New Zealand defeated England by five wickets in the first semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday (November 10).
In the all-important game, England posted 166/4 on the board after being asked to bat first. Moeen Ali top-scored with 51* off 37 balls while Dawid Malan played a handy knock of 30-ball 41.
Tim Southee was the stand-out bowler for the Kiwis, claiming one wicket by conceding 24 runs in his stipulated four overs.
In reply, the BlackCaps got off to a terrible start as they lost Martin Guptill (4) and skipper Kane Williamson (5) with just 13 runs on the board. Chris Woakes dismissed both the batters.
Amid the pressure situation, the duo of Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway added 82 runs for the third wicket to bail the team out of trouble. Liam Livingstone broke the partnership by removing Conway on 46 and soon followed with the wicket of Glenn Phillips (2).
However, Mitchell held the one end firmly and the opening batter shared a 40-run stand for the fifth wicket with Jimmy Neesham to put New Zealand on the brink of victory.
While Neesham fell after playing a stunning cameo of 11-ball 27, Mitchell remained unbeaten till the end. The right-hander smashed Woakes for 20 runs in the penultimate over and returned with 72 not off 47 balls (4 fours and 4 sixes) to take his team over the line with six balls to spare.
For his unbeaten match-winning knock, Daryl Mitchell received rich praise from the cricket fraternity on Twitter.
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