In a game that ebbed and flowed with plenty of twists and turns, New Zealand have vanquished England today in Abu Dhabi and earned their tickets to the T20WC final on Sunday.
New Zealand won the toss and opted to bowl first on a track that seemingly was helpful for batters and bowlers alike. This turned out to be a strategic call when Jonny Bairstow struggled to get going and offered a straightforward catch to Kane Williamson at mid-off. In the absence of Jason Roy, it was clear that the early impetus that England is often known for – was lacking.
However, the situation continued to improve for the Blackcaps as Jos Buttler was trapped plumb in front off Ish Sodhi – the dangerman for England was sent back for a brisk 29.
Thereafter, England struggled for momentum even though Dawid Malan and Moeen Ali were gradually building a solid partnership. It wasn’t until the 16th over when Malan cleared the boundary for the first time for England in this match. Moeen soon followed suit and brought up an excellent half-century, driving his team to a respectable 166 at halftime.
[19:41, 10/11/2021] Abhai: England drew first blood in the first over, when the in-form Martin Guptill popped a catch to mid-on, and the NZ innings was heading south when a clearly struggling Williamson attempted a futile scoop to release pressure.
Fortunately, Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway dug in well and stitched up a crucial 82-run partnership to bring their team back into contention. Mitchell sat back and took the singles, while Conway regularly peppered the boundary to keep a lid on the asking rate.
The balance tilted once again when Liam Livingstone’s part-time spin claimed the wickets of both Conway and the hard-hitting Glenn Phillips. However, England weren’t by any means out of the woods, since Jimmy Neesham has established himself as an ominous finisher.
Neesham pummeled two maximums off the death-bowling specialist Chris Jordan, and another off Adil Rashid. His 11-ball 27 was more than enough to put the Blackcaps’ noses ahead, and with 20 to get from the final two overs, they were inching closer to victory.
Mitchell superbly batted through the entire innings and started to cut loose against Rashid. Two sixes and a four in the penultimate over off Chris Woakes sealed the deal for NZ with an over to spare. It’s quite a watershed moment for the opener, since he has never had that role at domestic level or at international level prior to this tournament. The experiment has paid massive dividends, and the Blackcaps have made their third final in the last four ICC events.
England 166/4 (Moeen 51*, Malan 41 – Southee 4-0-24-1, Neesham 2-0-18-1)
NZ 167/5 (Mitchell 73*, Conway 46 – Livingstone 4-0-22-2, Woakes 4-1-36-2)
Photo: ICC
