It’s a big step forward for New Zealand to qualify for the semi-finals. Currently, they have 7 points, so England and Australia can only equal them in points. Their NRR is outstanding, so either of the two teams will have to put in a great deal of effort to surpass them. In Group 1, they might have made enough to confirm a first-place finish after packing their suitcases for the knockout rounds. Ireland’s openers were able to get Ireland off to a great start as they chased 186. The visitors were 68 for 0 after eight overs, looking set to cause an upset, but KW’s spinners came to the rescue.

Santner and Sodhi both recognized that pace off the ball was crucial. There was panic in the Irish dugout as the rate increased – wickets fell, the momentum grew, and they left themselves with too much to do. As of now, New Zealand’s NRR stands at +2.11. Australia’s is -0.30, and England’s is +0.55. There is a possibility that New Zealand will advance to the semi-finals, which should be confirmed tonight, if not tomorrow.

Balbirnie: I will bowl the first game. The surface appears good and should hold up well for 40 overs. It’s our last push; we’ll see where we end up. We are proud of our victories and no longer see them as giant killers, just as our accomplishments. The last game’s XI was the same.

Williamson: I like the look of that surface. It’s a good thing we lost the toss. The chances of winning are good today. Their power is well known. I played them recently. We are focusing on our plan. They are the same team.

Teams:
Name of 11 players of New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway(w), Kane Williamson(c), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.

Name of 11 players of Ireland: Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie(c), Lorcan Tucker(w), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Fionn Hand, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little.

New Zealand Innings:

New Zealand Team Batting Scorecard Data of T20 World Cup:
1. Finn Allen– 32(18)– SR (177.78)
2. Devon Conway(w)– 28(33)– SR (84.85)
3. Kane Williamson(c)– 61(35)– SR (174.29)
4. Glenn Phillips– 17(09)– SR (188.89)
5. Daryl Mitchell– 31(21)– SR (147.62)
6. James Neesham– 00(01)– SR (62.50)
7. Mitchell Santner– 00(01)– SR (220.00)
8. Tim Southee– 01(02)– Not Out– SR (400.00)
Extra Run: 15 (b 1, lb 7, w 7, nb 0, p 0)
Total Run: 185 (6 wickets, 20 Over)
Did not Bat: Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.

Ireland Team Bowler Scorecard Data of T20 World Cup:

Kane Williamson:

We had some trouble keeping the ball on the surface, but the guys at the top did a great job giving us a good start. We won by bowling brilliant spinners. It was about building a few partnerships and contributing, and I was happy to time a few balls today, but it was a team effort. I thought we adapted well to their cricket (Ireland) because they played some fantastic and challenging cricket. There was a lot of stopping of the ball on the surface, the openers got off to a great start, and the rest of the batters adapted well to the conditions, especially when facing spin. Working on partnerships and talking with the batters about what’s next was what I wanted to do. Our first wicket came after 9 overs. The bowlers did beautifully, adjusting their lines and bowling slightly slower.

Ireland Innings:

Ireland Team Batting Scorecard Data of T20 World Cup:
1. Paul Stirling– 37(27)– SR (137.04)
2. Andrew Balbirnie(c)– 30(25)– SR (120.00)
3. Lorcan Tucker(w)– 13(14)– SR (92.86)
4. Harry Tector– 02(07)– SR (28.57)
5. Curtis Campher– 07(07)– SR (100.00)
6. George Dockrell– 23(15)– SR (153.33)
7. Gareth Delany– 10(08)– SR (125.00)
8. Mark Adair– 04(05)– SR (80.00)
9. Barry McCarthy– 06(05)– Not Out– SR (120.00)
10. Fionn Hand– 05(03)– SR (166.67)
11. Joshua Little– 08(04)– SR (200.00)
Extra Runs: 5 (b 0, lb 4, w 1, nb 0, p 0)
Total Runs: 150 (09 wickets, 20 Over)

New Zealand Team Bowler Scorecard Data of T20 World Cup:

Andrew Balbirnie:

It is imperative to take advantage of all opportunities when you play a top-class team. The bowling was good throughout the tournament, but the fielding was slightly off. This tournament has been about setting up a platform, but we needed someone to kick it off. I am pretty pleased with what we achieved (in the match) compared to where we were in the last 12 months. We have improved a lot, especially against good teams, and we look forward to playing them again soon. It was evident today that Josh Little is a class operator.

New Zealand Won By 35 Runs

As Kane Williamson bats in the middle overs, questions have been raised about his strike rate at No.3. Williamson scored 61 off 35 balls (five fours, three sixes) on Friday afternoon as New Zealand beat Ireland by 35 runs to stay at the top of Group 1. Irish fortunes were not helped by Josh Little’s second hattrick (three for 22). The Irish attack was disciplined and well-drilled against Finn Allen and Devon Conway when Kane Williamson put them to bat. The opening pair took their time to adjust to the conditions and the pace of the game before they were able to forge a 52-run partnership. In his fourth over of the innings, Allen hammered leggie Gareth Delany for three fours, which was a fine inning to start the tournament with, coming off the back of an impressive inning against Australia a month ago. On the next ball, Adair caught the batsman at mid-off with a six and a four before he followed it up with a six and four off pacer Mark Adair.

Conway and Williamson scored 44 runs together but found it hard to accelerate. A couple of fours and a six from Williamson were uncharacteristic, but he played out of his comfort zone. In the middle, he used some muscle to get on top of the Irish attack, as demonstrated during the Kiwis’ net session on the eve of the game. Delany took two wickets in the middle, including Glenn Phillips (17), who was in excellent form. In the 18th over of the innings, Williamson reached his fifty with a six off McCarthy after building a 60-run partnership with Mitchell.

His next shot was a four followed by another 91-meter six over deep midwicket. It was in the 19th over when the left-arm quick Little took out Williamson, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, and Muhammad Neesham off successive balls to become the third player to take three hattricks in this tournament, joining UAE’s Karthik Meiyappan. As a result, New Zealand closed out its innings with 185 for six and ultimately restricted the Irishmen to 150 for nine in their innings.

Ireland’s opening batsmen, Andrew Balbirnie and Paul Stirling began perfectly against a top-class New Zealand bowling line-up, scoring 68 for no loss in eight overs against the top-class bowlers. In the seventh over, Balbirnie, who has been in great form recently, hit a few sixes off Ish Sodhi before falling to Santner after a couple of sixes in the previous over. The momentum in the game was dented by Sodhi’s clean sweep of Stirling in the first ball of the next over. The middle-order struggled to convert the start as Santner and Sodhi tightened the noose after the openers left, but with the middle-order working to make progress, Ireland struggled to finish the game. During the previous match against Australia, Lorcan Tucker, one of the best pitchers on the team, caught Sodhi’s leg break outside the off but mistimed his catch to Allen at long off. Although George Dockrell attempted to steady the ship, he could not provide the Irish with the needed help.

Depending on how their qualification is confirmed, either New Zealand will stay here for their knockout match or they will travel to Sydney. It won’t be long before the second match is tossed. Click through the tabs to see all the actions. Until next time, cheers and goodbye.