England faces New Zealand in the 33rd ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 game. Rain complicates issues for the side who fell to Ireland earlier. New Zealand is one of the tournament’s finest teams after beating Sri Lanka.
After Ireland, England will feel the heat. Their batsmen and bowlers have struggled on hard, bouncy grounds. New Zealand has dominated both games. These are two great teams, thus the game will be intense.
Jos Buttler’s team must win. Rain stopped their last game against Australia. They share 3 points with two other teams after three games. A win keeps them in contention for the next round. Buttler will expect his players to overcome the Kiwis.
New Zealand’s new ball bowlers are in great form, so Hales and Buttler must start well. Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, and Liam Livingstone will provide middle-order firepower. Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, and Chris Woakes add depth.
Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes need early breakthroughs against the New Zealand top order. Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, and Mark Wood need good middle-overs spells. Curran’s varied attack is powerful.
Kane Williamson’s squad leads the table after beating Sri Lanka by 65 runs. They’d beaten Australia and looked great. Their batting line-up has performed well, and they should continue. Williamson desires to win and advance.
Devon Conway has played well in the game and will face Finn Allen. Glenn Phillips has a century and must form partnerships with Williamson and Darryl Mitchell. James Neesham and Mitchell Santner can boost the team’s batting.
Trent Boult and Tim Southee bowled well together. They’d aim for a big new-ball explosion. Lockie Ferguson needs better lines. IshSodhi and Santner are expected to do well as England’s clean hitters.
What’s their record?
Sam Curran’s five-for helped England win their T20 World Cup opener by five wickets. Ben Stokes (2/19) and Mark Wood (2/23) each took two wickets to restrict Afghanistan to 112. Afghanistan maintained a modest total, but England won in 18.1 overs.
In their second game against Ireland, the Three Lions received a shock as the Wolves caused one of the biggest surprises in the history of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup by winning by five runs (DLS method). England fell five runs short of the par score as rain drenched the MCG late in their chase of Ireland’s 157.
Recent rains caused England and Australia to split points after postponing their game.
Tim Southee and Mitchell Santner’s powerful bowling and Devon Conway’s half-century enabled New Zealand beat Australia by 89 runs in their tournament opener. Their next game against Afghanistan was canceled due to weather, thus both teams shared.Glenn Phillips hit a remarkable hundred as New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 65 runs in the T20 World Cup on Saturday. Phillips (104 off 64) and Daryl Mitchell (22 off 24) shared an 84-run stand to stabilise New Zealand’s innings.
Head-to-Head
England has won 13 of 22 men’s T20I games against New Zealand, including one tie. The Black Caps have tasted success games and abandoned one.
Each team won three games against the other in the men’s T20 World Cup. New Zealand beat Australia in the 2021 semi-finals.
Key principles
Since finding a tempo for his T20 hitting, Jos Buttler has become a calculated batter who adjusts to game situations and optimises boundary opportunities, maintaining his strike rate over par. Buttler is in the best position to score a huge hundred in this World Cup match.
Tim Southee (New Zealand) bowled 3/6 in 2.1 overs against Australia in New Zealand’s opener. Southee’s swing and seam action troubled the Australian hitter.
Pathum Nissanka was the first Sri Lankan he dismissed. New Zealand hopes Southee can repeat his brilliance against England at the Gabba.
Prediction
England must fight for tournament survival. This game would be pressurised. After looking raw against Ireland, their batsmen must lead and face tough bowling.
New Zealand’s batters and new ball bowlers would be in form. New Zealand will be the favourite.
