The Kiwis became the first team to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-finals, following their 35-run win over Ireland in their last Super 12s clash in Adelaide on Friday.
New Zealand registered their third win of the T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12s round on Friday, beating Ireland by 35 runs at the Adelaide Oval to go to the top of the Group 1 standings. The Aussies had to beat Afghanistan by 185 runs or more in the second game of the day at the same venue, to get past the New Zealand net run-rate to surpass them, but that didn’t happen, ensuring that the Blackcaps qualified for the semi-finals for the third time in a row.
Finn Allen once again got New Zealand off to a brisk start after being put in to bat, with the right-hander scoring 32 off 18 in a 52-run opening stand with Devon Conway. The latter struggled for fluency, unlike Kane Williamson, who stroked a 35-ball 61 with five fours and three sixes to set it up for a par score.
Daryl Mitchell (31* off 21) and Glenn Phillips (17 off 9) played their part, with the captain holding his end before falling to Joshua Little on the second ball of the penultimate over. The left-arm quick then trapped Jimmy Neesham and Mitchell Santner leg-before on the next two balls to register the second hat-trick of the tournament after UAE’s Karthik Meiyappan. Little was the pick of the bowlers with 3/22 in New Zealand’s first innings effort of 185/6.
Ireland had a promising start to the chase, with skipper Andrew Balbirnie and Paul Stirling adding 68 in the first eight overs, before spinners Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner weaved a web with two wickets each. Lockie Ferguson (3/22) and Tim Southee (2/29) ran through the lower order to limit Ireland to 150/9 in the allotted 20 overs.
Brief scores
New Zealand 185/6 in 20 overs (Williamson 61, Allen 32; Little 3-22) beat Ireland 150/9 in 20 overs (Stirling 37, Balbirnie 30; Ferguson 3-22, Santner 2-26, Sodhi 2-31) by 35 runs.
Meanwhile, Australia registered a narrow four-run win against Afghanistan at the same venue later in the day to keep their chances alive in the race to the semi-finals.
Afghanistan seemed on course for another upset at the T20 World Cup 2022, when they were 98/2 after 13 overs in their chase of 169. Gulbadin Naib led Afghanistan’s charge with a steady 39 off 23, adding 59 for the third wicket with Ibrahim Zadran.
However, Glenn Maxwell, who had sizzled with the bat earlier with an unbeaten 54* off 32, produced a brilliant fielding moment to run out Naib with a direct hit from long-on at the non-striker’s end. Afghanistan soon stumbled from 99/2 to 103/6, with Adam Zampa dismissing Ibrahim and Najibullah Zadran in the same over to put Australia in the ascendency.
Rashid Khan kept the hosts on toes until the last over, smashing 48* off 23 with three fours and four sixes, but fell a hit short of pulling off a sensational heist.
Earlier, Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh (45 off 30) were the chief contributors in Australia’s first innings effort of 168/8. The defending champions looked primed for a score in excess of 180, but Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi choked the run-flow in the back-end to concede just 25 off the final four overs.
Australia would now be rooting for Sri Lanka to beat England in the final Super 12s game of the group for them to progress further. England would progress in case of a win, courtesy of their superior net run-rate.
Brief scores
Australia 168/8 (Maxwell 54*, Marsh 45, Naveen-ul-Haq 3-21) beat Afghanistan 164/7 (Rashid 48*, Naib 39, Zampa 2-22) by four runs
