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Abu Dhabi. New Zealand beat England by 5 wickets in the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup. With this, the Kiwi team has reached the final. Batting first, England set a target of 167 runs in front of New Zealand. New Zealand team achieved this target by losing five wickets in 19 overs. Opener Daryl Mitchell played an unbeaten 72 for New Zealand. Apart from them, Devon Conway scored 46 and James Neesham scored 27 runs. New Zealand’s team has reached the final of the T20 World Cup for the first time. With this victory, New Zealand also avenged the defeat in the final of the ODI World Cup 2019 when they could not become the champion due to the calculation of ‘boundaries’. He will face the winner of the second semi-final between Australia and Pakistan in the final.
New Zealand needed 57 runs in the last 24 balls but due to the sharp innings of Neesham and Mitchell, the Kiwi team won the match in the first over. Neesham scored 27 runs in 11 balls with the help of one four and three sixes. At the same time, Mitchell hit four fours and as many sixes in 47 balls. This is Mitchell’s first fifty in T20 cricket. The partnership of 40 runs in just 17 balls for the 5th wicket for both the players turned the tide of the match. Earlier, Mitchell and Devon Conway (46 runs in 38 balls, five fours, one six) added 82 runs for the third wicket.
New Zealand didn’t start well. Chris Woakes (2 for 36) gave England a dream start by dismissing the dangerous Martin Guptill (four) and the reliable Kane Williamson (five) in his first two overs. Guptill’s timing was not right, so Williamson gave his wicket in reward in an attempt to scoop under the pressure of consecutive empty balls. New Zealand’s score till the powerplay was 36 runs for two wickets.
Mitchell and Conway then focused on rotating the strike. Conway hit the first six of the innings on Mark Wood in the 11th over, then Mitchell sent Rashid’s ball for six runs at long off. But part-time spinner Livingstone (2 for 22) played a stellar role in the middle overs. He got Conway out to stump and then forced new batsman Glenn Phillips (two) to wave the ball in the air.
Earlier, England scored a challenging 166 for four against New Zealand on the basis of Moeen Ali’s flamboyant innings in the last moments. Jos Buttler, who was in excellent form, could only manage 29 runs off 24 balls but Moeen (51 not out off 37 balls, three fours, two sixes) and David Malan (41 runs in 30 balls, four fours, one six) took the third wicket. Played an important role in the middle order by adding 63 runs for him. Kane Williamson tried seven bowlers, out of which Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Jimmy Neesham and Ish Sodhi took one wicket each.
England lost the toss and went to bat first. Jason Roy was not playing due to injury and Jonny Bairstow (13 off 17 balls), who opened the innings with Butler in his absence, could only hit one credible shot before being dismissed in the sixth over. England had scored 16 runs in the fourth over of Boult’s innings with the help of two visible fours and five extra runs from Butler, but Milne (1 for 31) sent Bairstow to the pavilion as soon as the ball was held. Williamson converted the catch beautifully by diving on Bairstow’s cover drive. England could reach only 40 runs in the powerplay.
Williamson then put up a spin attack from both ends. He got the advantage when leg-spinner Sodhi (1 for 32) gave New Zealand a big breakthrough by getting Butler out leg before. Butler missed the reverse sweep and also missed a review. Malan’s timing was excellent and his beloved shot cover drive even more attractive, but the New Zealand bowlers did not allow the batsmen to play freely even in the middle overs. Moeen Ali was struggling at the other end and in such a situation there was a need to increase the run rate. Malan hit a six on Southee (1 for 24) but the next ball took the edge of the bat and got caught in the gloves of wicketkeeper Devon Conway.
Williamson played the gamble of handing the ball to Sodhi in the death overs. Moeen took one of his deliveries on the half-volley and hit a 92-metre six and sent Milne’s short pitch ball to midwicket for six runs. In this over, Liam Livingstone (17 runs in 10 balls) also hit a lofty six. Jimmy Neesham dismissed Livingstone but Moeen managed to complete his maiden half-century in the T20 World Cup by hitting him for a four.
