Twitter Reactions: Kane Williamson's 61 and disciplined bowling effort helps New Zealand brush aside promising Ireland
New Zealand became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals.
New Zealand and Ireland locked horns in the 37th match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Adelaide Oval, which was also their final game of the Super 12 stage. So far in the tournament, no team has confirmed a semi-final berth, with multiple teams being in contention from both groups. But with a 35-run victory against Ireland, the Kiwis inched closer to a spot in the final four, thanks to their brilliant NRR.
Ireland won the toss and put the Kiwis to bat first. The Blackcaps started off well as the opening pair of Finn Allen and Devon Conway shared a 52-run stand inside the powerplay before the former was dismissed by Mark Adair in the sixth over. Skipper Kane Williamson joined Conway and played a composed knock to keep the scoreboard ticking. Conway was the next to walk back as Gareth Delany got the Irish side a much-needed breakthrough.
The in-form middle-order batter Glenn Phillips could not create a big impact, but his cameo of a nine-ball 17, including two fours and a six, helped New Zealand add some quick runs. Ireland dominated the final few overs as their leading wicket-taker Joshua Little bagged a magnificent hat-trick and picked up the key wickets of Williamson, James Neesham, and Mitchell Santner. Daryl Mitchell remained unbeaten as New Zealand ended up posting a target of 186 runs.
Ireland's batting unit comes crashing down
Ireland openers Andrew Balbirnie and Paul Stirling started the chase on a high note. The duo sailed through the powerplay and kept finding the gaps to hit the big shots. It was late in the ninth over that Santner got his side the first breakthrough when he dismissed the Irish skipper. Ish Sodhi came in for the next over and sent Stirling packing. And then, Ireland’s batting unit came crashing down.
The middle-order batters could not score many runs as Lorcan Tucker, Harry Tector, Delany, and Curtis Campher were all dismissed cheaply for a low score. New Zealand bowlers started picking wickets at regular intervals and Ireland's batting unit came crashing down. Even the pacers received help towards the end, which added to Ireland’s misery. Thus, New Zealand claimed a comprehensive victory to end their Super 12 stage on a high note.
Here's how the Twitter reacted:
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