New Zealand stun England to soar into maiden men's T20 World Cup final

AADAM PATEL IN ABU DHABI: Daryl Mitchell and Jimmy Neesham combine to complete a remarkable run-chase as Kane Williamson's men exacted a slice of revenge from the 2019 50-over final

Abu Dhabi: England 166-4, New Zealand 167-5 - New Zealand won by five wickets

Scorecard

Before the tournament, Daryl Mitchell had never opened the batting in T20 professional cricket. As his father, the former All Black rugby union player John Mitchell watched on in Abu Dhabi, the man from Hamilton played the innings of his life with 72* off 47 to drag his country to their first-ever ICC men’s T20 World Cup final, after a quite thrilling semi-final that ebbed and flowed until the very end.

Talk of England v New Zealand in a World Cup. It’s a fixture that stirs up the memory and immediately throws you back to that famous 2019 World Cup Final. “Cricket was the real winner right?” Try saying that to New Zealand fans. Try saying that to Jimmy Neesham, who was left disconsolate on the Lord’s outfield on that sunlit evening. Neesham had unfinished business.

With the Black Caps needing 57 off the final four overs, this was England’s game to lose. New Zealand needed more than two runs a ball. But Neesham walked out with a purpose and a mission, stepping up to rip the heart out of England, with a game-changing cameo of 27 from 11. He took the experienced campaigner Chris Jordan for 19 of the 23 he conceded in the 17th over and by the time he was dismissed, the equation was 20 from two. 

Mitchell finished things off with an over to spare. When asked pre-match about the absence of Jason Roy, Kane Williamson said that the England team was still full of “match-winners” before outlining that “we have a number of match-winners as well.” Thanks to them, he will have the opportunity to lead New Zealand to a first men's T20 World title on Sunday (November 14) in Dubai.

Under the leadership of Eoin Morgan and Williamson, both sides have become genuine contenders on the global stage, with three meetings at the latter stages in as many tournaments. England, in recent times, have happy memories. That win in 2019 was preceded by an encounter at this same stage in 2016, where they romped to a seven-wicket victory as Roy hit 78 off 44 in a player of the match performance. Much of the talk pre-match was about the absence of the England opener, yet it would ultimately be the New Zealand opener with the final say in Abu Dhabi.

A half-full Sheikh Zayed Stadium was a far cry from a raucous Lord’s on that summer evening in 2019 and that steamy Delhi night in 2016. Not least in atmosphere, but also crucially, in the toss. On both occasions, England had chased and thus far, chasing was the way to go in the tournament. Williamson won the toss and chose to field. Nine of the 14 matches here in the tournament had been won by the chasing side. Perhaps, this was finally New Zealand’s time.

^{Jimmy Neesham exorcised his demons from two years ago}

Jonny Bairstow was promoted to open, and despite a couple of boundaries, it was Williamson who took a great low diving catch off Adam Milne’s first delivery to remove the Yorkshireman. At the other end, Jos Buttler (29 off 24) again looked in fine nick, A wonderful reverse sweep in classic Buttler fashion the pick of the bunch of his four boundaries, but when he was trapped in front by Ish Sodhi, the Black Caps must have sensed an opening. 

The pairing of Dawid Malan and Moeen Ali in the middle overs meant that Williamson was reluctant to use the left-arm spin of Mitchell Santner, often so efficient in limiting the scoring and instead persisted with Ish Sodhi and his pacers. Without much fuss, they kept the scoreboard ticking and took England into three figures before Malan pumped Southee over square leg for the first six of the night, in the 16th over. He was gone next ball, feathering one to the wicketkeeper, but his job as an anchor was done and England now had the license to go. The platform was set for a late flourish.

Moeen danced down the strip to send Sodhi for six over the longest boundary and into the aesthetically pleasing social distancing pods that surround the grass banks of the ground. It was quite a delightful shot and he followed it up by hoisting a slower bouncer from Milne over midwicket for six more.

By now, the brutal Liam Livingstone was desperate to join in the party and his intent was clear when he threw the kitchen sink at a wide one but didn’t connect. The next delivery was violently smashed back over the head of Milne and when Moeen brought up his half-century in the final over dispatching a full toss from Neesham, England would have certainly fancied their chances of a shot at World Cup glory.

Defending 166, they got off to a dream start. Guptill was caught off the third ball from Chris Woakes at mid-on and when Williamson was out attempting a ramp shot off Woakes in a wicket-maiden over, Morgan and England were well and truly in the driving seat. But such is the beauty of this format, that it only takes a knock or two to change the course of the game. 

^{Kane Williamson is on the brink of claiming more silverware}

Mitchell and Devon Conway partnered to steady the ship but at the midway stage, they still needed 109. In the 11th over, Conway dispatched Wood with a quite flamboyant shot over third-man for the first six of the innings as he and Mitchell upped the tempo, but when Liam Livingstone did for Conway with a slider and then accounted for Glenn Phillips, the Black Caps needed something pretty special. 

Who else but that man? Step up Neesham, welcoming Jordan back into the attack with a six, reminiscent of the one in that Super Over, before hacking one high into the leg-side. Then came the moment. Trent Boult in 2019. Jonny Bairstow two years on. Bairstow scrambled round to take a blinder but hit the rope as he fell and relayed it to Livingstone. In that 2019 final, it seemed as if luck was in England’s favour. Not tonight, it wasn’t. New Zealand were right back in it.

With 34 needed from three, Morgan turned to one of his most trusted lieutenants in Adil Rashid. Such was the sportsmanship from the Black Caps that they could have easily taken a single from the first ball but they declined after Mitchell impeded Rashid. Neesham duly launched him into the Abu Dhabi night sky the next ball and when Mitchell brought up his first T20I half-century with a huge maximum off the back foot, the tables had dramatically turned. It was now up to England to do something special. 

Neesham had caused havoc with his assault but he couldn’t finish the game off, slapping the final ball of the 18th straight to Morgan. With 20 needed off 12 balls, whispers of a Super Over grew louder. Mitchell wasn’t there that day in 2019 and he was in no mood to entertain the prospect of one, blasting Woakes to complete a comeback of epic proportions, sending the Black Caps dugout into ecstasy.

The ghosts of 2019 may not have been laid to rest entirely, but victory will certainly taste sweet. New Zealand now stand one game away from adding a white-ball title to their ICC World Test Championship. It’s a group that is having the time of their lives.

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