Title favorites but injured England will bank on their X-factor players to thrash a remarkably consistent New Zealand in the first semi-final t20 world cup here on Wednesday.
england news
England were the pre-tournament favorites and played alike for the majority of the Super 12 stage. However, their defeat in the final group game for South Africa showed that they were not an invincible outfit.
The absence of Jason Roy, who suffered a calf injury against the Proteas, is a major setback for the team reaching the semi-finals.
Roy and Jos Buttler made for arguably the most devastating opening pairing of the tournament.
With Roy ruled out of the World Cup, there is a strong possibility that Jonny Bairstow will be promoted to bat alongside Buttler, who will be expected to play another match-winning knock on Wednesday.
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Sam Billings is likely to come into the team and bat in the middle order. One big positive is that most of the batsmen spend their valuable time in the middle to go into the knockout game.
However, concerns have cropped up in the bowling department after Tymal Mills was ruled out of the tournament due to a thigh injury.
Mills was doing a great job in the death overs, but now, this will be an area that the opponents will want to take advantage of.
Mark Wood, who has the pace but not the variety of Mills, was the most expensive bowler against South Africa.
England would be hoping that it was just a bad day at the office for their fast bowlers as they all conceded runs.
The role of spinners Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid will be huge as they will be aiming for wickets in the powerplay and middle overs.
The players’ mind will also have the 2019 ODI World Cup final where the two teams can only be separated by a boundary countdown rule.
New Zealand News
Since then, New Zealand have demonstrated that they are not only a very consistent team in ICC events, but they can also carry on with their victories in the World Test Championship final.
The “nice guys” of world cricket look good to take first place in this competition as well.
New Zealand have arguably been the best bowling unit in the tournament, narrowing down India’s choices to 110. Even a dangerous team like Afghanistan could score only 125 runs against them.
Read also | ‘Within the group we have made a decision’: Eoin Morgan maintains suspense over opener for New Zealand clash
The experienced new-ball duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee has been very difficult to overcome as they have both been impeccable with their line and length.
The unavailability of Lockie Ferguson could have easily sabotaged their plans but Adam Milne has proved to be a capable replacement. Both the spinners Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner have also been impressive.
Sodhi has given wickets in the middle overs, which has not freed the opposition team.
New Zealand’s batsmen have also made an impact during the tournament. Opener Martin Guptill has also been in good form along with his partner Daryl Mitchell.
Captain Kane Williamson scored in the last game and will be looking to make another memorable contribution in the all-important semi-final.
Abu Dhabi has had the best batting surface in the three places of the showpiece, so a high scoring affair can be expected.
What: England vs New Zealand, Semi-Final 1, T20 World Cup
When: November 10 (Wednesday)
where: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Time: 7:30 PM IST
squads:
England: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, David Malan, Adil Rashid, James Vince, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Tom Curran, Reece Topley.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Adam Milne.
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