Title favourites but injury hit England will bank on their X-Factor players to upstage a remarkably consistent New Zealand in the first semifinal of the T20 World Cup tonight. England were the pre-tournament favourites and played like one for the majority of the Super 12 stage. However, their loss in the final group game to South Africa showed that they were not an invincible outfit. Stay updated with Times of India to get all the live cricket score updates of 2021 T20 World Cup match between England and New Zealand.
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England skipper Morgan ahead of the semis
T20I Head-to-Head: England 13 – 7 New Zealand (1 No Result)
England have the edge in the head-to-head stats, having won 13 of the 21 T20Is played between the two sides while New Zealand have won seven. In T20 World Cups, England have won three and New Zealand two of their five encounters.
* New Zealand’s star performers so far: Top scorer – Martin Guptill: 176 runs | Top wicket taker – Trent Boult: 11
* England’s star performers so far: Top scorer – Jos Buttler: 240 runs | Top wicket taker – Adil Rashid: 8
England vs New Zealand: The key battles
It’s a real shame that they have suffered injuries in this competition. But I think one of the strengths as well of the England side is their depth that they’ve managed to produce over a period of time.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson
Kiwis will be a tough opponent for aggressive England
England’s aggressive brand of cricket got them past West Indies, Bangladesh, Australia and Sri Lanka with clinical ease to finish as group leaders ahead of the Aussies. But the Kiwis are no pushovers and who better than England to appreciate the Black Caps’ worth after they needed a super over to edge out Kane Williamson’s side when the 2019 ODI World Cup final at Lord’s finished in a tie.
England have all win records in semifinals
I think of all the things we’ve done well throughout this tournament, probably the strongest point has been the resilience within our squad to be able to find a way to move forward and forge on.
England skipper Eoin Morgan
England skipper Eoin Morgan believes his team’s ability to “forge on” despite injury blows has kept them positive ahead of tonight’s T20 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand as the two countries look to step out of the shadow of their classic 2019 Lord’s showdown.
Abu Dhabi has had the best batting surface across the three venues of the showpiece so one can expect a high scoring affair.
NZ batters are also consistent in the tournament
New Zealand’s batters have also made an impact during the course of the tournament. Opener Martin Guptill has been their leading run getter with his partner Daryl Mitchell also in decent form. Skipper Kane Williamson got runs in the last game and will be itching to make another memorable contribution in the all important semifinal.
Even a dangerous side like Afghanistan could only muster 125 against them. The seasoned new ball duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee has been very hard to put away as they both have been immaculate with their line and lengths. Lockie Ferguson’s unavailability could have easily disturbed their plans but Adam Milne has proved to be an able replacement. Both the spinners, Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner, too have been impressive. Sodhi has provided wickets in the middle overs which has not allowed the opposition to break free.
Since 2019 World Cup final, New Zealand have displayed that they are not just a very consistent team in ICC events, they can also go all the way with their triumph in the World Test Championship final. The “nice guys” of world cricket look good to finish first in this competition too.
