NASSER HUSSAIN: England handled the New Zealand showdown PERFECTLY
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NASSER HUSSAIN: England handled their showdown with New Zealand PERFECTLY… Jos Buttler is growing as captain, Mark Wood was special with the ball and Sam Curran has given them another dimension
- England handled the situation perfectly when they defeated New Zealand on Tuesday
- Their big players stood in front of Jos Buttler on a great night
- They look like one of the best four teams in the World Cup, but there is work to be done
- Sri Lanka will be a tough test for England on what could be a used pitch
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That was a huge display of character from England when so much was at stake.
They handled the situation they were in perfectly after the rain and the loss to Ireland in Melbourne and I never doubted they would perform if it really mattered against New Zealand here at the Gabba.
In Australia, you would never hold the English batting setup for too long. The moment they got onto a pitch in Brisbane at a good pace they would always thrive and they reached a total which I thought was above par.
England showed huge character as they defeated New Zealand in a crunch clash on Tuesday
England seemed to have learned from a similar situation in last year’s Twenty20 World Cup semi-final, when Daryl Mitchell crushed Chris Jordan in a crucial stage and won New Zealand over the line.
This time it was different at the death. That was a special feat from Mark Wood as he allowed just three runs from the 16th over from New Zealand’s answer, while Sam Curran has given England another dimension with both bat and ball. He is a finisher in the last five overs of an England inning with the bat and also a finisher with the ball.
Every match is now a knockout match and when it came to yesterday’s pressure situations, Curran showed a clearing of mind when he had the ball in his hand. He sticks to a plan and never doubts himself in the crucial moments.
Mark Wood put in another special performance with the ball as England won by 20 runs
England had not become a bad side in two appearances at this World Cup. They would have won in Pakistan, they would have beaten Australia before the tournament and they could have easily beaten Ireland if the match had lasted a few balls longer.
They certainly look like one of the top four sides in this league right now, along with New Zealand, India and South Africa, but there’s still work to be done.
Sri Lanka in Sydney won’t be an easy task, especially if it’s played on a used ground on Saturday, but that’s the nature of this tournament. They have to keep winning.
Jos Buttler was exceptional in everything he did. He’s a genius with the bat, but he’s also growing as a captain. He stuck to his matchups much more than he has in the past, bowling Moeen Ali before that in the beginning but then not bowling him at all when the right-handers in Glenn Phillips and Kane Williamson went strong. .
Sam Curran brings another dimension to England and his bat and ball skills are a huge asset
He first showed how flexible he is by thinking and hitting first and that was absolutely the right thing to do. When England was fielding, he rotated six bowlers in the first seven overs depending on who was on strike and who they would least like to face.
He held up superbly with that dive catch down the leg side and in his 100th T20 international he passed Eoin Morgan as England’s leading points scorer in T20 cricket.
Before the match it was said that England needed their big players to stand up and Buttler did just that. It was an excellent evening for both him and his side.
Jos Buttler grows into his captaincy role as he made smart changes with the ball