New Zealand almost sealed its semifinal spot by winning against Ireland tonight. Their good Net Run-Rate gives them an edge against England and Australia in the semis race. Though Ireland tried its best, it finally lost the game by 35 runs.
Once again, opener Fin Allen (32 off 18 balls) gave a superb start to his team. He made an opening partnership of 52 runs with Devon Conway. After Allen’s dismissal, Kane Williamson continued that momentum. Conway (28 off 33 balls) struggled a lot and finally got out for a moderate score. New Zealand’s current hero Glenn Philips also failed to do well. Later, Williamson and Daryll Mitchell (31* off 21 balls) made a partnership of 60 runs and ensured a big total for their team. In the process, Kane also scored his half-century (61* off 35 balls). By the end of 20 overs, New Zealand managed to score 185/6. Irish youngster Josh Little (3/22) took a hat-trick by dismissing Kane, Jimmy Neesham and Mitchell Santner in consecutive balls.
Irish openers Paul Stirling (37) and Andrew Balbirnie (30) made a partnership of 68 runs and put their team alive in the chase. But once they got out, other batters just came and went back to the pavilion. Only George Dockrell (23) tried to make an impact. But the Kiwis’ bowlers were brilliant and took wickets at regular intervals. Eventually, Ireland managed to make 150/9 in 20 overs. Lockie Ferguson (3/22) scalped three wickets. Tim Southee (2/29), Mitchell Santner (2/26) and Ish Sodhi (2/31) took two wickets each.
New Zealand now has 7 points and stands at the top of the table. England and Australia have 5 points each. At the most, they can only equal the points of New Zealand. So, there are chances of Net Run Rate coming into play for the semifinal qualifications.
