Eoin Morgan-led New Zealand take on Kane Williamson-led New Zealand in the first semi-final of T20 World Cup 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. The two sides last met in an ICC event in the 2019 ODI World Cup which happened to be one of the craziest matches in cricket history.
England finished at the top points table in the Super 12 Group 1 with eight points, having won four out of their five matches. Eoin Morgan and co. lost their only game against South Africa. The Kiwis, on the other hand, finished second in Group 2 with eight points, having lost the only game against Pakistan. Jason Roy’s injury is a big blow for England but they have got the quality players in the squad who can replace him. Jonny Bairstow is the obvious contender to open the innings in the absence of Roy.
England is favorites to win this contest but given that New Zealand has outclassed India in the group stages, Morgan and co. will not take them lightly. Jos Buttler has been in incredible form in this T20 World Cup, scoring 240 runs at an average of 120 and a strike rate of 155.84 in five matches. If New Zealand has to reach the final then they’ve to stop Jos Buttler. The pace troika of Adam Milne, Trent Boult, and Tim Southee have been brilliant in the tournament so far and the onus would be on them, along with Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner to restrict England to a low total/ defend the total.
Match Details
Match: England vs New Zealand, 1st Semi-Final, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021
Date & Time: 10th November 2021, 7:30 PM
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Live Streaming: Star Sports, Disney+ Hotstar
Pitch Report
The Abu Dhabi pitch is among the tournament’s best for batting so far. Fast bowlers tend to get some movement initially but overall the wicket has been playing neutral. For fast bowlers back of a length and slower balls (variations) have been the key. Since it’s an evening contest, the dew will come into the picture, so the team that wins the toss is most likely to bowl first.
Average first innings score: 156 (14 T20Is in Abu Dhabi in T20 World Cup 2021)
Record of Chasing teams: Won – 9, Lost – 5, Tied – 0
England vs New Zealand Head-to-head
Overall
Matches- 21, England – 12, New Zealand– 7, N/R- 1, Tied- 1
In T20 World Cups
Matches- 5, England – 3, New Zealand– 2, N/R- 0, Tied- 0
England vs New Zealand Probable XI
England
Jos Buttler (wk), Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Billings/ David Willey, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, and Mark Wood
New Zealand
Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (c), Devon Conway (wk), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Trent Boult, and Ish Sodhi
Key Players
England: Jos Buttler, Adil Rashid, Chris Jordan, Moeen Ali
New Zealand: Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner, Martin Guptill
Matchups
Jos Buttler vs Trent Boult: 45 runs at SR 145.2, 0 dismissals
Jos Buttler vs Sodhi: 40 runs at SR 154, 2 dismissals
David Malan vs Mitchell Santner: 48 runs at SR 141.2, 2 dismissals
Johnny Bairstow vs Trent Boult: 40 runs at SR 190.5, 2 dismissals
Johnny Bairstow vs Santner: 17 runs for 3 dismissals
Martin Guptill vs Adil Rashid: 61 runs at SR 170, 3 dismissals
