It’s safe to say that New Zealand are no longer the underdogs in world cricket. Their achievements in the recent years have lifted them into the category of powerhouses with the team delivering year after year in global events. The ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE is just the latest example of their prowess as they defeated the likes of India and England among others en route to the final.
Here’s charting how they made it to the summit clash
Match 1: Lost to Pakistan
New Zealand’s T20 World Cup campaign did not get off to an auspicious start as they were beaten by favourites Pakistan by five wickets. Pakistan, a side that steamrolled India, looked strong and registered an impressive win in Sharjah.
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Match 2: Defeated India
However, such has been their mettle that they quickly put brushed aside all the doubts, bouncing back to trounce favourites India by eight matches in the next match. A highly disciplined effort by Kane Williamson and company restricted India to just 110 in 20 overs, and then the target was achieved with five and a half overs remaining.
Match 3: Defeated Scotland
In their third group match though, they were pushed by Scotland in Dubau. The Scots gave them a real scare and fell just 16 runs short of chasing down the target of 172. Not only this match, but they were also given a tough fight by Namibia as well.
Match 4: Defeated Namibia
Namibia batted first and New Zealand managed just 62 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in their first 10 overs. However, James Neesham and Glenn Phillips were superb in the final few overs and they added 76 runs in 36 balls to help their side finish the innings on a strong note as they posted 163/4. Namibia never got going in the chase and they could only manage 111/7.
Match 5: Defeated Afghanistan
In their do-or-die match against Afghanistan, New Zealand brought their A game to the fore as Trent Boult and Tim Southee restricted them to just 124/8, and then produced a controlled performance to chase down the low target, punching their ticket for the semi-final.
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Semi-final: Defeated England
England topped their group and New Zealand were the underdogs against a belligerent side that had been ruthless so far. England posted a fighting 166/4 thanks to Moeen Ali’s half-century.
England had done well to take control for the major part of the New Zealand innings when then needed 57 in the final four over. And this is when Jimmy Neesham stepped up and smashed Chris Jordan for 23 runs in the 17th over and they were back on top. Daryl Mitchell, who struggled to find his timing in the first few overs, found his range and ended with a couple of sixes to end with an unbeaten 72 off 47.
Boult, Mitchell, and Ish Sodhi have been the star performers for the side and they will hold the key in the final against Australia.
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