T20 World Cup 2021 | England are a strong side even without Jason Roy and Tymal Mills, says Kane Williamson
England and New Zealand will face off in the first semi final of the T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi
|New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has said that England are a strong side even without the services of pacer Tymal Mills and opening batsman Jason Roy. Mills sustained thigh strain, while Roy had a calf injury during the Super 12 round, which ruled out both the players from the marquee event.
England had a great start to their T20 World Cup campaign as they won their first four matches against West Indies, Bangladesh, Australia and Sri Lanka by huge margins. The Eoin Morgan-led side won four out five matches at the Super 12 stage, and their lone defeat came against South Africa, who finished third in Group 1. Ahead of the semi-final clash against New Zealand, England faced two major blows as they lost the services of pacer Tymall Mills and opening batsman Jason Roy. During England's fixture against Sri Lanka, Tymal Mills sustained a thigh strain in the middle of the 14th over and was forced to leave the field, whereas Jason Roy pulled his calf muscle while completing a run against South Africa in their last league match. Both Mills and Roy have been ruled out from the remainder of the tournament due to their injuries.
Ahead of the semi-final clash against the Eoin Morgan-led side, Williamson said that the England team are still a strong side despite the injury concerns in the camp. Â
"They're both big players for England. It's a real shame that they have suffered injuries in this competition. But I think one of the strengths of the England side is their depth that they've managed to produce over a period of time. They're still very much a very strong side who have been playing some really good cricket," said Williamson in a virtual press conference.Â
Williamson added that his team will plan accordingly against the opposition in the semi-final on Wednesday.Â
"Whenever there's an injury, someone else comes in and you're not to know who they are until the toss," Williamson said. But you try and prepare and plan as best you can and then when you go out there you're sort of competing in the moment. Jason's a big player for England and has been playing really nicely and getting the team off to good starts along with Jos (Buttler). But as I mentioned, the depth on the England side is one of their strengths and we'll try and plan accordingly to the best of our ability," he added.
New Zealand will lock horns with England on Wednesday in the first semi-final for the first time in an ICC knockout game since the 2019 ODI World Cup final.
