CARDIFF, United Kingdom: Mark Wood took the key wicket of Kane Williamson as England booked their place in the semifinals of the Champions Trophy with an 87-run win over New Zealand at Cardiff on Tuesday.
New Zealand, set 311 for victory, finished on 223 all out with 39 balls left.
They were in the hunt while captain Williamson, fresh from a hundred in the Blackcaps’ opening rain-marred no result against Australia, was making 87.
But fast bowler Wood made the key breakthrough to dismiss the star batsman.
Then, as happened after Williamson’s departure against Australia, the Blackcaps slumped, this time losing their last seven wickets for 55 runs.
Wood’s fellow paceman Jake Ball was named man-of-the-match for a return of two for 31 in eight overs up front.
Victory saw England, who beat Bangladesh by eight wickets at the Oval in their Group A opener, into the last four of a tournament featuring the world’s top eight one-day international teams regardless of the result of their last pool fixture against arch-rivals Australia at Edgbaston on Saturday.
Two years ago, New Zealand thrashed England by eight wickets on home soil at the 2015 World Cup in Wellington.
But this decisive win was a measure of England’s progress in the 50-over format since that chastening defeat.
England were in danger of falling short of 300 after Joe Root (64), Alex Hales (56) and Ben Stokes (48) all got out when well set.
But Jos Buttler’s dashing unbeaten 61 off 48 balls, including a couple of extravagant sixes, helped take them to 310 all out.
‘Not satisfied’
“We tried to learn from our batting,” explained England captain Eoin Morgan at the presentation ceremony. — AFP
SCOREBOARD
England
J Roy b Milne13
A Hales b Milne56
J Root b Anderson64
E Morgan c Ronchi b Anderson13
B Stokes c Milne b Boult48
J Buttler (not out)61
M Ali c Boult b Anderson12
A Rashid lbw Santner12
L Plunkett c Southee b Milne15
M Wood c Taylor b Southee0
J Ball c Boult b Southee0
Extras (LB-5, W-11)16
Total (all out, 49.3 overs)310
Fall of wickets: 1-37, 2-118, 3-134, 4-188, 5-210, 6-230, 7-260, 8-309, 9-310.
Bowling: Southee 9.3-0-44-2, Boult 10-0-56-1, Milne 10-0-79-3, Anderson 9-0-55-3, Santner 8-0-54-1, Neesham 3-0-17-0.
New Zealand
M Guptill c Root b Stokes27
L Ronchi b Ball0
K Williamson c Buttler b Wood87
R Taylor c Root b Ball39
N Broom lbw Rashid11
J Neesham c Hales b Plunkett18
C Anderson c Hales b Plunkett10
M Santner st Buttler b Rashid3
A Milne c Rashid b Plunkett10
T Southee c Roy b Plunkett2
T Boult (not out)0
Extras (B-4, LB-8, W-4)16
Total (all out, 44.3 overs)223
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-63, 3-158, 4-168, 5-191, 6-194, 7-205, 8-211, 9-223.
Bowling: Ball 8-2-31-2, Wood 9-0-32-1, Plunkett 9.3-0-55-4, Stokes 8-0-46-1, Rashid 10-0-47-2.
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