Daryl Mitchell carried his bat in a stunning knock, producing a brilliant late display of power-hitting with James Neesham's quickfire 27 sublime as well.
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Opener Daryl Mitchell and all-rounder James Neesham made their presence felt with a fantastic performance to help New Zealand sail into the final of the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup. Mitchell smashed 72 runs off 47 deliveries in an innings comprising of four boundaries and sixes apiece. Neesham made his presence felt with a 11-ball 27 with the knock including a four and three maximums. Fine gameplay by the duo helped New Zealand chase down a target of 167 runs in 19 overs, to enter their maiden semi-final in an edition of the prestigious tournament. The two players seized the initiative on a day when Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, Martin Guptill failed to make much of an impact, leading from the front. Chris Woakes and Liam Livingstone were the pick of the bowlers for England, accounting for two dismissals apiece.
“It’s a bit of a whirl. Couldn’t remember what was going on, but happy I got the job done. It was a challenging surface, with the new ball, and it was two-paced. The way Conway set the platform and Neesh hit a few out of the ground was amazing. We knew one or two good overs would do it, and we got the momentum back thanks to Neesham’s hitting. With what’s going on around the world right now, it’s amazing that my old man travelled half way around the world to watch me play, so this is a proud moment,” said Mitchell as quoted by Cricbuzz.
All-rounder Moeen Ali delivered the goods with the bat in a crucial encounter to help England post a total of 166 runs for the loss of four wickets. Moeen’s 37-ball 51 included three fours and two maximums. Dawid Malan provided valuable support, accumulating 41 runs from 30 deliveries in an innings comprising of four boundaries and a six. Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi and Neesham accounted for a dismissal apiece.
“Coming into the game we knew both sides were close in skill. Full credit to Kane and his team. They outplayed us today. Have represented ourselves in this tournament really well. Proud of the guys. They have given everything in this tournament. Thought we were right in the game until probably the 17th, 18th overs. We had them exactly where we wanted them up until that point. It was (sluggish). We’re a six-hitting side but we struggled to hit sixes. But we hung in there and posted probably a par score. To come out and hit sixes from ball one like that – full credit to him (Neesham). Absolutely love playing cricket at the moment. At the forefront of change both on and off the field (the team),” stated Morgan.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was full of praise for Mitchell for showcasing character in a tough scenario.
“Most players have played together in various tournaments. Knew it was going to be a great game of cricket. Thought they had a pretty competitive total. But just by staying in there, building the partnerships and cashing in on some moments, some matchups. Definitely something that stood out today (Mitchell’s character). Has batted beautifully in a high pressure situation. T20 cricket – it’s a game of small margins. Depending on the surface, the short side – these things can be match-defining. He came out and hit the ball hard, that’s what he does (neesham). Changed the momentum really,” said Williamson.
