NZ beat ENG: Daryl Mitchell slams maiden FIFTY when it mattered for New Zealand: New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell slammed his maiden T20I Fifty against England in the first semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup here at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. Chasing 167, New Zealand had one of the worst starts as they lost Martin Guptill (4) in the very first over and were reduced to 36/2 inside the powerplay with captain Kane Williamson also back in the shed. Mitchell then gradually rebuilt the innings along with Devon Conway and scored an unbeaten 72 from 48 balls to get his side over the line with an over to spare, hitting the winning runs. Follow InsideSport.in for more T20 World Cup live updates
NZ beat ENG: Daryl Mitchell steps up big time, slams maiden FIFTY when it mattered for New Zealand
How did New Zealand pull off the run chase from nowhere?
- With New Zealand’s score reading 36/2 at the end of the powerplay, the main job for Daryl Mitchell & Devon Conway was to prevent any further loss that could trigger a full-blown collapse.
- Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell opted to take the least risk and slowly rebuilt the innings. At the halfway mark, New Zealand’s score read 58/2 with the side needing 109 runs to win from 60 balls
- The duo accounted for 82-runs partnership for the third wicket. New Zealand still needed 72 runs to win from 38 balls when Liam Livingstone removed Conway.
- Soon, England completely took control of the game as Livingstone picked up his second wicket in Glenn Phillips (2) with New Zealand score reading at 107/4 in the 16th over with Mitchell still standing at one end
- However, what worked for Daryl Mitchell as well as New Zealand was James Neesham’s cameo of 27 off 11 balls.
- With 20 to win from 12 balls, Daryl Mitchell guided slammed back-to-back sixes off Chris Woakes’ over and took his side over the line to a five-wicket victory
- It was Mitchell’s first half-century since his T20I debut against India back in February 2019 in which he scored 8 off 6 deliveries
- Mitchell missed his fifty against India in the ongoing World Cup clash after he was dismissed by Bumrah on 49 off 35 deliveries
- However, he did make sure to finish the game against England and was later adjudged Player of the Match for his match-winning unbeaten 72
Your @ICC Player of the Match – @dazmitchell47! 72* from 47 to guide the team home. Scorecard | https://t.co/fSFo2zZtnL #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/RvkiNtOt4K
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) November 10, 2021
Daryl Michell ‘super proud’ after match-winning 72:
New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell expressed his happiness after guiding his side over the line against England on Wednesday.
“It was a bit of a whirl at the end there. I couldn’t remember what was going on, but I’m 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,” said Daryl Mitchell in a post-match presentation.
“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 halfway around the world to watch me play, so this is a proud moment,” he further added.
T20 World Cup 2021 Final:
The winner of the semi-final 2 between Pakistan and Australia in Dubai on Thursday will join New Zealand in Sunday’s final also in Dubai.
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