ICC T20 World Cup 2021: 3 key reasons behind England's semifinal defeat against New Zealand

Heading into this year’s ICC T20 World Cup, England were among the favorites to win the title in the UAE. They also lived up to that tag in their first four Super 12 fixtures before suffering a minor blip against South Africa last Saturday (November 6) in Sharjah.

In their semifinal against New Zealand on Wednesday (November 10) in Abu Dhabi, they seemed to be heading in the right direction for most of the second innings. But the Kiwis weren’t ready to throw in the towel yet.

James Neesham, who came into bat at No.6 for the Kiwis, played a blinder of an innings to propel his side to an outstanding win over Eoin Morgan’s side. Neesham's fabulous knock of 27 runs off just 11 deliveries comprising of three towering sixes diffused England’s challenge.

The victory also avenged the Kiwis' heartbreaking boundary-count loss of the 50-over World Cup final in 2019.

With New Zealand needing 57 runs off the last four overs, Morgan’s team had the match in their control. But the nature of T20 cricket is unpredictable and anything can happen in the matter of a few deliveries.

Unfortunately for England, they were at the receiving end. Left-handed batter Neesham turned the match on its head within the space of a few balls, leaving England with a tough pill to swallow.

With this win over England, Kane Williamson's team continues to dazzle with their performances, punching above their weight at ICC tournaments. Meanwhile, England, who were hoping to take silverware home this year after their ignominious defeat against West Indies in 2016, must return home empty-handed.

On that note, let’s take a closer look at three key reasons behind England’s unexpected defeat against the Kiwis in the semifinal.

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#3 Buttler and Bairstow’s sluggish start at the top and their inability to notch-up a big score

England's openers failed to provide their side with a quickfire start against the Kiwis in the semifinal.

In the absence of Jason Roy due to an injury to his calf, Jonny Bairstow was promoted to open the batting for England alongside Jos Buttler.

Bairstow is England’s opener in ODI cricket and was largely successful while opening the batting for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL as well. He was an automatic choice to replace Roy at the top and an ideal like-for-like replacement.

Throughout this year’s ICC T20 World Cup, openers have been watchful in the powerplay, especially when batting first. The English openers were slow off the blocks, scoring just 13 runs off the first three overs, courtesy of two economical overs by Tim Southee.

But what hurt England the most was the fact that neither Bairstow nor Buttler were able to notch up a big score after chewing up deliveries in the powerplay. Bairstow eventually made his way back to the pavilion in the sixth over, scoring 13 runs off 17 balls.

Heading into their semi-final clash, Jos Buttler was England’s highest run-getter at this year’s event. The onus was on their vice-captain to deliver for his side with the bat against the Kiwis, who possess one of the best bowling attacks at this year’s tournament.

Buttler tried to improvise after the conclusion of the powerplay. But, he perished, attempting to reverse sweep New Zealand’s premium leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, for 29 off 24 balls after being trapped in front of his stumps.

Jos Buttler’s departure in the ninth over was a huge blow for England, depriving them of their in-form batsman’s power hitting prowess in the middle overs.

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#2 England’s failure to launch an onslaught in the death overs

Moeen Ali (L) and Dawid Malan consolidated the England innings in the middle overs

After the departure of England’s openers cheaply, Dawid Malan and Moeen Ali had no other option but to rebuild the England innings in the middle overs. Malan played his role to perfection, scoring 41 runs off 30 deliveries.

However, in trying to increase the tempo of the innings, the 34-year-old succumbed to a soft dismissal against Southee in the 16th over. Meanwhile, Ali (51*) accelerated towards the end and Liam Livingstone’s 17-run cameo helped England post 166 runs on the board. The Three Lions scored a respectable 56 runs off the last five overs.

However, England needed a much stronger finish and an onslaught at the end after they struggled to accelerate during the first 15 overs of their innings. Their tally of 166 was competitive, but certainly not a commanding one.

England's inability to launch an onslaught at the death despite the depth in their batting meant they fell about 10-15 runs short at the end. Credit must go to Kane Williamson’s bowlers who were disciplined and clinical for most of the innings, squeezing England’s power packed batting line-up.

Except for the 18th over of the innings, which cost the Kiwis 16 runs, England were not able to put a foot on the accelerator as heavily as they would have liked.

Had England scored around 180, the outcome of the contest could have been different. While New Zealand did well with the ball, England have only themselves to blame for failing to capitalize during the middle overs and their inability to push hard at the death.

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#1 Adil Rashid and Chris Jordan had an off day with the ball

Chris Jordan (l) failed to deliver for England with the ball when it mattered the most

Over the years, Adil Rashid and Chris Jordan have been England’s trump cards with the ball in white-ball cricket, especially in this format. But their skills and execution deserted them on one of the most important days of their respective cricketing careers.

Needing 57 runs off the last four overs, Neesham clobbered Jordan for two sixes and a boundary, helping the Kiwis collect 23 runs in the 17th over. That over from Jordan attests to how the outcome of a T20 contest can swing in one team’s favor within the space of six balls.

Bowling at the death, Jordan had to be spot on with his line and length. But he constantly erred with his lengths and that cost his side dearly. Harsh as it may sound, Jordan's poor over was the biggest turning point of an intriguing semifinal, swinging the pendulum heavily in New Zealand’s favor.

Meanwhile, Adil Rashid had an off-color day with the ball as well, leaking 39 runs off his four overs. Rashid eventually managed to dismiss dangerman Neesham with the last ball of his spell, but it was too little too late for England.

England had one foot in the final for a major part of New Zealand innings until Jordan and Rashid bowled 17th and 18th over respectively. Eventually, Neesham’s match-winning cameo of 27 runs off 11 deliveries was the X-factor England wished they had. The left-hander's knock propelled the Kiwis to their maiden ICC T20 World Cup final.

New Zealand now await the victor of the semifinal clash between Australia and Pakistan in the final. With this impressive performance, New Zealand have once again shown that they are a team for all formats and all conditions.

It will be intriguing to witness how the Kiwis fare in the final on Sunday (November 14) in Dubai.