ENG vs NZ T20I Match Highlights: In a much-anticipated match between England and New Zealand, the Brits won the match by 20 runs ending Black Caps’ winning streak in T20 World Cup 2022. Batting first, England had posted a target of 180 runs for the Kiwis which they failed to pursue in 20 overs and ended their innings at 159 for 6.
ENG vs NZ T20I Match Highlights:
The openers for England got their side off to a great start by choosing to bat first. Although the batters who came after them couldn’t make any significant contributions, England finished with a pretty competitive total in their allotted 20 overs, largely because of the contributions by the openers. Both Hales and Buttler notched their respective half-centuries and laid the foundation.
In response, the NZ openers were unable to give their side the winning start, and despite a partnership between Williamson and Phillips, England continued to pick off wickets on a consistent basis. The Blackcaps were unable to obtain those crucial wickets, therefore their death bowling was rather efficient.
When Glenn Phillips was dropping bombs in the middle overs, things seemed very iffy for England. However, on a sticky field, England’s seamers were outstanding in the final period, with Mark Wood’s third over setting the tone and Curran and Woakes finishing off the game beautifully. In the end, Jos Buttler’s 73 and a crucial fifty from Alex Hales at the top of England’s order were the difference-makers.
ENG vs NZ Analysis
With the victory, England moves up to position two in the standings. Additionally, New Zealand’s winning streak comes to an end, and if the following games play out as predicted, given all dominant teams win and there are no upsets, Group 1 will be tied after three teams, with NRR serving as the determining factor. All eyes will be on Australia’s performance against Afghanistan on Friday; they must win handily to put pressure on these two sides.
ENG vs NZ What Captains Said:
The Winning Captain: Jos Buttler
The winning captain, Jos Buttler and also the Player of the Match talked about the special win. He said, “I said at the toss that we didn’t think too much about the past poor performance, we have great players in the playing XI and in the squad, we had the confidence that showed up today. It’s a ruthless tournament, last year South Africa went out despite having 4 wins out of 5 games. This is a World Cup, there will be pressure and the best teams do thrive under it. We bat deep, I thought the wicket was a little bit tricky, especially against spin and I thought Alex Hales played a fine hand, it’s all about partnerships, one day he gets going, some other day it’ll be my turn.”
Talking about him going past Eoin Morgan as the highest scorer for England in T20Is, he said,
“It’s nice at the end of a career when you look back at things on an individual level. The game was shaped in different ways, facing spin was tough, we wanted to be flexible with both bat and ball – the way Moeen bowled that fantastic first over, he put New Zealand under a lot of pressure. Hales played brilliantly, we know what he is capable.”
Speaking of what is the difference in how to approach T20 Cricket. He said, “You need to be patient in T20 cricket, you need to keep backing guys. It’s important to keep pushing them and keep encouraging them. We were aiming for 160-165, but we managed to push beyond that. We have had success batting first. The games against Australia, we won batting first. You always need to take wickets in the second half. Batting first was the right option for us today. The pitch was a bit damp. He (Curran) has been bowling well, hitting the wickets hard. First and foremost we need to win against Sri Lanka.”
The Losing Captain: Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson, the New Zealand Captain appreciated England’s efforts, he said, “Credit to the way England played, they put us under pressure. They played beautifully, hats-off to England, they were clinical. It was a slightly above-par total. We tried to take it little deep, but credit to the way they bowled. It was quite tricky. You don’t want to be doing that, and he’ll make you pay. He played a beautiful knock in a big game for them.”
Talking about the catch drop, he said, “I thought I had squeezed it in my chest, it was a bit embarrassing in the end. He has been batting beautifully, he got a hundred in the last game, and changed the momentum in our favour somewhat today. You will be put under pressure in such tournaments, but we need to take the positives and move on to the next game.”
Player Of The Match: Jos Buttler
