Twitter Reactions: Jonny Bairstow and bowlers carry England into the semis

After the stutters in the middle of their campaign, England have eventually managed to qualify for the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup. The Three Lions, captained by Eoin Morgan, thumped New Zealand by 119 runs at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street. The Kiwis are still not through and now await the result of the Bangladesh-Pakistan game at the Headingley to decide their fate in the mega event.

Jason Roy (60) and Jonny Bairstow (106) took the Brits off to another blistering start courtesy of their 123-run stand. James Neesham gave the Kiwis a breather, dismissing Roy, who got back-to-back fifties. But Bairstow carried on and backed his ton versus India with another jaw-dropping century. The 29-year-old Yorkshireman got to the milestone off 95 balls and soon fell prey to speedster Mark Wood.

Joe Root (24) was unluckily caught down the leg-side off Trent Boult. Jos Buttler was promoted to number four, but he could only manage 11. Eoin Morgan scored 42 and got out with four overs left. It was eventually a partnership of 29 runs between Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid that got England to a reasonable score of 305 in 50 overs. For the Black Caps, Boult, Henry and Neesham picked up two wickets each.

The Black Caps crumble

New Zealand saw their opening pair – Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls – perish cheaply yet another time inside six overs. And again, the onus was on Kane Williamson (27) and Ross Taylor (28) to drag their team out of the pits. The duo added 47 runs, but a deflection off Mark Wood’s hands led to the skipper’s dismissal. In the very next over, it was Taylor’s turn to get run-out and the Kiwis were reduced to 69/4.

Tom Latham (57) and Neesham (19) tried to bring the Kiwis back into the game. Unfortunately, Mark Wood castled the latter to send half-the-side back into the hut. A few overs later, Ben Stokes removed Colin de Grandhomme as well. Latham got his rhythm back with a fifty and he became Liam Plunkett’s first victim. Rashid picked up Boult to seal the fate of the match with five overs remaining.

Here is how Twitter reacted to the one-sided affair: