T20 World Cup 2021: Ross Taylor praises New Zealand for beating England and reaching maiden T20 WC final
Kiwi veteran batter Ross Taylor expressed his jubilation as New Zealand overcame the English challenge in a tightly-contested semi-final of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021. Taylor singled out brilliant batting displays from Daryl Mitchell and Jimmy Neesham, who took their side home despite being under immense pressure.
After winning the toss, Kane Williamson asked the English batters to set a target in the first innings. Despite Dawid Malan's 41 and Moeen Ali's 51, a collective effort from the Kiwi bowlers restricted England to 166 runs in the first innings.
Chasing the target of 167 runs on a big Abu Dhabi ground, New Zealand started on a backfoot when they lost their two most consistent batters in Martin Guptill and skipper Kane Williamson. Chris Woakes, in his first two overs, sent the two veteran batters back to the pavilion.
However, the ship was then steadied by a 82-run stand between Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell for the third wicket. Liam Livingston soon scalped two quick wickets to make the chase a monumental task for the Kiwi batters.
Nonetheless, requiring 57 runs in the last 24 balls, Jimmy Neesham and Daryl Mitchell took stage and turned the tide in New Zealand's favor. Neesham whacked 27 runs off just 11 deliveries and Mitchell hit the winning boundary, finishing with an unbeaten knock of 72 runs.
Following New Zealand's historic win, Ross Taylor, who was left out of the Kiwi squad for the T20 World Cup 2021, posted a Tweet from his official Twitter account and praised Jimmy Neesham and Daryl Mitchell for their gutsy knocks.
"What a win @BLACKCAPS. Well batted @DarylMicthell and @JimmyNeesh,'' Taylor tweeted.
What a win @BLACKCAPS. Well batted @dazmitchell47 and @JimmyNeesh
"There are only 5 million of us, so we're obviously very proud" - New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell
The 30-year old seaming all-rounder Daryl Mitchell played a masterful innings at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium yesterday. After seeing his side lose two great Kiwi batters in Guptill and Williamson from the other end, Mitchell kept his calm and anchored the innings exceptionally well.
Following his impressive unbeaten 47-ball 74* runs, the Kiwi all-rounder said he was really proud of what his country had achieved. He is also confident that New Zealand are ready to face any challenge on Sunday in the finals.
"Look, we're a bunch of Kiwis. There's only 5 million of us, so we're obviously very proud to be representing our country. Yeah, obviously we've had some success in the last few years," said Mitchell in the press conference as per the ICC.
"But we're going to enjoy the win tonight, make sure thatobviously, we celebrate that, but then we move on pretty quickly. We know that we have a final on Sunday, and whoever we're taking on should be good fun."
"We'll give it everything we've got, but at the end of the day there are certain things you can't control, so we'll see what happens," he added.
Pakistan and Australia will battle it out in the second semi-final of the competition to book their place in the final of the T20 World Cup 2021. The crunch Pakistan-Australia tie will be played at the Dubai International Stadium on November 11.
Let @dazmitchell47 take you out to the middle in Abu Dhabi during his @T20WorldCup semi-final defining partnership with @JimmyNeesh. #T20WorldCup https://t.co/IsvHBeoVOb