T20 WC 2021, SF 1: ENG vs NZ Preview – Black Caps stand between England and the final
England and New Zealand are all set to meet each other in the second semi-final of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. The two sides have been quite excellent through this tournament and share an interesting recent history in ICC events. England finished as the toppers of their group. They won their first four games but also had a 10-run defeat against South Africa.
New Zealand, on the other hand, have faced lesser competitive teams in order to get into the semi-final. They had started their campaign with a loss against Pakistan, but then won matches against India, Scotland, Namibia and Afghanistan to qualify as the second-ranked team from their group. The build-up for this game has been exceptional and so should be the game itself.
Match Info
England vs New Zealand, 1st Semi-Final
Date and time: November 10, 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Head to head:
The two teams have met five times in the T20 World Cups, with England leading the contest 3-2, which includes their semi-final win in the 2016 edition in Delhi.
Team News:
England: After losing Tymal Mills to an injury, England lost their opener Jason Roy to a calf injury. He has been replaced by James Vince, who isn’t a bad replacement given his T20 record in the last 12 months. Sam Billings is also available in the squad, Vince will edge him out due to his natural ability to open the innings.
England also have Jonny Bairstow to come and open the innings, so that is something that Captain Morgan needs to think about. Lastly, Mills’ replacement Mark Wood was slightly expensive. David Willey, Reece Topley and Tom Curran are available in the squad and could take Wood’s spot.
New Zealand: The Blackcaps have been quite consistent with their team selections during the course of this tournament. Since changing their team for the second game, they have played four straight games with the same XI. There is no injury concern as such and that should mean they wouldn’t change their team for this important game.
Probable XI
