game but it’s obviously not. It’s a World Cup semi-final! How you deal with your emotions and execute those plans that will allow you to either win or lose at that final hurdle. The advice I would give is to enjoy it. Enjoy how far you have come. Focus on the strengths, and the strengths for all four teams are they have done the basics far better than most other teams. T20 cricket is about match-winners, big runs and big totals. But it is also about the one per-cent moments. Australia are experienced in these situations. Some of these boys won the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2015 and then reached the semi-finals four years later and that counts for so much in those pressure situations at the death. If you have been there and done it, whether you have won or lost, you will have learnt from that experience and playing under that pressure. Perhaps my favourite part about Thursday’s game is that it will pit two of my old teammates against each other. Who would have scripted two great mates in Justin Langer and Matty Hayden on opposite sides? Justin is the head coach of Australia and then Matty is the batting consultant for Pakistan, two lads who opened the batting together for years and are two of Australia’s greatest run-getters ever in Test cricket. They have shown that bromance on the field and I know that when they go out, there will be so much respect for each other. They will be fighting hard for their teams but it’s fun! It’s a great feather in Matty’s cap. Pakistan have always had the talent but it’s how you massage that talent and bring it together that creates a good side and Matty has done that. He’s always been a great leader and him being there is great for Pakistan and I also think it’s been healthy for cricket. We don’t want to look too far ahead but if Australia win then they are guaranteed a big rival in the final, with England playing New Zealand. It would be cool to see an Australia v England final, but a lot is going to happen between now and Sunday, anything can happen.

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (November 10, 2021):-The match official appointments for the semi-final stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 have been announced. The first semi-final between England and New Zealand will take place at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, 10 November, while the second semi-final between Pakistan and Australia will be played on Thursday, 11 November at Dubai International Stadium in Dubai. The match official appointments are as follows: 10 November – England v New Zealand (18h00), Zayed Cricket Stadium – Marais Erasmus and Kumar Dharmasena (on-field), Nitin Menon (third umpire), Paul Reiffel (fourth umpire), David Boon (match referee). 11 November – Pakistan v Australia (18h00), Dubai International Stadium – Richard Kettleborough and Chris Gaffaney (on-field), Joel Wilson (third umpire), Richard Illingworth (fourth umpire), Jeff Crowe (match referee). Appointments for the 14 November final at Dubai International Stadium will be advised once the outcome of both semi-finals are known.