The manner in which New Zealand fought back in their T20 World Cup semi-final contest against England on Wednesday, it spoke volumes about their determination. There was something else too which portrayed their resolve even after the game ended.
While most of the New Zealand camp were busy celebrating their five-wicket win, all-rounder James Neesham sat in the dugout with arms crossed, his face painting a steely expression. A photo of Neesham’s monk-like composure was widely circulated on social media and the Black Caps player, who played a match-turning cameo of 27 off 11 balls, re-tweeted it with the caption: “Job finished? I don’t think so.”
Neesham was in fact seen seated at the same spot on the sidelines long after the players and officials walked off the turf at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium.
New Zealand, despite their impressive performances over the years, have never won the World Cup in the limited-overs formats of the game. The heartbreak of the 2019 ODI World Cup, where they lost to England on boundary count, only rubbed more salt to their wound. The Black Caps’ desperation and determination to win this T20 World Cup is understandable and Neesham has only highlighted it.
The luck factor
New Zealand’s semi-final hero, opener Daryl Mitchell, was candid enough to admit that they needed generous help from Lady Luck to win.
Chasing a tricky 167, New Zealand struggled with the bat for the better part of their innings and needed 57 runs from the last four overs. While Mitchell and Neesham unleashed some big hits, the Black Caps also benefited on two occasions when Chris Jordan and Jonny Bairstow caught the ball near the rope but just could not check their momentum.
“Look, we were obviously very lucky at times,” Mitchell told reporters after the match. “A couple sailed over the ropes that could have been a metre shorter and we’re all out… It’s obviously pretty cool to get the job done, but I know it’s a game of inches.”
‘Strongest’ praise
It is still to be seen if New Zealand go on to win the T20 World Cup, but former England captain Mike Atherton has already given them the medal for being the strongest team across all three formats of the game at the moment.
“They are an outstanding team, in all formats of the game really,” Atherton told Sky Sports. “They are through to another World Cup final, they were a sliver away from winning the last World Cup in 2019, they are the World Test Championship winners. Across formats, you would have to say they are the strongest team at the moment.”
