The first semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 has gone down as of the most epic battles witnessed in the competition's history. Daryl Mitchell and Jimmy Neesham inspired New Zealand to a five-wicket win over Eoin Morgan’s England in a game that went right down to the wire. In the end, it was New Zealand who had a spring in their step to go the extra yard as they booked their place in the final for the first time in this format.
One player who was the chief architect of BlackCaps' win was James Neesham. The left-handed batsman was quick to make his emotions felt in a post-match chat with former England skipper Mike Atherton as he said, “I didn’t come here to win the semi final, I am here to win the final. I made lot of sacrifices to be where I am right now; I haven’t been at home since March to focus on T20 cricket. I hope the sacrifices are paying off.”
“It wasn’t a great start, but we knew how to catch up. England using their resources early left them in a vulnerable position. We capitalized on the situation when they left the backdoors open”, stated the 31-year-old.
He lauded Daryl Mitchell for his unbeaten 72 as he stayed till the end and finished the match with six balls to spare.
“He (Daryl Mitchell) has been in great form for the past couple of years. Having grown up in Perth he has great ability to play the short ball. He is a great batsman who bats at three in domestic cricket, but having him at top has been a great experiment,” the all-rounder said.
Reflecting on the recent meetings with England, The Auckland-born player revealed that the famous World Cup 2019 was still fresh in his memory as he said, “It was a hard pill to swallow in the 2019 World Cup final, when I was there batting in the super over. The thoughts of that final have crossed my mind on several occasions, but I think my sacrifices now are paying the dividends and hopefully this time we will get over the line.”
After extracting revenge on England from their 2019 World Cup final loss it now remains to be seen who they come up against in the final. Unbeaten Pakistan take on Australia in Dubai on November 11 evening with the winner taking the second spot in the blockbuster final on the same venue in Sunday’s showdown finale.
