England and New Zealand are locking horns in the first semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2021 in Abu Dhabi. Both teams won four and lost one match in the league phase and qualified for the semifinals after playing some high-quality cricket.
Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bowl first. New Zealand remained unchanged for this game while England made a forced change in their playing XI as injured Jason Roy made way for Sam Billings.
Also Read: Chris Woakes jolts New Zealand early with two wickets, watch here
Jonny Bairstow walked out to open the innings with Jos Buttler in Jason Roy’s absence. New Zealand came up with a good plan for Bairstow as Trent Boult and Tim Southee kept bowling the tight line and lengths against him. Buttler and Bairstow scored 37 runs for the opening wicket before the latter got out. Buttler also followed him after scoring 29 runs.
Moeen Ali and Dawid Malan added 63 runs for the third wicket before Southee separated this dangerous duo. Liam Livingstone played some aggressive strokes but fell in the last over. Moeen Ali scored an unbeaten fifty to propel England’s total to 166/4 in 20 overs.
In response, Martin Guptill and Daryl Mitchell walked out to get the chase underway. Guptil began the proceedings with a boundary on the first ball. Chris Woakes, however, wasn’t intimidated by this and removed Guptill on the third ball of the innings. Kane Williamson walked out with responsibilities on his shoulders.
Williamson was kept quiet by England pacers. Woakes reaped the reward when Williamson went for a stylish scoop shot and ended up spooning the ball in the air. New Zealand were in tatters at 13/2 after three overs. Devon Conway and Mitchell were taking baby steps towards the rebuilding of the innings. Conway (46) got out to Liam Livingstone after adding 82 runs for the third wicket. Glenn Phillips was also removed by Livingstone.
With 57 runs needed in 24 balls, the final looked out of New Zealand’s reach. James Neesham walked out at 6 and changed the course of the chase in one over. Neesham smashed Chris Jorden for 23 runs in the 17th over. Adil Rashid conceded 14 runs in the 18th over while accounting Neesham, who played a sensational cameo of 27 runs in 11 balls.
Also Read: Kane Williamson takes a stunning catch to dismiss Jonny Bairstow, watch here
Daryl Mitchell kept his cool and smashed Woakes for 20 runs in the 19th over to win the game for New Zealand by five wickets and one over to spare. Mitchell scored 72 runs in 47 balls, where he struck four fours and as many sixes. New Zealand advanced to their maiden T20 World Cup final and will await the winners of the second semifinal between Australia and Pakistan.
See how Twitter reacted to this game;
No super over this time, they did it with an over to spare!
Take a bow @JimmyNeesh and @DarylMitchell_ Well done @BLACKCAPS #T20WorldCup#ICCT20WorldCup#ENGvNZ
— Abhinav Mukund (@mukundabhinav) November 10, 2021
Great sportsmanship @BLACKCAPS 👏👏👏#T20WorldCup #ENGvNZ
— England's Barmy Army 🏴🎺 (@TheBarmyArmy) November 10, 2021
What a knock this has been from Daryl Mitchell👏👏👏 #ENGvsNZ
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) November 10, 2021
What a win @BLACKCAPS. Well batted @dazmitchell47 and @JimmyNeesh
— Ross Taylor (@RossLTaylor) November 10, 2021
With New Zealand in the final, now among top cricketing nations, #SouthAfrica #SA remain the only side not to make it to a #T20WorldCup final! #ENGvsNZ #NZvEng#T20WorldCup21 #t20worldcup2021
— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) November 10, 2021
Fantastic win this for @BLACKCAPS test title and T20 title? Kane Williamson and his team can do no wrong!! What a win this is.
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) November 10, 2021
Lord's has been overcome. Daryl Mitchell! And Jimmy Neesham. This was worth being here for. What a team this @BLACKCAPS is.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) November 10, 2021
https://twitter.com/KP24/status/1458488155775119360
since 2015, new zealand have been in consecutive ODI world cup finals, won the world test championship and now are in a T20 world cup final….gun team! #NZvENG #T20WorldCup
— Gaurav Kalra (@gauravkalra75) November 10, 2021
Best game of the World Cup. Wow Daryll Mitchell. Jimmy Neesham the gamechanger. New Zealand simply sensational. Congratulations on reaching the finals NZ #ENGvsNZ
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) November 10, 2021
Outstanding, class What a win @BLACKCAPS congratulations 🎉 what a team this is ❤️❤️ @T20WorldCup #Goodboys 👌🤘
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) November 10, 2021
Unreal scenes! What a performance @BLACKCAPS #NZvENG #T20WorldCup21 @ICC
— Mitchell McClenaghan (@Mitch_Savage) November 10, 2021
Wow, Daryl Mitchell, just wow! Terrific knock under pressure. Gr8 run chase by NZ. Looked down for the count 5-6 overs ago, transformed outcome with bionic hitting in a couple of overs. Most important was how they kept optimism alive despite struggle in the first half of innings
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) November 10, 2021
Unreal finish from @dazmitchell47 ! #BACKTHEBLACKCAPS 🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/muCYr9GIIv
— Grant Elliott (@grantelliottnz) November 10, 2021
After reaching the 2015 WC final, 2019 WC final and the World Test Championship final which they won, New Zealand reach another World Cup Final. They are not just a likeable team, but absolute champions. Fantastic win today #ENGvsNZ
— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) November 10, 2021
https://twitter.com/Bazmccullum/status/1458490327052918784
https://twitter.com/fwildecricket/status/1458492930948276234
