England beat New Zealand by 7 wickets at Delhi to qualify for the final of the ICC World T20 on Wednesday.
Put into bat, the Kiwis got off to a flying start despite losing the wicket of Martin Guptill in the third over. Kane Williamson and Colin Munro built a solid 74-run partnership, but once the New Zealand skipper was dismissed by Moeen Ali, it went all downhill for them.
The last 4 overs of the Blackcaps' innings yielded just 20 runs, with England getting 5 wickets during that period. Chris Jordan and Ben Stokes were the star men for the Eoin Morgan-led side in the death overs.
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The English batsmen chased down the target of 154 with relative ease thanks to Jason Roy’s brilliant 44-ball 78. Jos Buttler hit some lusty blows at the end of the match to confirm England’s place in the final.
What the captains had to say
England’s captain Morgan was, as expected, delighted with the win. He noted that the wicket of Kane Williamson was the turning point of the match.
“We did really well to peg it back after the first six or seven overs, Kane played really well and his wicket was very important. Continuing to take wickets helped us a huge amount. At one stage, we were looking at 180, but the belief in our camp is a very aggressive brand of cricket and we have confidence at the moment - led by Alex Hales and Jason Roy.
“We are in a good position at the moment. This is the kind of thing you dream about. The players have made a lot of sacrifices and worked very hard for it.” Morgan said.
On the other hand, New Zealand’s captain Williamson credited England for the win. He mentioned that he had faith in his bowlers, but the blistering start from Roy ended all of New Zealand’s hopes.
"At the halfway stage, I knew we were probably a touch short. The 180-mark was realistic and it would have been a closer game. We were beaten by a far better team. We weren't able to stem the flow of runs and it was a fantastic knock by Jason Roy. We backed our bowlers to defend anything but the damage was done early," he said.
Cricketers’ reactions
Anil Kumble marks the death overs as the reason England won the match.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan is over the moon.
Stuart Broad congratulates the England team on “the perfect game”.
Luke Wright, who according to many was unlucky to miss out on England’s squad, lauds the selectors.
West Indian great Brian Lara full of praise for captain Morgan.
Darren Gough tries to troll Scott Styris.
Former New Zealand cricketer Iain O’Brien marks New Zealand’s tour to England last year as the turning point for England in limited overs cricket.
James Anderson loved that performance from England.
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