Brisbane [Australia], November 1 (ANI): Following his side’s 20-run loss to England in their ICC T20 World Cup match in Brisbane, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson lauded English bowlers saying that they put Kiwis under pressure.
Jos Buttler’s blistering 73 followed by a superb bowling effort from bowlers helped England keep their semifinal hopes alive with a 20-win over New Zealand in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup, at the Gabba in Brisbane on Tuesday.
“Credit to the way England played, they put us under pressure. They played beautifully, hats-off to England, they were clinical. It was a slightly above par total. We tried to take it little deep, but credit to the way they bowled. It was quite tricky. You do not want to be doing that, and he will make you pay. He played a beautiful knock in a big game for them. I thought I had squeezed it in my chest, it was a bit embarrassing in the end. (Jos Buttler’s knock and dropping his catch). He (Glenn Phillips) has been batting beautifully, he got a hundred in the last game, and changed the momentum in our favour somewhat today. You will be put under pressure in such tournaments, but we need to take the positives and move on to the next game,” said Williamson in a post-match presentation.
With this win, England has climbed to second spot in points table with five points and two wins in four games, with one being a loss and other being abandoned. NZ are still at the top with five points, with two wins in four. Just like England, they also have endured a loss and one of their matches was abandoned.
Defending champions Australia have slipped down to the third position after England’s win. Though all three have five points each, a better net-run-rate has kept NZ and England in top two.
Electing to bat first, England posted 179/6 in their 20 overs. An 81-run stand for the first wicket between skipper Jos Buttler (73) and Alex Hales (52) proved to be instrumental in posting a competitive total on the board, even though Kiwis bowled better in death overs and put a halt to England’s momentum with some wickets.
Lockie Ferguson was the lead bowler for the Kiwis, taking two wickets. Sodhi, Southee and Santner took a wicket each for the Kiwis.
Chasing 180, Kiwis lost two early wickets for 28 runs, following which Kane Williamson (40) and Phillips (62) had a 91-run stand for the third wicket. But after breaking the stand, England managed to pull back the game slowly. Phillips’ wicket in the 18th over shifted the tides completely in Kiwis’ favour. leaving them with 45 runs to make in last 15 balls. NZ finished at 159/6 and fell short by 20 runs.
Pacers Sam Curran (2/26) and Chris Woakes (2/33) were impressive for England. Ben Stokes and Mark Wood also picked a wicket each.
Buttler’s match-winning 73 earned him the ‘Man of the Match’ title.
Brief Scores: England: 179/6 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 73, Alex Hales 52, Lockie Ferguson 2/45) vs New Zealand 159/6 (Glenn Phillips 62, Kane Williamson 40; Sam Curran 2-26). (ANI)
This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.