Kane Williamson-led New Zealand on Wednesday thumped England by 5 wickets in the T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final, making their way into the grand finale. Opener Daryl Mitchel played a brave and memorable innings that helped the Black Caps avenge their 2019 World Cup defeat at the hands of Eoin Morgan-led side in a nail-biting encounter in Abu Dhabi.
England had a terrific start after being asked to bat first. Moeen Ali smashed an unbeaten 51 off 37 balls while Dawid Malan scored 41 off 30 deliveries as the Three Lions posted a challenging target of 167, after losing four wickets.
In reply, the Kiwis wobbled at the beginning of the run chase, losing Martin Guptill (4) and captain Kane (5) inside the powerplay. But Mitchell held the nerve as he carried his bat, scoring 72 not out off 47 balls, including 4 boundaries and as many sixes. Wicketkeeper-batter Devon Conway contributed with a handy 38-ball 46 as the Black Caps won the game with 6 balls to spare.
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The international cricket fraternity was amazed to see New Zealand’s heroic comeback towards the end, after losing two crucial wickets that slackened their innings for a while. Former India skipper Sehwag termed the first semi-final as the ‘best game’ of the ongoing tournament while former pace legend Shoaib Akhtar shared a meme to describe England’s state of mind after the loss.
Here are the reactions:
A special finish in Abu Dhabi. #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/4JrjB6gaJi— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) November 10, 2021
What a brilliant game of cricket. #NewZealand once again winning hearts along with winning the game.Great knock by Mitchellwho was well supported by Conway & Neesham.
Bairstow’s incident at the ropes reminded me of what happened with Boult in the 2019 finals.
Kudos to ! pic.twitter.com/XYUrJzTpHK
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) 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
England right now pic.twitter.com/nUheu4j5Iv— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) November 10, 2021
Must be sweet. Congratulations to #NewZealand #T20WorldCup— Ajit Agarkar (@imAagarkar) November 10, 2021
Jimmy Neesham , was thinking of quitting the game in 2017 and today playing a match defining innings to help New Zealand qualify for the finals. Never give up is the lesson, Sport is a great teacher #ENGvsNZ https://t.co/z3FIO6IPi2— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) November 10, 2021
Sigh— Jofra Archer (@JofraArcher) November 10, 2021
Actions > Words. #NZ is a perfect example of the same. Winners of the World Test Championship. Finalists of the fifty over and T20 World Cup. These are the last three ICC events. Might end up with two ICC trophies in one year…massive respect. #T20WorldCup— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) November 10, 2021
New Zealand has 0 super star player and 11 solid team players. Well done #NewZealand— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) November 10, 2021
#ENGvNZ #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/F3F8hSmla2— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) November 10, 2021
Brilliant stuff from @BLACKCAPS. They have qualified for the final in all 3 @ICC events: 2019 WC, 2021 WTC, & now #T20Worldcup.And please don’t call this as NZ punching above their weight etc, it would be a disservice to this team that is as good if not better than most. #ENGvNZ— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) November 10, 2021
Wow. Pure class. What a Comeback.— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) November 10, 2021
What a knock this has been from Daryl Mitchell #ENGvsNZ— Ashwin (@ashwinravi99) November 10, 2021
Well done #NewZealand ! From WTC final to T20 final in a space of just 6 months in two different continents! Whole India will be routing for you in #ICCT20WorldCup final. #ENGvNZ #nzvseng— R P Singh रुद्र प्रताप सिंह (@rpsingh) November 10, 2021
After a thrilling encounter on Wednesday, time to witness another action-packed face-off when Pakistan take on Australia in the second semi-final in Dubai on Thursday.
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