And because we’re super efficient here, we have a brand spanking new match report for you already.
Vic Marks’ copy will be along soon enough and that will, no doubt, be even better. As for me, I’m done for the day. Nick Miller is yer man tomorrow, I believe, to guide you through India v West Indies in the contest to see who will face England in the World T20 final. England in the World T20 final!
Cheers for reading, for writing, for tweeting. Sorry I couldn’t use them all. Bye!
Jason Roy is man of the match. No surprises there. “The bowling unit did really well, they are a hugely dangerous line-up.
“It was a chance to get off to a great start on a decent wicket. I gave it a crack and it came off. I got a few boundaries early and kept going from there ... If you let the occasion get to you it can be to your detriment.”
Morgan on his own form: “When I’ve got past one ball I’ve been hitting it pretty well. It’s that first ball.”
Kane Williamson: “Credit to England’s bowlers for the way they pulled it back. If we’d got to the 180 mark, which we thought was realistic, we thought it would be a different game but they bowled better than us and we got beaten by a better team.
“England’s bowlers bowled very well but there’s a lot of belief in the camp and we back our bowlers to defend whatever we get. We managed to put them under a bit of pressure but the damage was done early on.”
Eoin Morgan speaks. “We would have liked to have started better with the ball but after the first six or seven overs we played really well. Kane played really well and it was important to get him. We kept taking wickets which helped.”
Before that, some key information for those of you in New York.
@DanLucas86 places to watch the cricket in new york, the Espn bar in times square dull overpriced but lots of tv screens or the 13th step
— Ravi Motha (@ravimotha) March 30, 2016
That was an outstanding win from England, their best performance of the tournament. Their bowlers were outstanding at the death, conceding just 20 runs in the final four overs. Jason Roy’s best innings to date in the format pretty much killed off New Zealand and Root and Buttler finished with the kind of ice cold aplomb we might soon come to expect from this England side.
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England win by seven wickets and qualify for the World T20 final!
18th over: England 159-3 (Buttler 32, Root 27) Santner’s first ball is short and Buttler slogs it into the stand beyond cow corner!
17th over: England 153-3 (Buttler 26, Root 27) target 154 England are, much to the amusement of Scott Styris on the telly, behind at this stage. Root immediately corrects that with a reverse sweep of Sodhi, round the corner for four. A single brings Buttler on strike and he looks fed up of being out there, nailing a short one through square midwicket for a second boundary. A pair of massive sixes back over the bowler’s head reduces the required runs to two with one ball left in the over. They’ve scored more runs in this over than New Zealand made in their last four. An overthrow from the last ball brings the scores level.
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16th over: England 131-3 (Buttler 9, Root 22) target 154 Elliott again. “HIT ME!” scream Elliott’s dibbly dobblers, like the bastard offspring of Britney Spears and Ian Dury. After four balls and three singles of dry tedium, Buttler finally cracks and reverse sweeps down to third man for four. A whopping seven off that over.
15th over: England 124-3 (Buttler 4, Root 20) target 154 Sodhi off, Santner on. Not sure about that one myself. Three ones are followed by three nones. The required rate creeps up to, er, six.
“The Australian on West 38th street will be showing the final,” Oliver Pattenden writes for Carolin Lotter.
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14th over: England 121-3 (Buttler 3, Root 18) target 154 McClenaghan returns to send down his mixture of slower balls and cutters. Joe Root nurdles a single – one of four in this over – that takes him past Virat Kohli as the leading run-scorer of the teams who entered this tournament at the Super 10 stage. Or, as I like to call it, the start. 33 needed from 36.
“I fear my husband has just jinxed the outcome of this match by confidently suggesting we need to find somewhere in New York to watch the final on Sunday,” writes Carolin Lotter. “Without wanting to add to the jinx, if anyone knows of a place to watch on Sunday morning, we’d be grateful! (Just in case!)
“And as I type this we’ve just lost Roy and Morgan!! Oh dear! Sorry.”
It’s OK. John Starbuck has apologised, by the way, folks.
13th over: England 117-3 (Buttler 1, Root 16) target 154 Buttler sees off the hat-trick ball with a slip and leg-slip surrounding him. Look, there’s no need to panic, England fans. Buttler gets off the mark with a hard pull to square leg for one then Guptill saves a couple with a good sliding stop out near cow corner after Sodhi presented Root with a full-toss. Then a nerve-settling boundary to finish as the bowler over-corrects, drags it down and gets put away through midwicket by Root.
“So who would England rather face in the final, Dan?” asks Simon McMahon. “A chance to beat Kohli and Dhoni in their own back yard, or revenge over Gayle and the West Indies? I started typing this just as Roy got out. That’s ok, though, there’s no way England can lose this. Oh, now Morgan’s gone first ball. Still, there’s no way England can lose this.”
Wicket! Morgan lbw b Sodhi 0
Ah. Morgan gets his second golden duck of the tournament. Playing all round one that barely turns and it’s as plumb as you will see.
Wicket! Roy b Sodhi 78
That’s the end of that fun. Sodhi drags his length down, Roy gives it the charge but is beaten by the leg-break, which clatters into the stumps. His 78 came from just 44 balls.
@DanLucas86 John Starbuck just lost England the World Cup
— Geoff Seeley (@seeleyg) March 30, 2016
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12th over: England 110-1 (Roy 78, Root 10) target 154 I don’t think New Zealand wanted to turn back to Milne in the 12th over, but here we are. Roy tries to smash him straight away but can only get it down to the fielder at long-on for one. It takes the required runs down to an even 50. They should be able to stroll into the final from here. A couple more singles then short to Root and he pulls behind square, into the gap and away for for with just the one skip over the rope. He’s such a wonderful batsman to watch when he times shots like that.
11th over: England 103-1 (Roy 76, Root 5) target 154 Joe Root pushes the second single of the over from its second ball and takes England to perhaps the breeziest hundred they’ve ever reached at an ICC one-day event. Sodhi has Roy in a touch of trouble with a googly but the leading edge loops high and out of his reach. A final-ball dot ends the run of singles.
Mike McCarthy writes: “There’s an argument, given the context, that’s the greatest powerplay England have ever had in one day cricket. They’ve definitely got the right two openers, finally.”
10th over: England 98-1 (Roy 73, Root 3) target 154 Elliott is a very economical bowler and his solitary over so far went for just five, which was as blessed a relief for New Zealand as all that water at the end of Mad Max Fury Road. But with England needing just a run a ball now, the Kiwis need someone to be more than just tight. Three singles from the first four balls, then he strays down leg and Roy, down on one knee, flicks it over long leg for six as it clatters into the rope on the full!
“England should be ashamed of themselves,” reckons Ian Copestake. They have reduced the big bash format to a run a ball stroll. Am sure the organisers will be most unimpressed.”
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9th over: England 88-1 (Roy 65, Root 1) target 154 Finally the partnership is broken. After Roy had smeared Santner down to long on for three, Hales tried to double it with a shot to the same area. Root comes in and has the best view in the house as Roy smites his 11th four, a beautifully timed pull through midwicket.
Meanwhile, the first sign of spring: some County Championship news.
Wicket! Hales c Munro b Santner 20
Hales steps down the wicket and tries to plant Santner in the stands beyond long-on, but it comes off the bottom end of the bat and Munro takes the catch easy as you like.
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8th over: England 79-0 (Roy 57, Hales 20) target 154 Quick bowling hasn’t worked, spin hasn’t worked, so now we get Grant Elliott’s solid, dependable, near-unhittable medium pace. He does create a chance off Hales, beating the inside edge when the batsman walked down the wicket but Ronchi, standing up, fumbled the stumping. Just four from the over, all in singles.
Jinx lover John Starbuck asks: “Not to put any kiboshes or anything, but what is the biggest winning margin by a T20 international chasing side?”
Sri Lanka beat the Netherlands by nine wickets with 90 balls remaining in 2014.
7th over: England 75-0 (Roy 55, Hales 18) target 154 Ish Sodhi comes into the attack with England needing 87 from 84 balls. Roy pushes his first ball to midwicket and hustles through for the single he needs to his maiden T20 half-century. It’s the second quickest by an Englishman in World T20s. He gets four more with a lovely reverse sweep behind point. As an England fan, you worry about how easy he’s making this look.
“Odds on Roy getting an ipl 2017 contract must be getting near evens,” reckons Matthew Valentine.
6th over: England 67-0 (Roy 49, Hales 16) target 154 Unless they lose a couple of wickets in this over, this has already been a brilliant powerplay for England. We have a brief pause as Roy has to change his bat, cracking it while trying to smash past mid-off. Shame for him as that one was serving him rather well. This one looks pretty handy too, mind, as he places a short ball perfectly past midwicket and gets four more.
Loving this. People always go on about how Jason Roy gets himself out. WHO CARES #AUSvENG
— Emma John (@em_john) March 30, 2016
5th over: England 60-0 (Roy 43, Hales 15) target 154 This is going to be interesting. Santner and a bit of spin. England will surely reign in the big hits against the slower bowler with the ball not coming on to the bat? A leg-bye brings up the 50 in double quick time. Or I could be talking nonsense, as Roy effortlessly – nay, dismissively – whacks back-to-back boundaries: the first back down the ground, the second swished from well outside leg down to fine-leg. He’s 42 from 18, with 34 of those coming in boundaries. From the last, he makes it 43 from 19 with a push to cover.
4th over: England 49-0 (Roy 34, Hales 15) target 154 Milne is a touch lucky not to have done himself a mischief, tumbling to his left and sticking a palm out to save four from a crunching Roy off-drive. He has serious wheels but England’s openers are loving how it comes on to, and indeed off, the bat. There’s no saving this shot from Hales though, a slower bouncer that the lanky opener steps back from and smears through midwicket to the fence. Hales does well to dig out an excellent slow yorker, bringing Roy on strike and he whacks a cross-bat smear back over the bowler’s head for another six! What a start this is from England.
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3rd over: England 36-0 (Roy 27, Hales 9) target 154 Change of bowler but Williamson opts not to experiment with spin just yet; instead it’s Mitch McClenaghan. The batsmen exchange singles, knocked into the on-side, then Mitch gives Hales a juicy half volley that the batsman, two steps down the wicket, lifts effortlessly over long-on for six. One more single, then a fifth boundary for Roy with a perfect checked drive straight back down the ground.
2nd over: England 23-0 (Roy 22, Hales 1) target 154 Right-arm fast now as Milne shares the new ball. Hales gets his first ball away to square-leg for one. His extra pace sends the ball flying past Roy’s attempted cut – had Anderson bowled that ball you’d imagine it was going away. The next ball is away, slightly lower and chopped behind point for four more by Roy, who has scored all 20 of his runs in boundaries. He’s beaten by a bouncer next up though. He has another wild hack and gets another top edge, but he gets enough on it to send it over backward point for a couple. That was a cracking contest.
Jason Roy hit as many fours in the first over as New Zealand did in their final 10 overshttps://t.co/uQ1dlaEgK2 #WT20 #ENGvNZ
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) March 30, 2016
1st over: England 16-0 (Roy 16, Hales 0) target 154 Corey Anderson v Jason Roy first up. The former begins by beating the batsman with one that nips away off the seam, but his second is shorter and across the right-hander from over the wicket and cut hard through point for four. Roy comes down the wicket two balls later and gets four more, albeit not where he intended, as he wild slog finds the inside edge and sends the ball down to fine leg. And a third boundary from the next ball, another wild hack and a top edge down to third man! Make it four fours as he guides the final ball wide of backward point and down to the rope between third man and backward point! That was pretty appalling shot-making from Roy but he won’t give a solitary one.
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#ENGvNZ STATBYTE:
— Alt Cricket (@AltCricket) March 30, 2016
England bowled TEN full tosses in the last five overs, taking two wickets and conceding only EIGHT runs in the process.
“Beware the spinners,” writes Sam Hedges. “How many do NZ have in the team today?”
Just the two, but with average of 9.75 and 9.55 respectively this tournament, Sodhi and Santner have been rather handy.
Innings break reading for you here.
That was an outstanding fightback from England. They conceded just 20 from the final four overs and you’d think New Zealand left 20-30 runs out there. This is gettable, but then the Kiwis have been brilliant at defending low totals so far. Back with you in 10.
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Wicket & end of innings; McClenaghan run out 1, New Zealand 153-8
20th over: New Zealand 153-8 (Elliott 4) It is Stokes with the last over. He begins with a slow, short cutter that starts outside leg and sways back in, past Santner’s swing. Mitch McClenaghan comes out. Stokes has been very lucky with those three wickets, but you have to admire the way he’s held his nerve. Third ball is a bye to the keeper that brings the new man on strike (the batsmen crossed before); he picks another slower ball but can’t get it away for anything more than a single. Elliott gets another leg-bye from the fifth, meaning McClenaghan will face the last and he’s run out by Stokes after trying to steal a bye.
Wicket! Santner c Jordan b Stokes 7
In the slot outside off, eminently hittable and Santner goes inside out, driving it straight to deep mid-off.
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19th over: New Zealand 150-6 (Elliott 4, Santner 7) Jordan, with outstanding figures of one for 15 from his three overs so far, to bowl the penultimate over. This is lovely stuff, full and varying his line and still New Zealand can’t pierce the field. And then, as soon as I’ve written that, Santner gets a nice juicy waist-high full toss and thumps it through extra cover for a much-needed four. Nine from the over and England will take that here.
18th over: New Zealand 141-6 (Elliott 1, Santner 1) Stokes, it seems, will bowl the 18th and 20th overs. Anderson smashes the first ball to Jordan and mid-off and would have been out had the throw hit. But it didn’t. Ronchi gets a couple, reading a slower ball and guiding it out behind point to the sweeper. Two wickets from consecutive crap balls though show T20 at its worst and perhaps put England in the driving seat. Anderson, who made 28 from 23, could have made it a daunting total but England have conceded just eight runs from their last two overs now. At the death, that’s outstanding.
Wicket! Anderson c Jordan b Stokes 28
Stokes is on a hat-trick! It’s another low full-toss, smashed up in the air and Jordan catches it in the deep, running round from mid-off!
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Wicket! Ronchi c Willey b Stokes 3
A rank low full-toss and Ronchi offers catching practice to long-off. That’s not very good from anyone. Well, except for Willey.
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17th over: New Zealand 136-4 (Ronchi 1, Anderson 27) Jordan, with two overs left, returns. He starts brilliantly, with a couple of yorker-length balls yielding only a single before the third ball gets rid of the dangerous Taylor. And, er, effects the arrival of the dangerous Luke Ronchi. Just two more singles.
Wicket! Taylor c Morgan b Jordan 6
Taylor looks to drive a length ball through extra cover but the England captain moves at speed to his right and takes the catch just inside the circle. That’s excellent fielding from Morgan.
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16th over: New Zealand 133-3 (Taylor 6, Anderson 25) Also wrapping up his allocation, Plunkett. He goes short to Taylor, who smacks it through midwicket but is denied a boundary by a cracking slide and reel by Willey. They get a couple more when Plunkett, round the wicket to the left-handed Anderson, gets clobbered over midwicket but Roy is quick enough to sweep in and save two. Back over the wicket and a filthy full-toss, Plunkett letting the ball slip out, gets the treatment, launched over midwicket for a brutal six. One for 38 from Plunkett’s four.
15th over: New Zealand 121-3 (Taylor 3, Anderson 16) Another change of ends for Rashid, bowling his final over here. And it’s off to a false start with a leg-side wide; it makes sense to get him back on now that Munro is gone. From the fifth ball, Taylor pulls up abruptly with a pained hop-skip after completing a run. Anderson slams the final ball, a full-toss, straight back past the bowler and again past Jordan’s dive for four. Rashid ends with 0-33.
14th over: New Zealand 111-3 (Taylor 1, Anderson 9) Plunkett returns with a wide outside off. He bowls a near-identical ball next up that isn’t called wide. The ploy works though as the next ball is a touch tighter and sends Munro on his merry way! Just four more runs, in the form of a two and two ones, from the remainder of the over.
“It’s too early to write England off yet,” writes Tom van der Gucht, correctly. “If Hales and Roy come out swinging, and bludgeon centuries, then we’re probably still going to be just about in with a sniff of a half of a chance.” If they bowl well from here they can keep New Zealand to 170-odd and they certainly have the batting to chase that.
Wicket! Munro c Moeen b Plunkett 46
Plunkett bowls full and across Munro, who has a big mow. A thick outside edge sends the ball steepling up and down the throat of Moeen at wide-ish third man. He goes for a very useful 46 from 32 balls.
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13th over: New Zealand 106-2 (Munro 46, Anderson 6) Munro looks to back away and cut Ali, who sees it coming and fizzes a fast, flatter one past the bat and thudding into Buttler’s gloves. The batsman opts for a different approach next and nudges to midwicket for the one needed to bring the 100 up. Anderson gets his first boundary next ball, with a baseball style smash – and my god was this smashed – through mid-off and past Jordan’s despairing slide on the rope. Both batsmen are looking to go hard at Ali, but they can only get two further singles from the over.
12th over: New Zealand 99-2 (Munro 44, Anderson 1) Spin from both ends as Rashid changes his. Another switch hit from Munro, along the ground this time, whistles the ball through point for four more. Anderson isn’t a million miles from being bowled a couple of balls later, when he pats down a googly and watches the ball spin back past his leg stump.
I know we did it against SA, but this isn't exactly enjoyable @DanLucas86. The problem we have is NZ bat so deep we can't just take wickets.
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) March 30, 2016
11th over: New Zealand 92-2 (Munro 38, Anderson 0) This could be make or break time: Moeen Ali is into the attack hoping to bring his economy down below the New Zealand spinners’ averages for the tournament. Getting rid of Williamson will help in that endeavour and, after an exchange of singles, he does exactly that! 32 from 28 for the captain, who is replaced at the crease by a proper hitter, Corey Anderson. Moeen has a slip in for the left-hander. Three runs and a wicket from a very good over.
Wicket! Williamson c & b Moeen 32
Williamson goes! He looks to paddle-sweep but top-edges it near enough straight up. Moeen takes a very good return catch, turning, jogging and claiming the ball dropping over his shoulder.
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10th over: New Zealand 89-1 (Munro 36, Williamson 31) Munro has a hoik and nutmegs himself with a thick inside edge that fizzes down to fine-leg for another boundary. There’s something almost comical about how ugly a batsman he is. A leg-bye, a single and a dot later, he repeats the trick bringing another burst of the PA music that sounds vaguely like Love Will Tear Us Apart. Stokes is not a happy man and sends a big wide down leg, but at least ends with a dot. The partnership is now worth 72 from 50 balls.
Good cause dept.
“Jeff Stelling has been walking 10 marathons in 10 days to raise funds for and awareness of prostate cancer,” writes Matt Hobbs. “He finishes at Wembley this evening after starting at Hartlepool last week. It’s a terrible disease that will kill over 11,000 men in the UK this year. 1 man in every 8 will be diagnosed with it on average.
“Any plug would be much appreciated by men who have been touched by this disease and their families.
“Ian Botham joined them on for the second half of day 3 just in case that helps!”
9th over: New Zealand 78-1 (Munro 28, Williamson 30) A single brings Munro on strike and he immediately pulls out the switch hit, absolutely murdering it flat over square-ish midwicket for the meatiest of sixes. That’s the 50 partnership, too. Rashid drops short a couple of balls later and Williamson, the scalpel to Munro’s warhammer, guides it behind point for four more.
8th over: New Zealand 66-1 (Munro 21, Williamson 25) Ben Stokes is into the attack now, bowling to Munro. You would imagine England would prefer the batsmen this way around. Munro mistimes a pull out to midwicket for one but then Williamson plays as good a shot as you’ll see: lifting a full delivery inside out, soaring up and over mid-off with a lovely high elbow and away for the first six of the match. A leg-bye and a pair of singles follow.
7th over: New Zealand 55-1 (Munro 19, Williamson 17) Time for some spin and Adil Rashid. A couple of singles then we check for a stumping off a wide after Williamson missed, coming down the track and trying to sweep, but he actually got his bat back in time as opposed to his foot before Buttler knocked the bails off. Very good over in the end from Rashid, conceding just four.
6th over: New Zealand 51-1 (Munro 18, Williamson 15) Final over of the powerplay and Plunkett will bowl it. He’s bowling cross seam, which makes sense on a pitch where the ball is keeping low. Williamson guides his first ball down to third man for one, then Munro smashes as straight a four as you’ll see, swishing his bat like he’s auditioning to play a particularly badass character in Game of Thrones. Plunkett responds by pulling his length back just a touch and touch and Munro swings him agriculturally round the corner for four more. Make it three in a row, this time a hard flick up and over backward square-leg. Plunkett consoles himself by ending the over with a pair of dots.
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5th over: New Zealand 38-1 (Munro 6, Williamson 14) Ah no, it’s a change of ends for Jordan and he hits Munro on the pads first up. Pitched well outside leg though. There is a bit of variable bounce out there as seen when a wide, well outside off stump, scuttles along the ground to Buttler. After a reasonable start to the over, Jordan drops short and on to Williamson’s ribs and that’s easy for a batsman as good as this to hook round the corner for four more to long-leg. The final ball is short and wide of off again, but Roy saves three with an excellent dive at backward point to half-stop Williamson’s hard cut.
4th over: New Zealand 31-1 (Munro 6, Williamson 9) Change of bowling already: Plunkett comes on for Jordan. Seems wise as Jordan has been good at the death. He starts with a leg-side ball that Williamson clips round the corner, in the air and Rashid, at short fine-leg, drops a very touch chance diving forward. The ball only just carried and Rashid did well to prevent a boundary from a poor ball, if we’re honest. Plunkett finds Williamson’s edge too, but the batsman played it with such soft hands it didn’t come close to carrying to slip. The Kiwi captain gets his first boundary next ball, round the corner and wide of Rashid down to long leg. A nudge through mid-on brings him two more.
“I’m English and work on a desk opposite a Kiwish lady,” writes Ant Pease. “We’ve decided that the best option is for each of us to go out and place a large bet on the other person’s team to win. This way, whatever the result, we’re both guaranteed to be miserable about it.”
3rd over: New Zealand 23-1 (Munro 5, Williamson 2) Willey gets rid of Guptill first ball of the over. It brings the equally hard-hitting Colin Munro to the crease and he smashes his first ball out to deep midwicket for one. Williamson the dabs into the off-side for the same, as my picture starts to go on the blink. Willey beats Munro with a peach outside off but gets charged next ball, Munro clubbing it over mid-on for four. Decent over for England though.
Poor Nat Sciver.
Wicket! Guptill c Buttler b Willey 15
Willey gets the danger man early! It was full and in the slot; Guptill tried to smash it back down the ground but got a nice, woody-sounding nick through to the keeper instead.
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2nd over: New Zealand 17-0 (Guptill 15, Williamson 1) Chris Jordan, who has been excellent in this tournament, begins with a slower one that keeps low and beats Guptill’s swish towards the on-side. Make it three dots on the bounce as he tucks Guptill up with a couple banged in, then he slips a wide down the leg side. The batsman can’t get the fourth ball away either but gets the same shot right next ball, guiding it off the back foot and through cover point with a vertical bat, away for four. He knocks the final ball to square leg to keep the strike again.
“Just how injured is Finn?” asks Michael Avery. “He was playing a warm-up game for Middlesex against Surrey the other day and I assume he bowled more than four overs. Surely he could be on the plane and ready in time for the final (assuming we don’t get annihilated, which is a big ask). I love Jordan* and all, but there’s always space for a man who bowls 90mph at people’s necks. And ever since the ODI against Australia at Old Trafford last year Finn has been the best fielder around.
* I don’t love Jordan.”
Yeah I’d like to have him back too, but you know it would be at Plunkett’s expense.
1st over: New Zealand 11-0 (Guptill 10, Williamson 1) Well this isn’t a good start from Willey. Short, wide and across the right-hander from over the wicket and Guptill cuts it up and over point for four. The bowler comes back well though, striking Guptill’s pad with a full inswinger that was just slipping down leg. The batsmen hurry through for a single next ball and only Morgan’s fumble at mid-on prevents Guptill from being run out by miles. Another single gets Guptill back on strike and he hammers a full one over cover for four more. A hack out into the leg-side brings one off the last ball and makes it 11 from the over.
“Given the way our seamers & spinners bowled against Sri Lanka wasn’t there a case for dropping Rashid and bringing in Topley?” asks Matt Emerson. There’s a case for dropping Rashid, but not for Topley, no. He’s been poor.
Speaking of the spinners though, here’s a brilliant-as-ever statgasm from my colleague Rob Smyth: “Sodhi and Santner’s bowling averages are lower in this tournament (9.75/9.55) than Moeen’s economy rate (10.08)”.
This does have a feel of master v apprentice. You can trace England’s latest white-ball revolution back to a definite point and that’s the home series against New Zealand last year. Anyway, the players are out and David Willey is about to get things started.
As the players come out for the anthems, Tom Carver writes: “I wonder whether, and the last minute scheduling of several of the games in this tournament gives me reason to be positive, it might be possible for the start of the game to be delayed until, say, 6.30 BST this evening so that we workers in England can watch it. Could you tweet the organisers please?”
The ICC have said they’ll check with the BCCI and get back to me.
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In other news, this is, objectively, the worst list ever compiled and Radio X needs to be done away with pronto.
Kristian Petterson writes: “Looking forward to a stirring overture, I feel a little dispirited by your preamble. Consider expectations well and truly lowered, Dan - nice work.”
I probably have overused that Terminator quote, haven’t I?
“I feel sorry for Plunkett,” writes Tom vd Gucht. “He’s always been the bridesmaid and never the bride. He’s spent his career being picked; dropped; re-selected; injured; forgotten about; moving counties; getting re-selected; getting injured again; getting picked to tour; bowling at cones whilst not being selected to play; getting dropped; not being picked to tour; being brought in as cover mid-tour; bowling at cones; going home etc... It’s about time he got a shot at the champ and the chance to win something he can show his grandkids in years to come...”
Indeed. And to think that if it wasn’t for an injury to Steve Finn he wouldn’t even been here. He’s been excellent throughout.
The teams in full
England
JJ Roy, AD Hales, JE Root, JC Buttler†, EJG Morgan*, BA Stokes, MM Ali, CJ Jordan, DJ Willey, AU Rashid, LE Plunkett
New Zealand
MJ Guptill, KS Williamson*, C Munro, LRPL Taylor, CJ Anderson, GD Elliott, L Ronchi†, MJ Santner, MJ McClenaghan, IS Sodhi, AF Milne
Toss and teams
Eoin Morgan wins the toss and says England will field first. They’re unchanged in terms of their line-up, looking to build momentum.
This means New Zealand will once again not have to chase. Kane Williamson has looked into his tea leaves and brought Martin Guptill and Adam Milne in for Henry Nicholls and Nathan McCullum.
Updated
Pitch and weather watch
It’s expected to stay clear in Delhi all night, with temperatures around 30 degrees or so. There is grass on the wicket but it’s been a slow non-turner throughout this tournament.
We’ve already had one semi-final today, of course. Yer man Vithushan Ehantharajah – Vish to his mates – watched England’s women collapse yet again, this time against their Australian counterparts.
Preamble
G’day, folks. England have stuttered. They have stumbled, exhilarated, flopped, taken the breath away, been a laughing stock and shredded their nerves. But, by hook, by crook, through moments of stunning skill and moments of bloody belligerence, they are here in the World T20 semi-finals.
Their group stage performance was anything but perfect but, when 10 was whittled down to four, they were left standing. At times – after conceding 229 against South Africa, at 57 for six and 85 for seven against Afghanistan – you wondered if this bunch of kids was simply too stupid, too naive, to know that they had lost.
The team hoping – nay, expecting – to end their dreams of World Cup (come on, it’s effectively a World Cup) glory are the unexpected monoliths of the 2016 tournament. New Zealand are this year’s surprise T-800: out there, refusing to be bargained with or reasoned with, not feeling pity, or remorse or fear and THEY WILL NOT STOP EVER, until they have defended scores of 79, 142, 180 and 145.
What’s more, none of India, Australia, Pakistan and Bangladesh got close to chasing those scores down. The Kiwi’s attack has been as outstanding as their selection and England can only take so much comfort in the depth of their batting. True enough, New Zealand’s batting hasn’t fired as we know it can, but England’s bowling is the weakest of the semi-finalists and they will have to play out of their skin to contain the likes of Kane Williamson, Martin Guptil, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor and Corey Anderson.
On paper, this should be an annihilation, with the runaway form team crushing a team that dragged themselves over the line to get here and whose two spinners hold the joint record for the most sixes conceded by an individual bowler in the tournament. But then again, England have dragged themselves this far. They’ve seen off the second favourites, South Africa. They’ve seen off the defending champions, Sri Lanka. Let’s see if they can do something similar here, OK?
Play begins at 2.30pm BST (hello again, BST!) or 7pm local time in Delhi. Which is 2.30am New Zealand time. Well done if you’re up for this one. Toss and team news will be half an hour before that, whatever time zone you’re in.
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