World Cup 2019: England vs New Zealand-three reasons why England won the match
England defeated New Zealand by 119 runs at Chester-le-Street in a must-win match of the World Cup on Wednesday. The win helped the hosts secure a place in next week’s semi-finals. Batting first, England scored 305/8 and then bowled New Zealand out for a paltry 186 runs to record a comprehensive victory.
The hosts got off to a flyer, scoring 123 runs before losing their first wicket. The team suffered a mini-collapse (going from 194/2 to 248/5) but recovered to post a challenging total. England then picked up the vital wickets of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor early on in the Kiwis chase; New Zealand fell apart after these blows.England will be happy with their overall performance. New Zealand, on the other hand, will have a lot to introspect.
Let us look at three reasons why England defeated New Zealand on Wednesday.
#1 Jonny Bairstow’s super start
Jonny Bairstow scored his second successive century, following his vital 111 against India, with a 106 versus the Kiwis. Bairstow and Jason Roy set up a good platform for England with their 123-run opening partnership.
Bairstow was in a destructive mood at the start of the innings. He hit Tim Southee for two boundaries in the third over. The Englishman was even more brutal in Southee’s next over, smashing the bowler for three consecutive fours.
Bairstow clipped the first ball off his legs for four. The next one was lifted over cover’s head, while the final one was hammered to the square-leg boundary.
The 29-year-old raced to 27 off 16 balls. He continued to attack Southee as he and Roy piled on the runs. When Roy was dismissed, Bairstow and Joe Root continued the run spree. Bairstow looked at home at the crease by now and smashed boundaries all around the ground.
The batsman was finally dismissed for 106 runs (bowled by a Matt Henry ball), but the damage was already done. England was on 206/3 after 31.4 overs at this stage.
Also read - World cup all time records
Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on World Cup points table, news, World Cup most runs, live scores, schedule, most runs, most wickets and fantasy tips.