T20 World Cup 2021: New Zealand eyes WC 2019 final payback against a fiery England

Former champion England faces an arduous task against New Zealand in the semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. While England would aim to continue its dominant form, New Zealand would eye payback for its ICC World Cup 2019 final defeat to the same side. Here is the preview of this thrilling clash.

Current form
England managed to win four of the five games it played in the Super 12, losing its last game to South Africa, while it won and lost a match each during the warm-ups. As for New Zealand, it has had a similar performance in the Super 12s, while it had lost its both warm-up ties. Thus, judging by the current form, England slightly has the upper hand.

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Team strength & weaknesses, and players to watch out
Considering the sides, England possesses loads of top batters, making the department its biggest strength. The top-order would be under pressure to fire, while the middle-order has been boosted by skipper Eoin Morgan's return to form. The players to watch out would be Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Mark Wood and Chris Jordan.

As for New Zealand, it has an evenly poised side. Although its batting is a tide weak due to lack of specialist batters, its bowling is deadly that can cover it up, making the latter department its greatest strength. Skipper Kane Williamson, along with Martin Guptill, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson and Tim Southee, are likely to make an impact.

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Injury concerns and head-to-head
England would be without opener Jason Roy, who missed out due to calf injury, while NZ does not have any concerns. The two sides have met on 21 instances before in the format, with England leading 12-7, while in five clashes in the competition, England leads 3-2.

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Weather and pitch report
The weather in Abu Dhabi would be average, with an expected temperature of 29 degrees and 52% humidity. The track would be batting-friendly, and runs could be expected. However, the side winning the toss would look to chase due to the dew factor that increases considerably with the approaching winter.

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Probable XI
ENG: Sam Billings, Jos Buttler (wk), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan (c), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid and Mark Wood.
NZ: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (c), Devon Conway (wk), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi and Trent Boult.

Fantasy XI
Batters: Phillips, Mitchell, Guptill- Guptill would give the perfect start, with Mitchell firing at number three, while Phillips consolidates in the middle-order.
Wicketkeeper: Buttler (c)- He is the man in form and an explosive opener, making him the skipper.
All-rounder: Moeen- He has been effective with his spins and would contribute with the bat as well, making him the deputy.
Bowlers: Jordan, Woakes, Rashid, Sodhi, Boult, Southee- Rashid and Sodhi would give a tough time to the batters with the unpredictable spins, while the remaining four make the impact as usual with their utter pace.

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Match details
Date and day: November 10, 2021 (Wednesday)
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Time: 7.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 Hindi (Also available in HD, along with regional languages)
Where to watch (Online): Hotstar

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