T20 WC semi-final, England vs NZ: Preview, stats, and more
England and New Zealand will square off in the first semi-final of 2021 T20 World Cup on Wednesday. The Sheikh Zayed Stadium will host the high-octane clash. Both sides lost only one game in the Super 12 stage. England are coming off a 10-run defeat to South Africa, while the Black Caps humbled Afghanistan in their last fixture. Here is the match preview.
The two sides have met 21 times in T20I cricket, with England leading the head-to-head series 13-7 (1 NR). England and New Zealand last faced each other in T20Is in November 2019 (England won 3-2). As far as the T20 World Cup is concerned, England lead the Kiwis 3-2. They won in the 2016 edition by seven wickets.
The match will be held at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. It will begin at 7:30 PM IST. All matches on this venue have been one-sided so far. The surface here assists everyone in phases. Spinners are always in action as they garner turn. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on Disney+ Hotstar.
This will be England's third appearance in the T20 WC semi-finals. They reached this stage in 2010, when they were crowned champions. England were also the runners-up of the 2016 edition. They lost the final to West Indies. Similarly, New Zealand will also be playing their third semi-final (T20 WC). They finished as the semi-finalists in 2007 and 2016.
Martin Guptill is New Zealand's leading run-scorer in T20Is against England. He has smashed 467 runs from 14 games at a strike rate of 145.48 against them. In the bowling segment, Mitchell Santner has taken 16 wickets with the best bowling performance of 3/23. Meanwhile, Eoin Morgan owns the most runs for England against New Zealand (424 at a strike rate of 146.20).
There are doubts over Jason Roy's availability for the remainder of the T20 World Cup. The star opener suffered a leg injury in England's defeat to South Africa. Middle-order batter Sam Billings could replace him in the XI. Probable XI: Jos Buttler (wicket-keeper), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan (captain), Roy/Billings Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
New Zealand have played the same combination throughout the tournament. Although the absence of Lockie Ferguson has hurt them, their extended bowling line-up has filled in. The current form of Ish Sodhi bolsters the bowling attack. Probable XI: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (captain), Devon Conway (wicket-keeper), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult.
