T20 World Cup | We are devastated, says Eoin Morgan after England lose semi-final clash to New Zealand
After losing the first semi-final of T20 World Cup 2021 by 5 wickets against New Zealand on Wednesday, England captain Eoin Morgan said that his side was devastated. Morgan further added that England were in a commanding position until Jimmy Neesham arrived in the middle and blasted 27 off 11.
After being asked to bat first, England posted a decent 166-run total following handy contributions from Dawid Malan (41), Moeen Ali (51*) and Jos Buttler (29) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
New Zealand Martin Guptil (4) and Kane Williamson (5) early on in the chase but resilient batting performance from Daryl Mitchell (72*) and Devon Conway (46) kept them alive. Later, sensational powerhitting from Jimmy Neesham which included 3 sixes and a boundary snatched the momentum completely away from the English side. Neesham fired 27 off 11 balls as the Kiwis chased down the 167-run target with an over to spare.
Reflecting on the loss, Eoin Morgan has said that his side was in total control of the match until Neesham arrived. The 2019 World Cup-winning captain added that his side was devastated after losing the close-fought contest.
"We're devastated. To be on the wrong side of a close game is not easy to take. We were right in the game probably until Jimmy Neesham came to the wicket, if not ahead of the game," Morgan said in the post-match press conference.
"I think it was a very closely fought game right throughout. I thought Jimmy Neesham was probably the only guy that came out and was showing the ability to strike the ball cleanly from ball one," Morgan said.
"Hitting ability within our squad is quite strong, and the indication that the guys didn't feel like they could clear the ropes due to the nature of the pitch was a good indication that it wasn't coming on to the bat that well. I think that continued throughout the Black Caps' innings until he came to the crease."
New Zealand, who had lost the dramatic 2019 World Cup final against England, will now face the winner of the second semi-final between Pakistan and Australia in the summit clash on Sunday, November 14.
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