England vs New Zealand HIGHLIGHTS, T20 World Cup 2021 Semifinal: Mitchell, Neesham power NZ to first T20 WC final
ENG vs NZ HIGHLIGHTS, Semifinal 1 T20 World Cup 2021: Get the score and match updates of the semifinal match between England and New Zealand from Abu Dhabi.
Published : Nov 10, 2021 16:00 IST
Welcome to the coverage of the T20 World Cup 2021 Super 12 match between England New Zealand. This is Lalith Kalidas bringing you all the action as it unfolds at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi .
Kane Williamson: Most players have played together in various tournaments. Knew it was going to be a great game of cricket. Thought they had a pretty competitive total. But just by staying in there, building the partnerships and cashing in on some moments, some matchups. Definitely something that stood out today (Mitchell's character). Has batted beautifully in a high pressure situation. T20 cricket - it's a game of small margins. Depending on the surface, the short side - these things can be match-defining. He came out and hit the ball hard, that's what he does (neesham). Changed the momentum really. Fantastic knock from Daryll, hit the big shots when it counted. We'll be following that match - going to be fantastic. Eoin Morgan: "Full credit to Kane and his team, they outplayed us today, I can't fault anything that we've done tonight, we've fought hard and represented ourselves well, but come up short tonight. Incredibly proud of the guys. Hard to identify the key moments, they built up until they had to push the button, then came good. He held them at bay up to that point. It was a sluggish pitch and we struggled to hit sixes, a good indication it was two-paced. We posted a par score and felt in the game at the halfway side. To have the ability to hit sixes from ball one like [Neesham], full credit to him. I hope to be back, I am still offering enough, and I love playing in this changing room. Incredibly proud to be their leader." Daryl Mitchell, POTM : "A bit of a whirlwind, nice to get the job done and move onto the big dance. Challenging, especially at the start. The way Devon Conway batted through the middle, and Neesh, really helped us. It's a game of momentum, we knew we needed one or two big overs, and the way he struck the ball from ball one... With what's going on in the world, for my dad to travel half way round the world and be here is pretty cool." |
2019 ODI WC finalists, Inaugural WTC champion and now into its first T20WC final! It amazes one that these blokes continue to remain under the radar before every tournament. The batting department hadn't shone through the Super12s, and cometh the hour, the big men stood out. Conway and Mitchell held in there through the first hour after the loss of NZ's key men Guptill and Williamson early. Morgan's bowlers were adept to their task until the 13th over before the runs began to come a lot more freely. An absolute game-changing knock from Jimmy Neesham right on the back of Livingstone's two-wicket haul that seemed to have done the work for England. Mitchell completely shrugged off the cobwebs in the final lap as he pummeled the seamers for spell-binding sixes over the fence.
167 is the highest chase in a T20I at Abu Dhabi
NZ 167/5 in 19 overs: Mitchell tonks the ball straight back and sneaks in two in manic fashion. Short from Woakes and Mitchell waltzes it straight over for SIX! Morgan and Woakes have a huge discussion before the next delivery. Short again and BAANGG! Mitchell pulls it away for a thunderous blow, SIX! NZ nearly through, six needed off nine balls. Short again and Mitchell works it away for a single. Short again from Woakes and Santner pulls for a single to the deep. Full toss and flipped away for FOOUUUURR! Daryll Mitchell breaks the WC jinx and the Kiwis are through to their first T20 World Cup final!
NZ needs 20 in two overs. Woakes with the ball. Santner joins Mitchell.
ENG 147/5 in 18 overs: Neesham tonks the first ball past Rashid but they don't run as Mitchell says he's tucked into the bowler there. SIX! Neesham goes bonkers! In the slot and Neesham sits on the crease and clears his front leg to wallop it handsomely over mid-wicket for SIX! A single to follow. This time it's Mitchell! Short from Rashid and Mitchell smokes it over long-on for SIX and there's his fifty! He hung in there through a torrid phase and is doing well to see this through. What a turnaround under two overs. Rashid comes around the wicket to Neesham. GONE! Neesham lobs straight to Morgan at cover! Slower one on the shorter length and Neesham aims to loft over cover but fails to get enough air on that one. The match continues sway to around! Neesham has done his bit perhaps, what a cameo to put the game to the situation where it is now. James Neesham c Morgan b Rashid 26 (10b 1x4 3x6)
Rashid for the 18th.
23 runs off the Jordan over, NZ needs 34 from 18 balls!
NZ 133/4 in 17 overs: Jordan tails goes full and SMASH! Neesham whips it off his presence for a massive SIX over mid-wicket. Jordan treads on a similar line and this time Neesham gets an inside-edge off to short fine and sneaks in two runs. Full from Jordan and Jimmy tonks it straight over the bowler for FOUR! Pressure. Pressure telling very much on Jordan now. Jordan goes for the slower one and lands a wide. Buttler is frustrated here. Slower one from Neesham and he slams it for SIX , oh wait Bairstow! He pulls it back right from the edge off the line and parries it back to Livingstone to take the catch. The umpires are uncertain and ask for a replay. And there it it goes. Bairstow's knee touches the line right as he lobs it back. Pretty much Boult vibes from the 2019 WC final there. Full and Neesham whacks it to the deep again. In the air and falls between Bairstow and Livingstone! Goodness me, are they gifting this away here? Jordan is in disbelief as Bairstow and Livingstone leave the ball for each other! What drama!
Jordan is back
NZ needs 57 in 24 balls.
NZ 110/4 in 16 overs: Livingstone to Phillips. OUT! Holes out straight to long-off! A ball there to be hit from the slot but Phillips' blade turns against the floated leg-break. Billings holds onto the ball neatly and this must tilt the scales massively in England's favour. Mitchell is absolutely pinned in the crease as Livingstone ball it outside his arc and slides the ball away. Poor choices of strokes from Mitchell as aims to play horizontally off the fuller ball. He gets a single. Livingstone pushes the ball down leg to Neesham and there's a wide. A single to the deep to finish and Livingstone ends with game-changing figures of 2/22 in four overs. The English fans are up on their feet to applaud!
Glenn Phillips c Billings b Livingstone 2 (4b)
NZ 107/3 in 15 overs: Mitchell desperately scythes Wood over point but finds the third man fielder running to cut the boundary. Wood angles in another bumper and Mitchell gets a top-edge on the hook over Buttler for FOUR. Absolutely vital runs here.
NZ needs 70 runs in 36 balls.
NZ 97/3 in 14 overs: Livingstone to Conway! OUT! Stumped by Buttler! That's the moment England was looking for and it's Livingstone of all people to deliver the big wicket! Conway dances down as Livingstone fires it in full and straight to beat his feat! Buttler does the rest with an easy grab and flick of the bails. Phillips in at 5. Devon Conway st †Buttler b Livingstone 46 (38b 5x4 1x6)
Third over for Livingstone. NZ needs 75 from 42 balls.
NZ 92/2 in 13 overs: Rashid sees a huge back-lift from Conway and wafts the ball in to beat him for pace. The batters nudge about to sneak in quick singles. Mitchell goes downtown and Jordan pulls off a stunner to push the ball back in from long-off with a long leap. The umpires have a look at it and the replays show the ball brushes the boundary after Jordan parries it in and umpire Erasmus signals a SIX.
Rashid returns
NZ 80/2 in 12 overs: The Kiwis are deftly picking up the pace. Livingstone keeps it fairly simple to both batters by fending short and attacking the stumps. Conway unleashes another Malan-esque extra cover drive for FOUR.
NZ 73/2 in 11 overs: Mitchell begins with a blistering thud down the ground off Wood for FOUR. Wood follows up with a no ball,the first by England in the tournament! Mitchell fails to put the free-hit away as Wood rushes it onto his toes. He gets a single. 'No problem' says Conway as he launches a cracking slap over point off the short ball for SIX! Wow, that's some flourish on the follow through there!
NZ 58/2 in 10 overs: A lone boundary from the Livingstone over. Conway takes his chances as he shimmies down and lofts the ball down the ground for FOUR. And we're half through the chase and New Zealand has a mountain to climb with 109 runs needed in 10 overs.
Livingstone into the attack
NZ 50/2 in 9 overs: Some excellent hit the deck stuff from Wood. Conway is off his feet as he Wood squares him up with a fiery bouncer. The ball hits the splice as Conway wriggles his way through to the other end. England is forcing the batters to go for the all-out slog and cash in on the mistakes.
NZ 45/2 in 8 overs: England sticking in the pressure on the batters. Conway and Mitchell have failed to put the loose deliveries to the fence and the required rate is shooting up. One of them need to cut loose pretty much right now before the equation springs out of their hands.
NZ 41/2 in 7 overs: Mitchell escapes! Wood cranks up the pace and sends in a quick bouncer as Mitchell attempts to hook. He gets a leading edge that flies up straight and falls right in the middle of the keeper and fine leg.
Mark Wood into the attack
NZ 36/2 in 6 overs: Delightful strokes from Conway! Rashid's loopy delivery from around the wicket is crunched through extra cover for FOUR. Rashid comes over the wicket to Conway to finish. Conway shuffles back and drills the ball once again through cover for FOUR.
Adil Rashid replaces Jordan
NZ 26/2 in 5 overs: Woakes zips the ball into Mitchell's pads and he does well it to flick it behind to backward point for FOUR. Woakes nearly Conway in the follow up as he a length delivery on the middle-stumps clips the inside-edge and falls to the on-side, inches away from the wicket.
NZ 18/2 in 4 overs: Conway flirts with danger as Jordan offers a couple of tempters outside the off-stump. Conway's all over the crease as Jordan sends in a quick bumper to the chest. He horribly mistimes the pull that falls straight on the pitch off the edge. Jordan fends one outside off-stump and this time Conway swings his arms through the arc and finds FOUR over cover.
Conway joins Mitchell.
NZ 13/2 in 3 overs: Woakes to Williamson. Up in the air and GONEE! What a blow for the Kiwis ! A very uncharacteristic Kane Williamson dismissal here. A barrage of dots induces the pressure and Williamson attempts to ramp Woakes off length behind fine leg. He mistimes it completely and the ball shoots straight up and straight to Adil Rashid at short fine. A shoddy dismissal for the skipper and New Zealand's hopes have copped a massive dent. Wicket-maiden for Woakesy! Kane Williamson c Rashid b Woakes 5 (11b)
NZ 13/1 in 2 overs: Williamson nearly chops one back! Jordan hits the fine line outside off constantly and Williamson gets an inside-edge on a tentative forward push. The ball nearly slips onto the stumps. Mitchell flicks one to the mid-wicket fence and finds three runs. Crucial innings for him tonight, alongside his skipper.
Chris Jordan from the opposite end
NZ 8/1 in 1 over: Guptill's off the mark with a cracking FOUR over cover. Woakes gets some shape, to follow up and Guptill has a feel for it before the ball moves quickly to Buttler. IN THE AIR and GONE! Guptill falls third ball! Woakes tails the ball in sharply and Guptill gets a leading edge while attempting to work the ball to the leg-side. Easy catch for Moeen mid-on and New Zealand is off to a dreadful start. Williamson in at 3. Wouldn't have expected to come in this early, at least tonight. Woakes with a beauty! A gentle away-swinger has Williamson play for it. The ball whiffs past the outside edge to Buttler. Williamson waits for the in-decker and gets one right on cue. He easily flicks it past mid-on and finds FOUR. Martin Guptill c Ali b Woakes 4 (3b 1x4)
Chris Woakes with the new ball. This PowerPlay is going to be intense!
The chase begins! Martin Guptill and Daryll Mitchell walk out for the Kiwis.
And England huffs and puffs but once again gets itself to a decent total on a rather tacky wicket. Despite the loss of the in-form Jos Buttler early on, its man in crisis Dawid Malan coupled with Moeen Ali to hold out the rescue act before Moeen pounced on at the death to lead England past 150 to the finish. A decent total that could put the Kiwis under the pump. Stay tuned for the chase!
Meanwhile, tune into the latest episode of Matchpoint Paradox
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ENG 166/3 in 20 overs: Neesham to Livingstone. OUT! Chops straight to long-off. He mistimes the slog as the ball rushes off the length. Morgan joins Moeen. Width from Neesham and Moeen smokes him over mid-on for FOUR. First T20WC fifty for Mo! A single for Moeen as he pushes a fulltoss behind to fine leg. Neesham follows up with a wide. Morgan slaps a slow-short ball and sneaks in two runs with a misfield from square leg. Morgan slices the last ball and Philips slips while running from mid-wicket and drops the ball. Two runs to finish and NZ needs 167 to win and enter its maiden final! Liam Livingstone c Santner b Neesham 17 (10b 1x4 1x6)
Neesham for the final over
ENG 155/3 in 19 overs: Boult mixes up his length and ends up offering width to Livingstone who drills it down to the long-off boundary for FOUR. Boult keeps Moeen pinned to the crease with some deft slower bouncers to finish.
| England's no.4 is firing when it matters, a little help from the Yellow Army along the way: |
ENG 146/3 in 18 overs: Milne attempts a slower bouncer and Moeen slams the ball way past the mid-wicket fence for SIX. Livingstone joins the party with a might SIX! This one brings back memories of the Rauf six of the summer. Dead straight and stomps the pace on the ball with an absolute free swing of the bat.
Milne is back ENG 130/3 in 17 overs: Moeen on the move! Sodhi floats one in and Moeen advances to slam it beautifully over mid-wicket for SIX. He continues to move down the track to attack Sodhi who does well to cover up with a tighter line. 14 runs off the over.
Sodhi to bowl out
ENG 119/3 in 16 overs: Malan wallops Southee's short ball over mid-wicket handsomely for SIX! He heaves again and its caught this time! A faint under-edge on the heave and Conway takes a gentle catch. Malan was looking in some nick tonight and was threatening to lead England towards a bossy finish. Livingstone in at 5. He steps down and pushes the ball to long-on for a single first ball. Southee darts in the wide yorker to Moeen and follows up with a sharp ball on the deck that he pushes the down the ground for a single. Another one, nearly! Southee spots Livingstone shimmying down the wicket and quickly sends in the bouncer. Livingstone attempts to pull but gets a soft top-edge that falls short of the mid-wicket fielder.
Southee replaces Milne
ENG 110/2 in 15 overs: Boult hits the block-hole but Moeen flicks it off his toes to the deep and finds two. Boult drops the knuckle-ball and Moeen escapes with a skier. He completely mistimes the slog and the ball flies straight up before falling inches short off Southee who runs in from long-off. Boult misses the yorker and tails the ball wide down leg. Moeen pokes it behind square and gets FOUR.
Boult returns
ENG 100/2 in 14 overs: Hundred up for England! Milne keeps it tight onto the wickets. Malan and Moeen nudge through the gaps to keep the runs flowing.
ENG 94/2 in 13 overs: Sodhi errs on line on his return. He concedes a wide down leg to start and the batters rotate strike with ease. Sodhi drops short off the last ball and Moeen cuts him through point for FOUR.
ENG 85/2 in 12 overs: Malan's in love with the extra cover boundary. Milne fires one in and Malan flakes him through extra cover to the fence. He has to settle for just three runs this time as Phillips puts on an excellent diving in the deep to save a run.
Milne is back
ENG 78/2 in 11 overs: Malan cuts loose! This is pristine timing from Malan. He crunches the ball once again through extra cover for FOUR. Phillips loops another one outside off and Malan lofts him over the same region for another splendid FOUR!
Glenn Philips up with the ball
ENG 67/2 in 10 overs: Neesham finds the outside-edge with a fine delivery off the length, angling away against Malan. Malan feels for it and the ball flies down to Conway who drops a low catch to his left. Malan instantly cashes in with a crisp FOUR through extra cover.
Neesham into the attack
ENG 60/2 in 9 overs: Sodhi to Buttler. OUT! Loud appeal from Sodhi and given! Buttler has a long thought and goes up in for a review. Three REDS it is! Buttler opts for the extravagant reverse-sweeo against Sodhi's nippy line. Too straight for the shot and Buttler misses the ball through the line. The ball thuds into his pads and umpire Dharmasena had no doubts about that one. Moeen walks in at 4. He gets off the mark with a gentle push down the ground. Sodhi loops one in outside off and Malan makes room and lofts him over extra cover for FOUR. Jos Buttler lbw b Sodhi 29 (24b 4x4)
ENG 53/1 in 8 overs: Fifty up for England! Clear intent from the batters to take on Santner. Malan steps out first ball but misses the heave over mid-wicket, gets an inside-edge and he's off strike. Buttler brings out the reverse sweep and glides the ball through backward point for FOUR.
Santner replaces Mine
ENG 45/1 in 7 overs: Malan has a tentative start against the leggie. Sodhi fends short as Malan rocks back to push through cover but misses. The ball nearly hits the leg-stump. Sodhi keeps the batters in their tracks and concedes five in his first over.
Ish Sodhi into the attack
ENG 40/1 in 6 overs: Milne to Bairstow. OUT! Straight to mid-off and Williamson takes a fine catch! Excellent from the skipper as he covers ground to his crease and sinks low to hold onto the ball. Bairstow's on his way after the umpires call for a replay from the third-umpire. Bairstow gets a tad carried away by the sight screen issue before the first ball and takes on Milne's delivery outside the off-stump first up and perishes. Malan in at 3.
Jonny Bairstow c Williamson b Milne 13 (17b 2x4)
Milne replaces Boult
ENG 37/0 in 5 overs: Bairstow lofts Southee straight down the ground for FOUR. The batters have found their touch after an initial hiccup against the swinging ball.
ENG 29/0 in 4 overs: Buttler on the charge! Boult overpitches and Buttler pumps him down the ground for FOUR. He follows up with a length delivery outside off and Buttler creams it through cover for another exquisite FOUR! Boult fires in a bumper and it flies past Buttler and the keeper to the fence. 16 runs off the over and England has regained its momentum.
ENG 13/0 in 3 overs: Cracking over from Southee! Bairstow is flustered with Southee's nagging line that tucks in straight. Southee moves the ball off length to Bairstow who seems a bit iffy while driving forward. Just the single from it.
ENG 12/0 in 2 overs: Boult squares up Bairstow with an absolute pearler. He pitches the ball on length with some nippy inward movement that flails Bairstow who has his bat hanging outside the off-stump. The ball zips through and marginally over the middle-stump. Boult continues to keep Bairstow in check with a sharp bouncer. Streaky from Bairstow! Boult gets another quick one sliding in and a nervy inside-edge from Bairstow nearly chops the stumps before sliding down leg for FOUR.
Boult from the opposite end
ENG 6/0 in 1 over: Buttler underway with a pull towards fine leg as Southee starts with a short one. Bairstow tucks one to short cover as Southee gets some outward moment. Bairstow sets on a swift single with a gentle push to mid-on. Beaten! A gentler outside the off-stump has Buttler push forward with shaky feet. The ball nearly kisses the outside-edge there. Southee fends one to the pads and Buttler flicks it behind square leg for FOUR.
Tim Southee with the new ball.
Game On! Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow walk out to the middle for England. The players take a knee.
The players line up for the national anthems.
The players mark their respect with a minute's silence in the memory of Mohan Singh, pitch curator at Abu Dhabi, who passed away on Sunday.
England XI : Jos Buttler(w), Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Moeen Ali, Eoin Morgan(c), Sam Billings, Liam Livingstone, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
New Zealand XI : Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson(c), Devon Conway(w), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult
TOSS: New Zealand wins toss, opts to bowl first Kane Williamson: We're bowling first. It's a good pitch but a bit of dew later. We're going in with the same team. Busy period for us, and we've come through, giving in good performances. The two most experienced bowlers have bowled beautifully throughout the tournament, and after Lockie, Milne has come in and done well too. England has a lot of depth, that's their strength, and we have the opportunity to play our own brand of cricket. Eoin Morgan: We would have looked to bowl first too, but hopefully the toss doesn't decide the result of the game. Roy misses out today, obviously he's disappointed because he's played a big role for us in this tournament, and to miss out on a semi-final is devastating. However, Billings gets another chance. He's been doing the hardwork and carrying the drinks for us, and it's a big opportunity for him. Bairstow will open today, instead of Roy, since he's done it really well in the past. We can't take New Zealand lightly at all, they've been playing semi-finals and finals for a lot longer than we have, so we'll have to play out of our skins to beat them. Looking forward to a great contest today. |
It's Toss time! Morgan and Williamson at the middle.
Looks like we might see a surprise England opening pair tonight.
6:53PM IST: Pitch Report: Danny Morrison reckons the surface is a bit slower tonight. A lack of green on the turf might make it a bit tacky for the batters tonight.
6:48PM IST: Williamson will have to do the big lifting once again with the willow. He will, however, be content with the fact that his bowlers have been on point. Southee and Boult have both remained fairly economical while chipping away with the wickets.
6:35PM IST: A fine setting for the game. Abu Dhabi in comparison has held itself as a belter and the teams batting first has surprisingly had the wood over the opponent.
6:30PM IST: Building up towards the all-important Toss now. Morgan has kept a sheath over his playing 11. Who will replace Roy at the top. Will Bairstow regain his spot at the top or will England opt for a gamble?
5:50PM IST: Did you know? England and New Zealand have played out Super Overs in their last ODI and T20I meetings!
Last ODI: England won the Super Over in ODI World Cup final at Lord's on July 14, 2019.
Last T20I: England won the Super Over in a T20I in Auckland on November 10, 2019 - exactly two years to the date!
5:45PM IST: Key Battles
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5:25PM IST: The 2016 semifinal: The last time the sides met in the 2016 semifinal, England put a tight leash over Williamson's men. After opting to field first, Morgan's bowlers restricted New Zealand to 153 for eight. Top order contributions from Williamson (32) and Colin Munro (46) notwithstanding, the Blackcaps stumbled in front of a fine bowling performance led by Ben Stokes' 3/26.
England will miss its star opener Jason Roy tonight for the stylish opener smashed his way through to a 44-ball 78 to lead his side home in the 154 run chase. England won by seven wickets but went onto fall short in a thrilling finish in the final against West Indies.
5:20PM IST: The Kiwis are all set for third final bid. Will they cross the line this time?
5:15PM IST: Team stats in T20WC
NZ: Matches Played - 35, Won - 19, Lost - 16, Win percentage: 57.14, Best result: Semifinal (2007, 2016, 2021*)
ENG: Matches Played - 37, Won - 19, Lost - 17, NR - 1, Win percentage: 52.77, Best result: Winner (2010)
5:03PM IST: Here's what the players had to say before the enticing contest:
Kane Williamson : It was an amazing game to be a part of. When it comes up in conversation, all the guys look back on it fondly and appreciate that experience. Although, at the time, the aftermath was very difficult to understand and perhaps didn't make a lot of sense. Moeen Ali: I've got very important roles and I'm really happy with my game and the way we're playing as a team. To be given that responsibility with the new ball or just outside of the powerplay, and then going up the order when Morgs [Eoin Morgan] gives me the nudge, it's always great. |
4:55PM IST:
It's been a stellar run for Jos Buttler in the UAE. In a ballistic run at the top, Buttler coupled power-hitting and the ability of anchoring the innings to perfection in England's run to the semifinal. Here's a read on the top performers from the Super 12:
ALSO READ | T20 World Cup 2021: Team of the Super 12
Head-to-Head
Matches: 20 Won: ENG - 13, NZ - 7 In T20WC: ENG -3, NZ - 2 HS (ENG) vs NZ - 241 LS (ENG) vs NZ - 135 HS (NZ) vs ENG - 201 LS (NZ) vs ENG - 123 HS: Highest Score LS: Lowest Score |
4:33PM IST: How far are we going tonight, folks?
MATCH PREVIEW
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is at its climactic phase. The quintessential cricket fans cannot ask for a better face-off than the one between England and New Zealand in the first semifinal at the Zayed Cricket Stadium here on Wednesday.
Over the last five years, this has emerged as one of the fiercest rivalries in lCC Championships. Be it World T20 in 2016 or the ODI World Cup in 2019, Eoin Morgan’s marauders and Kane Williamson’s characters have faced each other in the Worlds’ knockouts.
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With England toppling New Zealand in both those ties, New Zealand would be gunning to avenge the defeats come Wednesday and keep its hunt for en elusive World title despite being one of the most consistent sides in World tournaments over the last decade.
Clinical display
Williamson would certainly be optimistic about overcoming England this time around, thanks to its clinical performance so far. Despite the loss to Pakistan in the Super-12 stage, New Zealand has hardly put a foot wrong so far in the tournament.
Its bowling attack is as dynamic and skilful as any other around the world and a rejigged batting order — with Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway playing their new roles to perfection — New Zealand emerged as a consistent unit.
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England would be hoping to repeat its feats of 2016 and 2019 despite the absence of two key starts who had shone in those memorable encounters. If it was Ben Stokes’ assault that helped England clinch the World Cup title in 2019, Jason Roy’s blitzkrieg at the top had helped England waltz into the WT20 final in 2016.
With Stokes unavailable for the tournament and Roy having been ruled out of the tournament after injuring himself last week, England will be forced to tweak the combination. No doubt it has a readymade replacement in Jonny Bairstow to partner an in-form Jos Buttler at the top, but a forced change in the batting order could be a cause for concern.
New Zealand, meanwhile, will be banking on its seasoned pace duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee to counter Buttler & Co.
The long boundaries in Abu Dhabi could result in the spinners emerging as game-changers. Hence, much will depend on how Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali fare in comparison with Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner.
ENG vs NZ PREDICTED 11 England: James Vince, Jos Buttler (wk), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (c), Devon Conway (wk), Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult ENG vs NZ DREAM11 FANTASY TEAM Wicketkeeper – Jos Buttler (c) , Devon Conway Batters – Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell All-rounders – Jimmy Neesham, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone (vc) Bowlers – Adil Rashid, Trent Boult, Chris Jordan Team Composition: ENG 5:6 NZ Credits left: 0.0 ENG vs NZ SQUADS England: Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Jonathan Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, James Vince, Reece Topley Reserves: New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Adam Milne |
WHERE TO WATCH TODAY'S MATCH?
The T20 World Cup 2021 match between England and New Zealand will be aired live on the Star Sports Network at 7:30pm IST. The online live streaming will be available on Disney+ Hotstar .