T20 WC Final: New Zealand defeated England to reach the final.© Instagram
After finishing second in Group 2 behind Pakistan in the Super 12 stage, New Zealand brought their ‘A’ game when they took on England in the first semi-final. Exceptional performances from the likes of James Neesham and Daryl Mitchell ensured that the New Zealand side confirmed a place in yet another world title match. After twin disappointments of losing out to Australia and England in the 2015 and 2019 ODI World Cup finals respectively, the Kane Williamson-led side will be eager to make amends and grab a much-awaited limited-overs trophy. If they do so, they will cap off a brilliant year, having won the World Test Championship (WTC) earlier against India.
Here’s looking at all the matches played so far by New Zealand:
Super 12
vs Pakistan
New Zealand got off to a bad start as they lost by five wickets to the Babar Azam-led side. They were restricted to 134/8 in 20 overs which the Pakistan batters chased with 10 balls to spare.
vs India
It was the match against India that gave the New Zealand side an opportunity to showcase their true strengths. They bowled superbly to restrict India to 110/7 in 20 overs and then chased down the target with relative ease.
vs Scotland
Scotland fought hard but eventually went down by 16 runs against a spirited New Zealand side who did not let go of the match despite being behind for a brief period.
vs Namibia
New Zealand went past Namibia easily as they registered a thumping 52-run victory at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
vs Afghanistan
New Zealand knew that they had to win against Afghanistan in order to prevent the net run-rate factor coming in the way and help India qualify for the semis at their expense. They did exactly that and inflicted an eight-wicket defeat on Afghanistan to seal a semis spot.
Semi-Final
Promoted
vs England
New Zealand found a hero in Daryl Mitchell along with James Neesham as they chased down the target of 167 runs with an over to spare and five wickets in hand to book a place in the final.
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