2017 ICC Champions Trophy: England Hammer New Zealand By 87 Runs To Qualify For Semi-Finals
Nov 2, 2023 at 3:46 PM
England hammered New Zealand in their second league game of the Champions Trophy 2017 to book a place in the semi-final of the mini World Cup. Everything fell in place for the hosts – from batting to bowling to fielding as well – and riding on these, the runners-up of last the Champions Trophy became the first nation to qualify for the semi-final of the this year’s Champions Trophy.
Losing the toss and being asked to bat first, once again England did not have a good start, as Jason Roy continued his dry run with the bat. He was bowled by Milne in a strange fashion. Not for the first time, Alex Hales and Joe Root had to deal with the early pressure and when they were asked to, they come up with some flying colours and shared an 81-runs stand for the second wicket.
However, in the middle overs, England’s innings was on a downward slope and wickets were coming quickly rather than easily. At that time, small contributions from tailenders made the difference and they were able to post a total of 310 on the board.
Coming into bowl sans their strike bowler i.e. Chris Woakes, England still had a great start, as Jake Ball cleaned Luke Ronchi on a duck, so as to somehow prove that the innings of Ronchi in the previous game while batting at the same position was a rare one, might be a fluke.
Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson were supposed to the men for the team but after a contribution of 62 runs by the duo in total, Guptill departed, handing the responsibility to Williamson. Ross Taylor’s and Williamson’s partnership was looking good due to the fact that both were tackling the bowlers with the utmost sense of responsibility but Williamson’s dismissal just tattered the hopes of the team.
It was unfair to expect Kiwis winning the game from that point of situation and finally, with the wicket of Tim Southee, the England team hammered the Men in Black to win the game by a margin of 87 runs and become the first team to get to the next stage.
Now the contest in Group A is an interesting one as Australia’s both the games have been washed off, which means that they have to win their game against England so as to become the second team from their group to go to next round. On the other hand, another case of a washout will leave them in limbo. Bangladesh and New Zealand are also in contention and the picture will be crystal clear soon.