England lock horns with New Zealand in the first semifinal of the ICC T20 World Cup in what would be the replica of the 2019 World Cup final. The Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi will host the match on November 10 (Wednesday).
England will definitely miss their regular opener Jason Roy, who has been ruled out of the tournament with a muscle tear. Having lost Tymal Mills to injury as well, and with stars like Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer ruled out before the tournament itself, one wonders if Roy’s injury will prove to be one too far for England.
Preparing for our #T20WorldCup Semi-Final 💪 Excited yet? 😉 pic.twitter.com/iaHyE1Gedj
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) November 9, 2021
Eoin Morgan & co will have to make some tactical changes to his playing XI with Roy not available to open the innings. Jonny Bairstow is likely to slot in the top-order while Sam Billing might get a go-ahead in the middle-order.
New Zealand, on the other hand, have one of the most balanced bowling attacks in the competition. In Trent Boult, they have a solid left-arm pacer who can swing the ball, a right-arm quick in Tim Southee, someone who can bang the ball in at a pace like Adam Milne, a left-arm spinner who dries up the runs in Mitchell Santner, a wicket-taking leg-spinner in Ish Sodhi, and an all-rounder in Jimmy Neesham who can take pace off the ball.
They are an in-form attack who have quickly adjusted to the different conditions at each venue, and are expertly rotated during a game by captain Kane Williamson. The batters will hope to back their bowlers well as New Zealand look to overcome the England challenge.
Pride in playing for New Zealand at the @T20WorldCup and a helicopter 🚁 🤔 ? It's all happening in this Trent Boult answer 😂 #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/B4GFO2oW4J
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) November 9, 2021
Match Details
England vs New Zealand, Semi-Final 1
Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Date & Time: November 10th, at 7:30 PM IST
Pitch Report
The Abu Dhabi wicket will have something to offer to the fast bowlers throughout the game. The batters will have to be patient to score runs in this pitch. Anything over 150 will be a good score on the wicket.
New Zealand vs England – Predicted Playing XI
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (c), Devon Conway (wk), Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult
England: James Vince/Sam Billings, Jos Buttler (wk), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Tom Curran/Mark Wood
New Zealand vs England – Fantasy Team Suggestions
Fantasy Team 1: Jos Buttler, Devon Conway, Dawid Malan, Kane Williamson (c), Martin Guptill, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali (vc), Jimmy Neesham, Chris Jordan, Trent Boult, Tim Southee
Fantasy Team 2: Jos Buttler (c), Dawid Malan, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill (vc), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, Chris Woakes
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