England facing New Zealand on Wednesday: Things to know

KATHMANDU, November 10: England is facing New Zealand on Wednesday in the semi-final match of ICC T20 World Cup to be played in Abu Dhabi.

When England last met New Zealand in an ICC white-ball tournament, there was little to separate the two teams after 50+1 overs each. England claimed the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 title only by the barest of margins in that match at Lord's. 

Since then, New Zealand have insisted that that heartbreak is behind them. They have gone on to lift the ICC World Test Championship trophy, and come into this encounter with personnel who weren't in the middle for that Lord's match and don't carry those scars. For the team, this tournament is simply another chance to be rewarded with some silverware for the quality and consistency they have maintained across formats in the past few years.   

Here are things to know about these two teams: 

Fixture details

The match: England v New Zealand, Semi-final 1

Time: 6:00pm local time, Wednesday 10 November

Venue: Zayad Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

ENGLAND

Position: First

Their road to the semi-final

England got their campaign off in spectacular fashion, bowling West Indies out for 55 and chasing it down in just 8.2 overs for a crushing first win that ultimately made the difference in net run rate as they went through at the top of their group. Moeen Ali set up the win with two early wickets, but it was his fellow spinner Adil Rashid who returned the pick of the figures – four wickets for two runs in 2.2 overs.

Bangladesh were the next to fall foul of the England juggernaut, with Ali again in the wickets before Jason Roy hit a quickfire 61 in an easy chase. And Jos Buttler’s blistering 71 made astonishingly short work of a chase of 126 against Australia, with England reaching it in just 11.4 overs.

The huge NRR advantage set up by that trio of crushing wins gave England a huge chance of progressing as they went into the final two matches of their Super 12 campaign. But they were made to work hard in Sharjah, with Sri Lanka pushing them close despite Buttler’s brilliant century.

Defeat to South Africa in the final group game ultimately didn’t cost England top spot, despite both teams and Australia all finishing tied on eight points, with that positive NRR doing its job in the end.

Star performers

Jos Buttler – The tournament’s second-highest run-scorer has been the obvious star for England through the Super 12 stage. His century against Sri Lanka was the highlight of course, but over five matches Buttler has scored 240 runs at an average of 120.00 and a strike-rate of 155.84. Those are astonishing numbers.

Chris Jordan – The form of England’s experienced death-over specialist was a big concern coming into the tournament. Jordan had been extremely expensive in an England shirt for some time and would have been at severe risk of being dropped had injuries not begun to mount up. But Jordan’s returns have been excellent, especially in those overs at the end of the innings. If the 33-year-old can deliver at the business end it makes England’s attack a far more stable unit.

NEW ZEALAND

Position: Second

Road to semi-finals

New Zealand's T20 World Cup campaign got off to a rocky start when they were defeated by five wickets by Pakistan in their opening match. Just as when Pakistan beat India, the nature of the loss raised question marks over New Zealand's credentials as contenders.

They quickly put those questions to bed by trouncing India by eight wickets as their all-star attack dismantled a highly vaunted batting order. It was Trent Boult who did the majority of the damage as India were restricted to just 110, and the Kiwis chased it down with five and a half overs remaining.

Scotland pushed them in their third match, coming within 16 runs of chasing down a target of 172 and there was a scare against Namibia too, but by the time the Black Caps reached their final group match, they had their fate in their own hands.

And they made no mistake against Afghanistan to once again seal their spot in the finals of an ICC event. It was Boult and Tim Southee who did much of the damage to restrict Afghanistan to 124/8, and the chase was conservative but comfortable.

Star performers

Martin Guptill - The veteran opener has once again been New Zealand's Mr Reliable in the format, with his brutal 93 off 56 against Scotland proving a crucial performance given how tight that match looked at times.

His 28 against Afghanistan set up New Zealand’s chase in exactly the manner required, and all opponents will eye the opening batter as one of the big threats in this Black Caps team.

Unsurprisingly he finishes the Super 12 stage as the team's highest run-scorer.

Trent Boult - New Zealand's star fast bowler has been humming at the showpiece event, proving both dangerous and economical.

His 3/20 against India set New Zealand on a path that would see them win four matches on the bounce to reach the semi-finals, and he delivered a consistent quality throughout the Super 12 stage.