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After a little-over two weeks of thrilling action at the T20 World Cup 2022, the race to the semifinals continues to intensify, courtesy of quite a few landmark results in the competition. England, the 2010 champions, were at the receiving end of one of those, going down to Ireland by five-runs (DLS) in a rain-marred encounter in Melbourne last week. A washout at the same venue against hosts Australia saw them split points with the arch-rivals, and they’ll now be up against an in-form New Zealand outfit in a must-win Group 1 game in Brisbane on Tuesday.
England, who boast one of the most destructive batting line-up on paper, have underwhelmed significantly in the competition thus far. While Dawid Malan has held his end strong, the lack of fluency in his approach and the wickets falling around him hasn’t helped the team’s cause. Jos Buttler and Alex Hales haven’t been able to carry their recent form into the competition, as has been the case for young Harry Brook, while Ben Stokes’s struggles have continued.
The bowling is led by Mark Wood, who has sizzled with his searing pace in recent times, while Sam Curran has aced his execution at death. Adil Rashid has been ably supported by Liam Livingstone’s part-time spin, lending Buttler plenty of options at his disposal. England boast a rich number of match-winners in their ranks, and it’s just a matter of clicking together if they are to make any further progress in the competition.
New Zealand, meanwhile, have perhaps been the best-performing team in the competition thus far. Put behind England and Australia among contenders from the group, they started their campaign with a thumping 89-run win over the hosts, and a washout versus Afghanistan was followed by a 65-run win against Sri Lanka, despite them being reduced to 15/3 batting first.
Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson have extended fine support to an in-form Trent Boult, while spinners Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner have been as accurate as ever. On the batting front, skipper Kane Williamson continues to seek his fluent best in a line-up that boasts a number of hard-hitters.
A win for New Zealand would seal them a spot in the semi-final and perhaps guarantee a top-finish in the group given their excellent net run-rate (NRR). A defeat for England would end their contention unless other results go their way.
Key players
Jos Buttler has been in scintillating white-ball form this year that included an imperious run in Rajasthan Royals’ runners-up finish at the IPL 2022, and a dominant display in the T20I series against Australia preceding the T20 World Cup. He registered a run-a-ball 18 against Afghanistan and a two-ball duck against Ireland in his two outings in the competition thus far. The enormity of the occasion could just bring about a game-defining innings from one of the most destructive batters in the modern game.
England Test captain Ben Stokes has been far from his fluent best in T20I cricket off late. In the five matches he has played this year, Stokes has aggregated just 41 runs at 10.25 and a strike-rate of 97.62, while being decent with the ball with four wickets at an economy of 5.32. Stokes, the Player of the 2019 World Cup final against New Zealand, is known for his match-winning skills in crunch games, and could be primed to produce his best against the Blackcaps once again.
In his first outing in the competition, Finn Allen showcased why he was preferred ahead of the veteran Martin Guptill in New Zealand’s starting XI, putting on a show against Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. He’d be keen for another blistering start after a failure against Sri Lanka in his last outing. The opener boasts a highly impressive strike-rate of 165.70 in the format.
Trent Boult, one of the best all-format bowlers currently, had led the New Zealand pace attack with distinction, showcasing his brilliant skill and control at various phases during the innings, especially with the new ball.
Boult has bagged 10 wickets at 19.10 this year, while having maintained an excellent economy of 5.97. He has returned 2/24 and 4/13 in his two four-over spells at the T20 World Cup 2022 thus far.
Prediction
The Kiwis have perhaps been the most dominant team in the T20 World Cup 2022 thus far, but their run could be challenged by England, who are keen to redeem their campaign. The 2010 champions, desperate in search of two points, begin favourites ahead of this crucial Super 12s clash.
