Last Updated on 3 years by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: Twitter reactions: New Zealand turn tables on England | New Zealand produce incredible victory over England to reach T20 WC Final
July 2019… Lords. NZ were shattered when they lost on a technicality to England in the 50-over World Cup. When the teams could not be split even after the Super Over, the winner was chosen based on who cleared the boundary the most times.
Two years on, New Zealand had a shot at getting their revenge when they faced England at Abu Dhabi at the T20 World Cup this time. England, batting first, made a steady and cautious start, eventually gaining momentum briefly through Jos Buttler and then mainly via Dawid Malan and the impressive Moeen Ali. They kept building the score at a steady rate, finishing with what looked to be a winning score of 166/4 in a crunch match.
Given how the English batters have been ruthless over the last few years, it was brilliant from the New Zealand bowlers to keep them under 175. But the way New Zealand batters began the innings, those images of 2019 would have started flashing back again in the minds of their players and fans.
They were left reeling when they lost two wickets with the score just reading 13 after three overs. Guptill and Williamson failed to make an impact. But New Zealand’s golden boy in 2021, Devon Conway, partnered with Daryl Mitchell to steady the ship and ensure New Zealand didn’t lose another quick wicket.
But, after England crawled their way back with a couple of quick wickets, New Zealand then needed an improbable 57 off 24 balls with James Neesham new to the crease. But, Neesham, who was heartbroken after the 2019 ODI World Cup Final, set about making up for the heartbreak by taking on Chris Jordan in an excellent display of hitting. And, it would have been quite the sight for New Zealand fans to see Jonny Bairstow’s knee touch the boundary after Trent Boult stepped on the rope in 2019.
Neesham was dismissed for a brilliant 11-ball 27, but that didn’t stop player of the match Daryl Mitchell from finishing the job with one over to spare. Yet again, New Zealand showed why they can’t be discounted in ICC tournaments, and they will now be looking to add the T20 World Cup to their Test Championship mace from earlier this year.
