If there is one thing Twenty20 cricket has taught batsmen around the world it is that no target is beyond reach. At the ICC World Twenty20 2016, New Zealand has taught the cricket world a different kind of lesson, that any score is defendable. But, a rampaging England team would not let the small matter of 154 runs stand between it and a spot in the final, and lost only three wickets in booking its flight to Kolkata and a date with the Eden Gardens.
When Eoin Morgan won the toss and put New Zealand in on Wednesday (March 30) at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, he quickly discovered that this pitch was the best batting surface this ground had served up.
Martin Guptill began with a bang, sending the first ball to the fence, and more than once he received deliveries in his hitting arc, either short and wide or full and straight. But David Willey, who has made a habit of picking up early wickets, got one to hold the angle and Guptill, committed to the stroke, nicked off
New Zealand gave Colin Munro license to thrill and he played a shot to almost anything sent his way. It wasn’t pretty, several balls squirting off the edge, others going anywhere but their intended destination, but the runs came thick and fast, allowing Kane Williamson to attempt to construct an innings and set the tone.
As always, Williamson’s strokes were cloaked in gorgeousness, but this thing of beauty was not a joy forever. While Munro hacked away and thrived, Williamson pursued excellence and failed. Trying to force Moeen Ali, Williamson (32) skied the ball and the bowler contained his excitement long enough to run as far as mid-off to settle under the return catch.
New Zealand, who had laid a rock solid foundation of 89 for 1 from 10 overs, found that Williamson’s wicket changed everything.
England’s bowlers were right on the money, mixing up yorkers with tidy lines and lengths, and the wickets came with an air of inevitability. Munro (46) hacked one high and wide to the fielder at third man, while Ross Taylor was well caught by Morgan as he tried to clear the infield.
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