New Zealand defeated Ireland by 35 runs in their T20 World Cup 2022 fixture, at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide on Friday. Chasing a target of 186 runs, Ireland were restricted to 150 for nine in 20 overs, with Lockie Ferguson taking a three-wicket haul for New Zealand.
Meanwhile, Mitchell Santner and Tim Southee bagged two-wicket hauls. For Ireland’s batting line-up, Paul Stirling top-scored with a knock of 37 runs off 27 balls. Initially, New Zealand posted 185 for six in 20 overs, with Kane Williamson hammering 61 runs off 35 balls, including five fours and three sixes.
Meanwhile, Joshua Little was in fantastic bowling form and took a hat-trick in the 19th over. Gareth Delany bagged two wickets for Ireland.
Kane Williamson, the skipper of New Zealand, says that it was a really good team performance. Mentions that they knew Ireland are a good start and will come hard at them. He is happy with the way his team performed. Shares that the surface was on the slower side and feels that they batted well in the Powerplay which was the key. Kane is satisfied with the way they executed their plans.
Andy Balbirnie, the captain of Ireland, says that they got a good start with the bat but failed to capitalize. Mentions that they dropped a few catches but overall, they had a good tournament. States that the trend has been to not go too hard at the start of the Powerplay and they did that part well but failed to carry on. Tells that they are playing better cricket than they were 12 months back and praises Josh Little for showing his class with the ball.
As standings stand after the match between New Zealand and Afghanistan, the Kiwis are at the top spot with 7 points followed by England and Australia with five points each.
England are ahead of Australia on the basis of superior net run rate while Sri Lanka are at the fourth spot with 4 points. England, Australia and Sri Lanka are all in contention to qualify for the semi-finals whereas Ireland and Afghanistan have been knocked out.
Qualification Scenario
England: A victory over Sri Lanka should all but seal Jos Buttler’s side’s place in the semi-finals. However, a defeat might see the Three Lions packing their bags and going home. If England win their match, and Australia do not defeat Afghanistan by a heavy margin, it should be enough for Jos Buttler & Co. England will take on Sri Lanka on Saturday and as things stand, they have 5 points with a net run rate of +0.547.
Australia: First things first, Australia need to beat Afghanistan on Friday to have any chance of making it to the semi-finals. If England lose to Sri Lanka and Australia win their match, it would mean that the defending champions would qualify for the semi-finals. However, if England win their match, then Australia would be in a tricky spot. Australia also need to keep net run-rate in their minds. Net run-rate will come into play if both England and Australia win their last Super 12 matches.
Sri Lanka: For Sri Lanka to qualify, the equation is simple. They need to defeat England and then hope that Australia lose to Afghanistan. If any of these scenarios doesn’t happen, Sri Lanka will be knocked out.
Ireland and Afghanistan are not in the running for the semi-finals.
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