England Beat New Zealand to Book World T20 2016 Final Berth

By: Ravi Singh

New Zealand did a South Africa by choking, yet again. The Black Caps, who showed a plenty of potential to go all the way at the start of the World T20 2016, fizzled out when it matter the most in the semifinal clash against England at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Wednesday.

Nothing is certain in cricket excepts its uncertainties and the Kiwi-England semifinal game was yet another case in point. The odds were heavily loaded in favour of New Zealand to maintain their supremacy against the flamboyant England team, but the ending was completely different.

Reason? New Zealand couldn’t repeat their league performance show with conviction. They started their World T20 campaign against India with a very convincing win on a slow Nagpur turner.

Their show of strength even restricted their arch-rivals, Australia, from flying high. The rest of the league games — against Pakistan and Bangladesh – went off very smoothly. They remained unbeaten.

Seeing them in action, even those who dismissed the Kiwis as a lesser team, changed their opinions. They became tournament favourites and on track for their biggest-ever achievement in world cricket.

Yes, this was also the team, which looked increasingly good at defending totals as well as setting them. But their dream of making history went up in smoke at Kotla – like it happened several times earlier. England beat them quite handsomely (by seven wickets), which was made possible by Jason Roy’s 44-ball 78.

Earlier, New Zealand were right on the money. Their captain Kane Williamson and Colin Munro were aggressive in their approach and kept the English attack guessing.

But their dismissals hurt Kiwis’ chances badly. They couldn’t put together a good score befitting their brand of cricket, as the lower middle-order came crushing down like a pack of cards.

In the end, they could compile a score of 153 for eight in 20 stipulated overs. The England bowlers too need to be complimented for their ability to apply brakes on New Zealand scoring.

So what clicked for England in the second essay of the match? It was the opening stand, which took the match away from the New Zealand team.

Raining fours and sixes from Roy’s bat ruined New Zealand’s chance of coming back into the game. By the time, Kiwi spin sensation Mitchell Santner was whacked for a six over the mid-wicket by Jos Buttler, England got to the winning run with 17 balls to spare.

It was perfect all-round effort from Eoin Morgan and his men, who would be looking for a gripping World T20 2016 final at the Eden Gardens on Sunday evening.