ABU DHABI – A stunning finish saw New Zealand beat England and qualify the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Daryl Michell was the hero as New Zealand chased down 167 in Abu Dhabi to seal a spot in the World Cup final.
The Black Caps opener carried his bat in a stunning knock, producing a brilliant late display of power-hitting as New Zealand raced through the gears to avoid a nervy finish.
Chris Woakes’ two early wickets in the Powerplay had restricted the Kiwi chase. But a steadying knock from Devon Conway and a quickfire 27 from James Neesham put New Zealand on top. And it was Mitchell who finished the job.
Earlier Ali and Dawid Malan helped England reach 166/4 in an occasionally scratchy first innings. Scoring was slow and steady for much of England’s effort with the bat, with openers Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler steady but unspectacular through the powerplay, before Malan and Ali’s rebuilt the innings.
Some big hits late on from Livingstone and Ali, who finished on 51*, helped England to 166/4. But England needed a big effort from their bowling attack to tie New Zealand down in the reply, and were unable to do so, missing out on a third-straight place in a World Cup final.
SQUADS
Probable XI: Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wk), Dawid Malan, Liam Livingstone, Sam Billings, Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
Probable XI: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (capt), Devon Conway (wk), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult.
