World Cup 2019: England vs New Zealand-three reasons why England won the match

England defeated New Zealand by 119 runs at Chester-le-Street in a must-win match of the World Cup on Wednesday. The win helped the hosts secure a place in next week’s semi-finals. Batting first, England scored 305/8 and then bowled New Zealand out for a paltry 186 runs to record a comprehensive victory.

The hosts got off to a flyer, scoring 123 runs before losing their first wicket. The team suffered a mini-collapse (going from 194/2 to 248/5) but recovered to post a challenging total. England then picked up the vital wickets of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor early on in the Kiwis chase; New Zealand fell apart after these blows.England will be happy with their overall performance. New Zealand, on the other hand, will have a lot to introspect.

Let us look at three reasons why England defeated New Zealand on Wednesday.

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#1 Jonny Bairstow’s super start

Jonny Bairstow scored his second successive century, following his vital 111 against India, with a 106 versus the Kiwis. Bairstow and Jason Roy set up a good platform for England with their 123-run opening partnership.

Bairstow was in a destructive mood at the start of the innings. He hit Tim Southee for two boundaries in the third over. The Englishman was even more brutal in Southee’s next over, smashing the bowler for three consecutive fours.

Bairstow clipped the first ball off his legs for four. The next one was lifted over cover’s head, while the final one was hammered to the square-leg boundary.

The 29-year-old raced to 27 off 16 balls. He continued to attack Southee as he and Roy piled on the runs. When Roy was dismissed, Bairstow and Joe Root continued the run spree. Bairstow looked at home at the crease by now and smashed boundaries all around the ground.

The batsman was finally dismissed for 106 runs (bowled by a Matt Henry ball), but the damage was already done. England was on 206/3 after 31.4 overs at this stage.

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Jofra Archer has been in stupendous form.

#2 Excellent opening bowling

England started off excellently with the ball with their pacers. Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes built up the pressure with their accurate bowling. This led to two early wickets for the hosts.

Five balls into the innings, Henry Nicholls was adjudged leg before wicket; but the ball’s trajectory meant it would have missed the stumps. Strangely Nicholls decided not to use a review. The Kiwis were struggling at 2/1 at this stage.

Nicholls' wicket compounded New Zealand’s opening woes. The team had scored 220 runs in their last eight matches for the first wicket. Martin Guptill, one of New Zealand’s premier batsmen, was dismissed 12 runs later. Guptill got a faint nick on the way through to the wicket-keeper, who took a safe catch.

New Zealand were in disarray on 14/2 after five overs and they never really recovered from this position.

#3 Williamson and Taylor’s run-outs

The beginning of the end: England appeal for Kane Williamson's wicket.

Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor are the cornerstones of the New Zealand batting. The Kiwis had again put their hopes on the pair, hoping they could propel them to victory against England in a tough chase.

They came together with the score on 14/2 and their team in big trouble. The pair steadied the ship with a 47-run partnership. Both of them looked comfortable at the crease.

Williamson and Taylor played a few good shots during their time in the middle. Williamson played an elegant straight drive back past the bowler in the ninth over. In the tenth over, Taylor slashed at the ball and it raced to the cover boundary. Soon after, Williamson pounced on a short ball and cut it for four.

But out of nowhere Williamson was run out in unlucky circumstances when Mark Wood got his hands to a a Taylor drive that broke the stumps at the non-striker's end with Williamson, the Kiwi captain, out of his ground. His wicket was a huge blow for New Zealand.

In the next over, Taylor was also run out attempting a rash second run. These two wickets were the death knell for the Kiwis. The men in black plummeted from 61-2 to 186 all out post the departure of their key men.