England confirmed themselves of a spot in the last four with another strong performance, defeating New Zealand by 87 runs to register their second win in as many games in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. No one player stood head and shoulders above the rest to lead England to an impressive win; it was a more complete performance for the hosts that saw them overcome a team that at certain times looked like they could run away with the game.
Alex Hales, Joe Root and Jos Buttler batted beautifully for England and at various stages of the innings to give them a strong total, while the bowlers combined for a team effort to nip New Zealand’s response in the bud while they were still 87 runs short of the target in the 45th over.
Mid way through New Zealand’s innings, chasing England’s 310 all out, it looked like it was their game to lose. Jake Ball and Mark Wood had started strongly for the hosts, giving away very little to New Zealand after Ball had clean bowled Luke Ronchi for a first ball duck. However, Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson rode out the tough period and started to assert their authority.
Williamson’s go-to shots to third man and in the gap towards mid-wicket were well plugged by England, not allowing the New Zealand captain any easy singles. Williamson though found other ways to counter the hosts’ plans after struggling to score freely initially. Guptill was much better with his strike rate, but fell at the wrong time for New Zealand, edging a drive to Root at wide slip. Williamson and Taylor were involved in another solid stand, adding the best stand of the game (95) to put New Zealand in the driver’s seat.
But the loss of Williamson sucked the life out of New Zealand. It also showed, despite their depth in batting, how heavily New Zealand rely on their captain. Williamson and Taylor departed in quick succession. At 168 for 4 in the 34th over, the visitors still weren’t too far away from the required run rate. However, the departure of two set batsmen set the cat amongst the pigeons for New Zealand, and they lost their next six wickets for 55 runs to fold for 223. Liam Plunkett was England’s best bowler, hitting the Kiwis with pace and bounce to rattle them with figures of 4-55. Adil Rashid and Jake Ball chipped in with two wickets apiece.
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If New Zealand’s innings relied heavily on their experienced players to show them the way, England’s was somewhat in contrast.
Having lost Jason Roy, whose terrible form continued, early, Joe Root and Alex Hales laid the platform for a big score with a stand worth 81 runs in good time. New Zealand stuck to their plans of keeping things simple after they won the toss, and were rewarded with wickets. The wickets were not a result of some terrific bowling, but more because their plans helped frustrate the England batsmen and enticed them to try something over the top. It ended with England losing wickets against the run of play and in not wholly convincing fashion.
Hales and Root were involved in a superb stand that saw England move from 37 for 1 to 118 for 1. Both batsmen pinged the gaps and ran well between the wickets to allow England to overcome the early setback. Hales got to his fifty, but was outfoxed by Adam Milne as he tried to exert pressure on the bowler. Having just been smashed for six, Milne went unconventional with a slower ball, with the seam parallel to the pitch. The dampness meant the ball skidded on after pitching on the leather, and was through Hales before he could complete his attempted pull shot.
Hales’s departure for 56 off 62 gave New Zealand an opening they were desperate for. Eoin Morgan was out soon after, edging Corey Anderson to the keeper for 13.
With the double blow, England’s scoring rate came down. Ben Stokes looked in good touch, but by ensuring England were not scoring at the rate they had been, New Zealand put the well-set Root under pressure. Root took the bait, and went for a huge heave off Anderson, but inside-edged the ball on to the stumps. His impressive knock off 64 off 65 came to an abrupt end. When Stokes’s upper-cut found third man, on 48 off 53, England were in real danger of being restricted to around 250.
Buttler, however, ensured England got themselves to a solid score with some good application. He didn’t score at the rate he’s more accustomed to, scoring just two boundaries in his first 36 balls, but made sure England did not lose their way. Off the 37th, he moved across to the leg side and scooped Trent Boult out of the stadium. He followed that up with another slap over long off in the next over to bring up his fifty off 41 balls.
Plunkett added to the onslaught with a six and a four as England went past the 300-run mark. A total that was more than enough for England to become the first team to seal a spot in the semi-finals.
Brief Scores
England 310 in 49.3 overs (Joe Root 64, Alex Hales 56; Corey Anderson 3-55, Adam Milne 3-79) beat
New Zealand 223 in 44.3 overs (Kane Williamson 87, Ross Taylor 39; Liam Plunkett 4-55, Jake Ball 2-31) by 87 runs.
