Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq believes that the match between England and New Zealand for a place in the 2021 T20 World Cup finals on Wednesday will be a close one.
In the Super 12s, England had won their group, while New Zealand had beaten India to second place in the other group.
Inzamam brought up the fact that everyone appears to be rooting for England in the match, and while he understands why, he believes New Zealand should not be disregarded so quickly.
“Everyone are labelling England favourites, and rightly so because of the way they have played in the last 2 years. But, at the same time, New Zealand have also played well across all formats. They are champions when it comes to the longest format and are ranked well in ODIs. They have performed well in this T20 World Cup as well. So, I won’t say New Zealand is an inferior team when compared to England.” he said
In the 2016 edition, England and New Zealand also met in the semi-finals. After a dominant win engineered by Ben Stokes and Jason Roy in particular, the Three Lions advanced to the finals.
Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson was singled out by Inzamam for leading New Zealand towards an attacking style of cricket as well as improved body language. In the group stage, the Blackcaps only lost one, to group champions Pakistan.
“Ever since Williamson has become captain, NZ’s playing style has changed very much. Their body language is very positive. They are playing aggressive cricket in a sensible manner.” Inzamam added
Morgan’s captaincy, like Williamson’s, is credited with England’s brutal route one attacking style of cricket, according to Inzamam. In the group of death, England controlled the proceedings and only lost to South Africa in a close match.
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