T20 World Cup 2021 | Looking forward to face England, says Kane Williamson as New Zealand enter semi-finals

T20 World Cup 2021 | Looking forward to face England, says Kane Williamson as New Zealand enter semi-finals

After New Zealand defeated Afghanistan by 8 wickets and qualified for the semi-finals of T20 World Cup 2021, captain Kane Williamson said the Kiwis are all set to face England in the knock-out stage now. Williamson lauded his bowlers for restricting Afghanistan to a below-par 124/8 in 20 overs.

Najibullah Zadran was the lone warrior for Afghanistan and top-scored for the team with 48-ball 73 but other around him failed to contribute. Trent Boult picked three wickets, while his new ball partner Tim Southee two.Ā 

Kane Williamson was prolific in another low-scoring run chase. The Kiwi captain scored 40 unbeaten runs of 42 balls, and was very well complemented by Devon Conway (36*) as the Kiwis won with 11 balls to spare.Ā 

"It was a strong performance. They have got match-winners in all departments. It was nice to set the tone with the ball straight up, restrict them to a below-par score on a 150-155 surface. In second innings, we tried to suck things up and get as close as we could. We would have batted first today. We know we have another strong challenge coming up but really pleasing outing for the team. The fielding was outstanding. With the day games, it's important to set the tone in the park and bring that energy. England are a very strong side, for us it's important to keep learning and focus on the cricket that we want to play. We are looking forward to the occasion," Kane Williamson said after the match.Ā 

Man of the Match Trent Boult opener Hazratullah Zazai, Najibullah Zadran and Karim JanatĀ while giving away just 17 runs in four overs, minced no words and said that New Zealand are all geared up for the "business end of the tournament."

"Nice to tick off the performance here this afternoon. Now we move forward for the business end of the tournament. Boys are feeling good. There is a big difference between the day games and the night games. We have been playing good cricket. Hopefully we can keep it going. Itā€™s just about adapting (to the toss), executing well and chasing it down properly was what we talked about, glad that we got the job done," he said in the post-match presentation ceremony.Ā 

New Zealand will most probably face England in the first semi-final in Abu Dhabi on November 10. Notably, the two sides had clashed against each other in the dramatic final of the 50-over World Cup in 2019.Ā 

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