Daryl Mitchell Powers New Zealand To 5 Wicket Win As Kiwis Break The English Curse
New Zealand was finally able to beat England in a World Cup knockout match as they registered a 5 wicket win in the 1st semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2021. For New Zealand, Daryl Mitchell was the hero, as he opened the innings and held one end until the climax and took his team over the line.
English bowlers, defending a score of 167, were able to get to a good start as Chris Woakes dismissed Martin Guptill in the first over itself while he also got opposition captain Kane Williamson in the 3rd over. However, Daryl Mitchell & Devon Conway constructed a partnership of 82 runs off 67 balls and stabilized the NZ batting.
Mitchell scored 72* off 47 balls with 4 fours & 4 sixes while Conway scored 46 off 38 balls with 5 fours and 1 six. In the end, Mitchell & Neesham (27 off 11) constructed a thunderous partnership of 40 runs in 17 balls to bring their team almost to the victory line. Neesham was dismissed on the last delivery of the 18th over but in the next over, Mitchell finished things off with 2 sixes and a four to win the match and qualify for the finals.
For England, Chris Woakes picked up 2 wickets, both in the powerplay. Liam Livingstone also picked up 2 crucial wickets, while spinner Adil Rashid picked up 1 but New Zealand's well-planned chase was just too flawless for the English bowlers to steal the win.
In the first innings, the English team with the help of useful contributions from Moeen Ali & no. 1 T20 batter David Malan were able to post 166/4 against New Zealand. For England, Moeen Ali scored an unbeaten 51 runs in 37 balls with the help of 3 fours & 2 sixes. David Malan also scored 41 runs off 30 balls with 4 fours & 1 six.
For New Zealand, 7 bowlers tried their hand but only 4 succeeded in getting wickets. Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi & James Neesham all picked up 1 wicket each.
Earlier, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss & opted to field first against England in the 1st semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2021. This match is being played at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
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Also Read: T20 World Cup 2021