Title contender England will take New Zealand in the first semifinal of the T20 World Cup on Wednesday. The two teams were not really fierce rivals, till England won the ICC Men's World Cup against the Black Caps in 2019. While New Zealand will try to avenge their painstaking loss two years back, England try to better their winning record against the Kiwis.
Needless to say, it to be an exciting encounter as both the teams have mastered the art of T20 cricket and have two astute leaders in Kane Williamson and Eoin Morgan. However, injury is one of the biggest worries for Morgan's team. Here's all you need to know about the first semifinal.
Big-Ticket Match
Both the teams have a pretty impressive T20 record. Also, England won the ICC Men's World Cup Cricket in 2019, while New Zealand is the reigning World Test Champions. However, T20 cricket is a different ball game all together and the match promises to be an exciting battle of nerves.
Morgan's team was the pre-tournament favorites and played like one for the majority of the Super 12 stage. However, their loss in the final group game to South Africa showed that they were not an invincible outfit.
The absence of Jason Roy, who suffered a calf injury against the Proteas, is a big blow to the team heading into the semifinals. Roy and Jos Buttler made arguably the most destructive opening pairing of the tournament but England's batting unit since look a bit weak.
Morgan thus will be banking on spinners Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid. Their role will be massive as they will aim to provide the wickets in the powerplay and middle overs.
On the other hand, New Zealand will bank on its bowlers. They have been arguably the best bowling unit in the tournament, restricting the likes of India to 110. Even a dangerous side like Afghanistan could only muster 125 against them.
So, it won't come as a surprise if the two teams once again put up a nail-biting finish much like what they did in the ICC World Cup final.
When and Where
The England vs New Zealand semi-final will be played on Wednesday, November 10 in Abu Dhabi from 6 pm local time, 7:30 pm IST and 2 pm GMT. Toss will take place at 7:00 pm.
How to Watch
The ICC T20 World Cup 2021 England vs New Zealand semi-final game will be aired live on Star Sports channels that include Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 3 and Star Sports 3 HD, and DD Sports.
For those watching in the UK, the match will be aired on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event, with coverage starting at 1.30 pm.
How to Watch Online
For those watching in India, online streaming of the match between England vs New Zealand will be available on the Hotstar app and the website.
In the UK, Sky Sports subscribers will be able to watch the match online via the Sky Go app.
