T20 World Cup: Couldn't remember what was going on, but I'm happy I got job done, says Daryl Mitchell
New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell expressed his happiness after his side defeated England by five wickets to enter the final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup here at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
Daryl Mitchell's unbeaten 72-run knock aided by James Neesham's quickfire cameo of 27 runs off just 11 balls helped New Zealand defeat England by five wickets.
"It was a bit of a whirl at the end there. I couldn't remember what was going on, but I'm happy I got the job done. It was a challenging surface, with the new ball, and it was two-paced. The way Conway set the platform and Neesh hit a few out of the ground was amazing," said Daryl Mitchell in a post-match presentation.
"We knew one or two good overs would do it, and we got the momentum back thanks to Neesham's hitting. With what's going on around the world right now, it's amazing that my old man travelled halfway around the world to watch me play, so this is a proud moment," he added.
Chasing, New Zealand got off to the worst start possible as the side lost opening batter Martin Guptill (4) in the very first over bowled by Chris Woakes. The Kiwis were given a body blow in the third over as Woakes sent skipper Kane Williamson (5) back in the hut.
After the end of the powerplay, New Zealand's score read 36/2.
Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell found run-scoring difficult and at the halfway mark, New Zealand's score read 58/2 with the side needing 109 runs to win from 60 balls. The 82-run stand for the third wicket was finally broken by Liam Livingstone as he had Conway (46) stumped at the hands of Buttler with New Zealand still needing 72 runs to win from 38 balls.
Glenn Phillips (2) was the second wicket for Livingstone and England was in firm control with New Zealand at 107/4 in the 16th over.
In the 17th over bowled by Chris Jordon, James Neesham and Mitchell managed to score 23 runs, and the match swayed in favour of the Kiwis, with Williamson and the team needing 34 to win from 18 balls. However, another twist came in the game as Adil Rashid sent Neesham (27) back to the pavilion, and New Zealand required 20 to win from 12 balls. In the end, Mitchell guided New Zealand to a five-wicket victory with six balls to spare.
New Zealand will now face the winner of the second semi-final between Pakistan and Australia in the summit clash on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium.
(ANI)
