Preview
England will be up against New Zealand in the first semifinal of the 20-20 World Cup. The former are coming off a 10-run loss, while the latter are on a four-match winning streak. England also received a massive blow as opener Jason Roy was ruled out of the 20-20 World Cup due to a calf injury.
James Vince has replaced him but Roy’s untimely blow has hurt England badly. The experienced opener is a vital cog in the team’s white-ball setup and is considered a big-match player. Skipper Eoin Morgan will now have to slightly tweak his plans. Jonny Bairstow is one option the team can look out for. The wicketkeeper-batter has so far blown hot and cold in the 20-20 World Cup.
Apart from the injury to Roy, England are otherwise looking threatening and menacing. In the batting department, Jos Buttler has led the charge with 240 runs. In the bowling department, leg spinner Adil Rashid has looked good, picking up eight wickets in five games.
New Zealand as usual have gone about their business in a calm and composed manner. The nice guys knocked over mighty India and since then have not looked back. Different players have stepped up for the team and that has been one of the main reasons for their success in the tournament.
Pitch Conditions
Abu Dhabi will play host to England vs New Zealand semifinal. The wicket is slightly on the slower side. Batting first, teams need to post big runs as defending totals won't be easy.
Playing Combination England
James Vince, Jos Buttler (wk), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan (c), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
Playing Combination New Zealand
Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (c), Devon Conway (wk), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult
Head-to-head
Overall
Matches- 21, England – 12, New Zealand– 7, N/R- 1, Tied- 1
In 20-20 World Cups
Matches- 5, England – 3, New Zealand– 2, N/R- 0, Tied- 0
England vs New Zealand Broadcast Details
Match Timings – 07:30 PM IST
TV – Star Sports Network
Live Streaming – Disney + Hotstar