Semi-Final – England vs New Zealand Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is England vs New Zealand taking place? England vs New Zealand will take place on Wednesday 10thNovember, 2021 at 14:00 (UK)
Where is England vs New Zealand taking place? England vs New Zealand will take place at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi
What is the expected weather for England vs New Zealand? 27-28c with sunny intervals before clear skies and light winds
Where can I get tickets for England vs New Zealand? Visit here for the latest ticket information for England vs New Zealand
What TV channel is England vs New Zealand on in the UK? England vs New Zealand will be televised live on Sky Sports
Where can I stream England vs New Zealand? Sky Sports subscribers can stream England vs New Zealand live on Sky Go
THE TEAM NEWS
ENGLAND
- England reached the semi-final stage of the T20 World Cup courtesy of topping Group 1 in the Super 12s stage, winning four of their five matches although most recently Eoin Morgan’s side fell to defeat against South Africa by ten runs.
- More worrying for England was the loss of Jason Roy after the opener suffered a calf-injury against the Proteas whilst running between the wickets and this will force Morgan to alter his batting line-up, with injury reserve James Vince expected to be called up to the squad, however the likelihood is that Sam Billings will slot into the middle order with either Dawid Malan or Jonny Bairstow moving up to open with the in-form Jos Buttler.
NEW ZEALAND
- Ever since losing their opening Super 12s fixture against Pakistan, New Zealand have gone from strength-to-strength, winning their following four matches to book their place in the semi-finals, facing the side who beat them via that infamous Super Over in the 50 over World Cup final that took place back in 2019.
- Apart from fast-bowler Lockie Ferguson’s hamstring injury, the Black Caps have benefitted from avoiding any setbacks across the tournament and will likely enter this semi-final unchanged, with a bowling attack of Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Adam Milne and Ish Sodhi alongside all-rounders Mitchell Santner and Jimmy Neesham.
THE PREDICTION
With the hurt of that World Cup final defeat against England still raw even over two years later, New Zealand will be gunning for revenge here in the 20 over format of the game as they compete in their fourth successive ICC tournament semi-final. They will have the luxury of not needing to change their side, whilst England have no choice but to risk upsetting the apple cart following Jason Roy’s injury, with the batting order needing to be altered as a result. However, England are an outstanding team in 20 over cricket with a talent pool of depth which is the envy of many cricketing nations. More importantly, they boast the most in-form batter in the entire tournament within their ranks. Wicketkeeper Jos Buttler has been sensational opening the batting and he has the ability to take this match away from New Zealand on his own if they fail to get him out early on. In what is expected to be a close contest, the extra firepower of England with the bat alongside their superior middle order depth should see them edge out the Black Caps in this one.
