CT 2017: Match 6, Who Said What: England vs New Zealand

The wind was a big factor, It was a little bit two paced, you had to watch the ball hard: Kane Williamson

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Jake Ball of England
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Jake Ball of England poses with the man of the match award. (Photo by Harry Trump-IDI/IDI via Getty Images)

In the sixth match of the Champions Trophy, home team and hot favourites to lift the trophy, England faced the dark horses of the tournament, New Zealand in a Group A encounter. For a change, a match was completed without any interruptions by rains and it was England who came out victorious by 87 runs, thereby becoming the first team to book a berth in the semi-finals. Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to field first, backing their ability to chase.

Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to field first, backing their ability to chase. After receiving good start from Hales and Root, the English lost their way in the middle. However, Jos Buttler turned out to be the saviour for the home team and managed to reach a total of 310 before they were bowled out in the final over of the innings.

Kane Williamson was resolute to chase down the total set by the Englishmen but turned out to be the lone warrior for his side. Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor gave him some support in the middle but the Black Caps kept losing wickets to make matters worse for their side. Even though Liam Plunkett picked up a four-wicket haul yet again, It was Jake Ball’s spell which changed the game around for their side. As a result, he was adjudged as the man of the match.

Jake Ball

Man of the Match, Jake Ball, stated that he concentrated on putting the balls in the right areas as the rains moistened the pitch up which assisted the bowlers.

I was just trying to put it in the right area. Little bit of rain juiced the wicket up. Everybody had their fair share of difficulty with the wind. That’s One-Day cricket; you have to be prepared to go around the park. You have to cherish these days, when you come away with good figures.

Ball was satisfied to see the manner by which the wicket panned out in the end. The lanky seamer was also elated to see his side reach the semi-finals of the tournament.

It (the surface) played pretty well and there was a bit of uneven bounce. The bowlers stuck it in the right area. We tried to hit the deck hard and make it difficult for them to hit the ball. It is a great feeling (to reach the semifinal). Obviously got one more game against the Aussies, would be nice to beat them and top the group stage.

Eoin Morgan

Captain Morgan admitted that he was disappointed in between the innings as he hoped his team reached a target of 340 especially with the start they were provided with. Morgan also emphasised that posting a total above 300 plays an important role psychologically.

We weren’t that pleased at the halfway stage. We felt we were 15-20 runs below par. We put ourselves in a really good position to get 340, but we kept losing wickets. But when you post over 300, you’re always in with a shout. Stokes had a good partnership with Joe, and then Moeen Ali was unlucky to get out. We gave ourselves every chance to post a big score but it didn’t come off.

Morgan seemed elated to reachthe semi-finals of the tournament. The skipper praised the potential in the side and expressed that the job is only half done as they aim to clinch the trophy.

Our players said that it was two paced, and taking that into consideration and with the short boundaries straight, we thought there was no value in bowling full. It sounds pretty good going into the semis. We are obviously not satisfied with just the semis. This group has a lot of potential. It’s actually one of our strengths. Goes a long way when you’ve got guys like Adil Rashid and Plunkett coming to bat at nine and ten.

Kane Williamson

Praising the depth of batting in the English batting line-up, Kiwi skipper stated that it was a decent effort to restrict the English team to a total of 310. Williamson admitted that the home side outplayed them in all departments of the game. According to Williamson, the winds played an important factor in the fixture along with the two-paced nature of the wicket.

The nature of the English batting is that they bat deep. In that respect, it wasn’t a bad effort with the ball. In all areas England outplayed us today. It was tough out there. Credit to them. They deserved everything they got today. We were trying to get a partnership, get some momentum. It was a tough surface to start on. When we lost wickets, it was a tough job for the middle and lower order. The wind was a big factor. That’s the game isn’t it. It was a little bit two paced, you had to watch the ball hard, don’t think I watched the ball hard enough.

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