What a match! Fans of the cricketing world have witnessed a true entertaining knock-out game between England and New Zealand tonight. In this first semifinal match of the T20 World Cup, New Zealand has beaten England in a stunning chase of 167 runs. It was the heroics of James Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, and Devon Conway. The Kiwis got a victory from the jaws of defeat. It was truly an incredible chase. With this win, New Zealand has taken revenge on England for the 2019 World Cup defeat.
New Zealand didn’t get a flying start while chasing this moderate target. Star opener Martin Guptill was dismissed in the first over and skipper Kane Williamson got out in the third over. When the Kiwis are in deep trouble, Devon Conway (46) and Daryl Mitchell (72* off47 balls) made a responsible partnership and didn’t let their team lose another wicket for the next 10 overs. Their 82 run partnership kept New Zealand’s hopes alive. When Conway started unleashing his power, Livingstone (2/22) dismissed him in the 14th over. The very same bowler got the wicket of Glenn Philipps in the 16th over. All of a sudden, NZ had fallen back in trouble. It needed 57 runs in the last 24 balls to win the match. That’s when James Neesham (27 off 11 balls) turned around the game by smashing 23 runs off the next over bowled by Chris Jordan. The equation came down to 34 off the last 18 balls. Though Neesham got out after a blinder, Daryl Mitchell continued the momentum and helped his team chase down the target in 19 overs. Thus, New Zealand scored 167 runs for the loss of five wickets.
After losing the toss, England was asked to bat first. Openers Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler gave a decent start to their team by making a partnership of 37 runs. But their dismissals in a short span of time have put England in trouble. Dawid Malan (41) then settled the innings with the help of Moeen Ali (51*). Both of them made a partnership of 63 runs for the third wicket. When Malan got dismissed, Liam Livingston (17) gave support to Ali. In the process, Ali scored his half-century. By the end of 20 overs, the Brits managed to score 166/4.
The second semifinal match will be held tomorrow between Pakistan and Australia. It has to be seen which team will qualify for the final and takes on New Zealand on Sunday.
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