England’s woeful finish ends World Cup hopes
ENGLAND’S bid for World Cup glory at the ICC T20 World Cup ended in Abu Dhabi as a sensational knock from Daryl Mitchell guided New Zealand to a five wicket win – and a place in Sunday’s final.
Mitchell struck a devastating 72 off just 47 balls as the Black Cats gained revenge for their dramatic defeat to England in the 2019 World Cup final at Lord’s in the 50 over format.
With Jason Roy out injured, after tearing a calf muscle, England promoted Johnny Bairstow to the role of opener alongside Jos Buttler with Sam Billings coming into the middle order.
Bairstow struggled early on, but Buttler’s great form in the tournament continued, with 16 runs coming off the fourth over.
With England cruising along and 37 without loss, Adam Milne was brought into the action and he took a wicket with his first ball as Bairstow holed out to Kane Williamson, who took a superb diving catch to dismiss him for 13.
That slowed England down as they reached 40-1 by the end of the powerplay when the Black Caps turned to spin. Ish Sodhi’s first ball of the second over accounted for Buttler, who went lbw for 29 off 24 balls. Buttler did review the decision, but there was never any doubt.
That brought Moeen Ali to the crease but it was the brilliant cover driving of David Malan that took England nicely along to 86 by the end of the 12th over.
Incredibly, it took until the first ball of the 15th over for the first six as Tim Southee was hooked over the boundary by Malan, but Southee’s response was instant as his next ball brushed the glove of Malan, who was caught behind for a superb 41 off 29 balls, leaving England 116 for three.
Liam Livingstone was sent in to bat and was off the mark immediately with a single, but England were struggling to find the boundary. That was until Moeen smashed a glorious six off the second ball of Sodhi’s last over, but the two dot balls that followed typified England’s innings.
England had reached 130-3 with three overs remaining and were in need of a big finish. It started with a superb six, again from Moeen, off Milne before three successive singles and a wide. The over ended as it started, though, with Livingston bludgeoning a huge six straight back over the bowler’s head.
Seven game off the first three balls of the penultimate over to take England beyond 150 but Livingstone then holed out to Santner off the bowling of Jimmy Neesham for a useful 17 off ten balls.
England finished their innings with Mooen reaching 51 off 37 balls and captain Eoin Morgan in four as they reached 166-4.
Woakes opened the bowling and made a dream start, taking a wicket with his third ball as Martin Guptill got a leading edge to one that stuck in the wicket and Moeen took the simplest of catches.
Chris Jordan’s first over was tidy, going for just five, before Woakes struck again. Kane Williamson tried to scoop over the head of wicketkeeper Buttler, but instead found the hands of Adil Rashid to leave the Black Caps 13 for two. Along with five dot balls, it meant Woakes’ second over finished as a wicket maiden.
By the halfway stage, New Zealand were 58-2 with former Somerset batsman Devon Conway starting to cut loose and scoring a welcome boundary off the bowling of Livingstone, whose first over went for eight.
Wood went for 15 as Conway and Mitchell kept up with the required run rate and just when England needed a wicket, Livingstone duly delivered with a ball that skidded on and was missed by the advancing Conway with Buttler whipping off the bails to send him back to the pavilion for 46.
At the end of the 15th, New Zealand needed 60 and Livingstone struck again in his final over when the big hitting Glenn Phillips took him on, but launched it high and straight to Billings. The all-rounder finished with figures of 2-22.
What followed was a disaster as Jordan was pummelled for 23 in an eight-ball over that included two sixes, two wides, Livingstone and Bairstow leaving a catch for each other that landed between them and the same two players almost pulling off a catch of the competition contender, only for Bairstow’s knee to make contact with the boundary on releasing the ball to his team-mate and it going for six runs instead.
Jimmy Neesham’s big hitting turned the game on its head, while Mitchell reached his half century with a huge six of Rashid before Neesham holed out to Morgan to depart for 27 off 11 balls.
Under pressure, England capitulated spectacularly and Mitchell guided New Zealand home by taking 19 off the 20 runs conceded in the penultimate over to guide New Zealand home with an over to spare.