England and New Zealand meet at The Gabba on Tuesday night to play an all-important clash of Group 1 at this crucial stage of the T20 World Cup. A win for New Zealand guarantees a berth in the semis, and an England victory gets their campaign back on track. Not to forget, England and New Zealand have had great rivalry in the past few years. Last year, New Zealand beat England at the T20 World Cup. Of course, there was that epic ODI World Cup final of 2019 which England won. This game has the potential to add more to this rivalry.
From England’s perspective, this is a huge match. What’s missing in this tournament is their aggressive approach. They have not really looked the same batting side in games vs Afghanistan and Ireland. I believe they need to be more attacking in the early overs. The time has come to use Moeen Ali better. He should be use as a floater in this tournament. In case England lose an early wicket, he could be sent in early to make the maximum use of the powerplay overs. The need of the hour is to have a flexible batting lineup.
England started off as favourites at the start but they haven’t played as one so far and it is important for them to keep their semis hopes alive when they meet Kiwis. That is why the big stars need to stand up and deliver. I would not be surprised if Ben Stokes has a big game. He is a big player who relishes these challenging moment and situations although he continues to be short of his best form. This could just be the stage where he brings his best game. I don’t think England need to make too many changes to the team as they are still more than capable of winning the competition.
The onus will be on Jos Buttler, the captain. He can lead through his batting. He is the best white-ball player in the world and we expect him to deliver on the biggest of stages. If he can play a big innings vs Black Caps, it will inspire his team who are more than capable of winning this match. Buttler can set the right tone for England at the top.
I am hoping England are better prepared for this match as they have had a lot of time to make plans for this game after the Australia match got washed out.
When it comes to England’s playing XI, one change I would like to see is David Willey coming in, possibly at expense of Chris Woakes. He brings more variation with the left arm pace and has the ability to swing the new ball.
New Zealand, to me, start as favourites in this match. Their batting is doing well, with someone or the other taking the responsibility to guide the team through. Even when they lose early wickets as seen in the last game, they have the required depth in batting to make recovery. Glenn Phillips in this kind of form is a huge boost to them. They are a team that plays at its best in global tournaments historically and this tournament is no different.
All eyes will certainly be on captain Kane Williamson. He is a fine batter, who is in desperate need of big runs. He is a shrewd captain who smartly handles a well-balanced bowling attack. But surely, they need Williamson the batter to shine now. When it comes to bowling, New Zealand have one of the best swing bowlers in the world. Tim Southee and Trent Boult are phenomenal with the new ball and Lockie Ferguson’s pace can make a huge difference. Boult,
especially, in my opinion is the best left arm bowler in all formats of his generation. He has great control of the swinging ball and bowls smartly in the later phases on the innings. Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi as spin options are quite good.
It will be a treat to watch Ferguson go one-on-one with Mark Wood. Both are extremely fast and will be involved in a speed battle of their own. Quick bowlers are a luxury and both sides are lucky to have one each in their lineup.
I believe this is a game for the big boys. The performance of the big players, from both the sides, will matter in this match, and determine the outcome. If England win then they stay in the competition and will be better for this tournament moving forward as they are effectively now playing knock out matches which will stand them in good stead in remaining games. However, that’s a big if. At the same time, players must be pumped up to play a game like this. This is the kind of game, as a player, you look forward to with so much at stake.
