New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bat against Pakistan in the first semi-final of the Twenty20 World Cup in Sydney on Wednesday.

Australia great Ricky Ponting has declared speedster Shaheen Afridi as the player that must fire if Pakistan are to claim a second ICC Men's T20 World Cup title in Australia.

Pakistan's best is yet to come and struggling skipper Babar Azam is due something "very special" in their Twenty20 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand on Wednesday, team mentor Matthew Hayden warned.

The prospect of a mouth-watering final between India and Pakistan at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup has everyone excited, according to Australia great Shane Watson.

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam should stand aside and give Mohammad Haris his opener slot to boost their top order firepower in Wednesday's Twenty20 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, former captain Shahid Afridi said.

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan termed his side’s performance in the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia as the Tigers' best-ever in the marquee event.

The Netherlands sent South Africa crashing out of the Twenty20 World Cup on Sunday with a stunning 13-run victory in Adelaide which also propelled India into the semi-finals.

Former New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor says there are no clear favourites till now in a wide open Twenty20 World Cup as conditions in Australia have kept a level playing field.

Nobody will deny one fact that fast bowler Taskin Ahmed has become most entertaining Bangladesh player in the ongoing T20 World Cup in Australia. 

A peaking England find themselves in a tussle with Australia for a place in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup but skipper Jos Buttler will have the advantage of having a clear mind as the English would need nothing but a win against Sri Lanka in their final group match in Sydney on Saturday to go through.

Bangladesh Skipper Shakib Al Hasan had already said during the ongoing World Cup that his side would approach the two games in Adelaide against Asian rivals India and Pakistan in relaxed mood, hoping to cause an upset or two.

Bangladesh have blamed "fake fielding" by India's Virat Kohli for their nail-biting Twenty20 World Cup loss and will raise it with cricket's governing body, an official told AFP on Thursday.

South Africa's David Miller warned Wednesday they will look to "exploit" Pakistan's fragile confidence as they strive to seal a Twenty20 World Cup semi-final spot and send their opponents packing.

India's Virat Kohli on Wednesday became the highest run-scorer in Twenty20 World Cup history when he reached 16 against Bangladesh in Adelaide.

Paul van Meekeren's three wickets helped the Netherlands claim their first victory of the T20 World Cup Super 12 stage Wednesday as their five-wicket win all but eliminated Zimbabwe.

India resume their bid for a Twenty20 World Cup semi-final spot when they face Bangladesh on Wednesday and coach Rahul Dravid said there is no room for complacency despite the 2007 champions losing just one of their last 11 matches to their neighbours.

The Shakib Al Hasan-led Bangladesh side reached Adelaide from Brisbane today to play their fourth Super 12 match in the ICC T20 World Cup against India on Wednesday.

New Zealand can become the first team into the T20 World Cup semi-finals this week but first will need to contain England's powerful batting line-up, said pace bowler Lockie Ferguson on Monday.

England are now playing knockout cricket after a weather-disrupted campaign, declared assistant coach Paul Collingwood on Monday, and are targeting four wins to lift the T20 World Cup, starting with New Zealand in Brisbane.

Former captain Darren Sammy said the failure of the West Indies to groom young talent has seen them hit rock bottom, culminating in the former cricket powerhouse crashing out of the Twenty20 World Cup with embarrassing defeats to Scotland and Ireland.