England vs New Zealand: Key battles in World Cup final clash

World Cup final: Players to watch out for in England vs New Zealand clash

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has no problem that hosts <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/eoin-morgan-tells-england-to-replicate-australia-form-in-final-235606">England have been branded favourites</a> for Sunday's Cricket World Cup final but says anything is possible.

A new 50-overs world champion will emerge at Lord's after what many consider will be a battle between England's deep batting lineup and New Zealand's incisive bowling attack.

England ruthlessly destroyed five-times champions Australia to move to the cusp of their first-ever men's 50-overs World Cup title, while New Zealand's crafty bowlers defended a small total against two-times champions India in the other semi-final.

"I think England rightly so deserve to be favourites. Coming into this tournament from the start, they were favourites and they've been playing really good cricket," a relaxed-looking Williamson told a news conference when asked if his side were underdogs.

"Whatever dog we are, it's just important that we focus on the cricket that we want to play and we have seen over the years that anybody can beat anybody regardless of breed of dog," he said with a smile.

The canine reference appeared to amuse the Kiwi skipper who was also asked how it would feel to play party-pooper in a match which would be broadcast free-to-air on TV.

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The many faces of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KaneWilliamson?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KaneWilliamson</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BackTheBlackCaps?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BackTheBlackCaps</a> <a href="https://t.co/xJ471KfjQ0">pic.twitter.com/xJ471KfjQ0</a>
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"Party-poopers? You talking about dogs again, hey?" he said with a smile.

"Look, we are really looking forward to the occasion and the end point and the result...focussing too much on it, I don't think, is a positive thing."

England will expect another flying start from openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow, who have combined in four successive century partnerships.

Williamson acknowledged the threat they pose, but said nothing can be taken for granted.

"Those two have been fantastic throughout this whole competition and prior as well," said the Kiwi batting mainstay.

"There is a huge amount of respect for the match-winners that they have within their side, obviously the top of the order and throughout.

"But the focus for us is very much about the cricket that we want to play and the performance we want to put on the board and if we do that, we have seen throughout this competition that anybody can beat anybody."

Williamson was part of the Brendon McCullum-led squad who suffered a heavy defeat in the 2015 final against Australia.

The 28-year-old's level-headed leadership, along with his prolific form with the bat, have been instrumental in New Zealand's second straight run to the final.

"I try not to get too caught up in the results and hopefully not too emotional about just the outcome and maybe look at it with a bit more reason...and then try and move on from that as quickly as possible."

"There's always more to the picture than just the end point...

"We look forward to tomorrow, treating it with a huge amount of respect because it's not very often you get the opportunity to be out in a World Cup final, but very much focussed on what we need to try and achieve."

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has no problem that hosts England have been branded favourites for Sunday's Cricket World Cup final but says anything is possible.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has no problem that hosts England have been branded favourites for Sunday's Cricket World Cup final but says anything is possible. A new 50-overs world champion will emerge at Lord's after what many consider will be a battle between England's deep batting lineup and New Zealand's incisive bowling attack. England ruthlessly destroyed five-times champions Australia to move to the cusp of their first-ever men's 50-overs World Cup title, while New Zealand's crafty bowlers defended a small total against two-times champions India in the other semi-final. "I think England rightly so deserve to be favourites. Coming into this tournament from the start, they were favourites and they've been playing really good cricket," a relaxed-looking Williamson told a news conference when asked if his side were underdogs. "Whatever dog we are, it's just important that we focus on the cricket that we want to play and we have seen over the years that anybody can beat anybody regardless of breed of dog," he said with a smile. The canine reference appeared to amuse the Kiwi skipper who was also asked how it would feel to play party-pooper in a match which would be broadcast free-to-air on TV. The many faces of #KaneWilliamson#BackTheBlackCaps pic.twitter.com/xJ471KfjQ0 — Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) July 13, 2019 × "Party-poopers? You talking about dogs again, hey?" he said with a smile. "Look, we are really looking forward to the occasion and the end point and the result...focussing too much on it, I don't think, is a positive thing." England will expect another flying start from openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow, who have combined in four successive century partnerships. Williamson acknowledged the threat they pose, but said nothing can be taken for granted. "Those two have been fantastic throughout this whole competition and prior as well," said the Kiwi batting mainstay. "There is a huge amount of respect for the match-winners that they have within their side, obviously the top of the order and throughout. "But the focus for us is very much about the cricket that we want to play and the performance we want to put on the board and if we do that, we have seen throughout this competition that anybody can beat anybody." Williamson was part of the Brendon McCullum-led squad who suffered a heavy defeat in the 2015 final against Australia. The 28-year-old's level-headed leadership, along with his prolific form with the bat, have been instrumental in New Zealand's second straight run to the final. "I try not to get too caught up in the results and hopefully not too emotional about just the outcome and maybe look at it with a bit more reason...and then try and move on from that as quickly as possible." "There's always more to the picture than just the end point... "We look forward to tomorrow, treating it with a huge amount of respect because it's not very often you get the opportunity to be out in a World Cup final, but very much focussed on what we need to try and achieve."

World Cup final: England favourites but anything possible, warns Kane Williamson

New Zealand's thrilling semi-final victory over Cricket World Cup favourites India ranks as one of their best ever limited-overs performances, former skipper Daniel Vettori has said.

Kane Williamson's side sealed an <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/williamson-hails-brilliant-new-zealand-after-world-cup-stunner-234775">18-run victory</a> and advanced to Sunday's title clash at Lord's, where they face Australia or hosts England, with several media outlets calling the shock win the "Miracle in Manchester."

Vettori, who guided New Zealand to the 2011 semi-finals, heaped praise on pace bowlers Trent Boult and Matt Henry after they dismissed India's top three of KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and skipper <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/forty-five-minutes-of-bad-cricket-put-us-out-says-kohli-after-indias-shock-exit-234767">Virat Kohli</a> for one run each.

"To bowl as outstandingly as they did in a high-pressure game makes victory over India one of New Zealand's best ever one-day performances," Vettori wrote in his column for the International Cricket Council.

"Trent Boult and Matt Henry's opening spell was one of the best you'll see, and to dismiss three incredibly talented India batsman to have them five for three takes something special.''

"A semi-final adds so much pressure, so when you're able to deliver under that type of strain -&nbsp;it's something else... they bowled impeccably... and that pressure tells on the batsmen, so they really earned the wickets," Vettori said.

Boult and Henry shared five wickets while spinner Mitchell Santner claimed two in a tight display to snuff out India's hopes.

The victory sent 2015 runners-up <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/new-zealand-stun-india-by-18-runs-to-reach-world-cup-final-234755">New Zealand</a> to their second consecutive World Cup final and Vettori said they would be full of confidence.

"As a New Zealand fan you would be hopeful of them doing it again in the final," Vettori added.

"But whatever happens it's going to be a great occasion, and the Black Caps can go into that game with a lot of confidence behind them," added Vettori.

New Zealand's thrilling semi-final victory over Cricket World Cup favourites India ranks as one of their best ever limited-overs performances, former skipper Daniel Vettori has said.

New Zealand's thrilling semi-final victory over Cricket World Cup favourites India ranks as one of their best ever limited-overs performances, former skipper Daniel Vettori has said. Kane Williamson's side sealed an 18-run victory and advanced to Sunday's title clash at Lord's, where they face Australia or hosts England, with several media outlets calling the shock win the "Miracle in Manchester." Vettori, who guided New Zealand to the 2011 semi-finals, heaped praise on pace bowlers Trent Boult and Matt Henry after they dismissed India's top three of KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and skipper Virat Kohli for one run each. "To bowl as outstandingly as they did in a high-pressure game makes victory over India one of New Zealand's best ever one-day performances," Vettori wrote in his column for the International Cricket Council. "Trent Boult and Matt Henry's opening spell was one of the best you'll see, and to dismiss three incredibly talented India batsman to have them five for three takes something special.'' "A semi-final adds so much pressure, so when you're able to deliver under that type of strain - it's something else... they bowled impeccably... and that pressure tells on the batsmen, so they really earned the wickets," Vettori said. Boult and Henry shared five wickets while spinner Mitchell Santner claimed two in a tight display to snuff out India's hopes. The victory sent 2015 runners-up New Zealand to their second consecutive World Cup final and Vettori said they would be full of confidence. "As a New Zealand fan you would be hopeful of them doing it again in the final," Vettori added. "But whatever happens it's going to be a great occasion, and the Black Caps can go into that game with a lot of confidence behind them," added Vettori.

World Cup: Vettori hopes New Zealand can build on 'best ever' one-day display

Major takeaways from New Zealand's 18-run win over India in World Cup semi-final

The rain gods played spoilsport on Tuesday in the semi-final 1 between <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/indias-jasprit-bumrah-has-bowled-most-maiden-overs-in-world-cup-2019-234432">India </a>and New Zealand as the match was halted and the players were off the field at Old Trafford in Manchester in the 47th over of the New Zealand innings.

The rain continued throughout the day and the umpires decided to call off play on Tuesday and take the World Cup 2019 semi-final 1 onto the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-semi-final-new-zealand-2115-against-india-as-rain-stops-play-234446">reserve day</a> (Wednesday, July 10).

New Zealand thus will continue their innings at 211 for 5 in 46.1 overs if there is no further rain delay.

The weather forecast on Wednesday is not too bright either.&nbsp;

It is expected to be cloudy in the morning and the sun may come out when the semi-final resumes on the reserve day at 10:30 AM BST (3 PM IST).&nbsp;

Rain is expected to hit the pitch again at 12 PM BST (5:30 PM IST) and again by 5 PM (9 PM IST).

The chances of rain are very high and Team <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-virat-kohli-takes-stunning-catch-to-dismiss-new-zealands-martin-guptill-in-semi-final-234308">India </a>will hope to have a full game instead of a 20-over game to have better chances to win the match.

If there is a shortened game today and New Zealand do not resume their batting, according to the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method (DLS) the targets as per the overs in play would be:

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Overs</td>
			<td>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Target</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 46</td>
			<td>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 237</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 40</td>
			<td>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 223</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 35</td>
			<td>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 209</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 30</td>
			<td>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 192</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 25</td>
			<td>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 172</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 20</td>
			<td>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 148</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

For the semi-final match to be completed, India are required to bat for at least 20 overs.&nbsp;

If after the reserve day the match is also washed out and does not reach a result, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/live-updates-cricket-world-cup-2019-semi-final-1st-india-vs-new-zealand-234231">India </a>will progress to the final as they finished higher in the points table to New Zealand in the group stage.

The rain gods played spoilsport on Tuesday in the semi-final 1 between India and New Zealand as the match was halted and the players were off the field at Old Trafford in Manchester in the 47th over of the New Zealand innings.

The rain gods played spoilsport on Tuesday in the semi-final 1 between India and New Zealand as the match was halted and the players were off the field at Old Trafford in Manchester in the 47th over of the New Zealand innings. The rain continued throughout the day and the umpires decided to call off play on Tuesday and take the World Cup 2019 semi-final 1 onto the reserve day (Wednesday, July 10). New Zealand thus will continue their innings at 211 for 5 in 46.1 overs if there is no further rain delay. The weather forecast on Wednesday is not too bright either. It is expected to be cloudy in the morning and the sun may come out when the semi-final resumes on the reserve day at 10:30 AM BST (3 PM IST). Rain is expected to hit the pitch again at 12 PM BST (5:30 PM IST) and again by 5 PM (9 PM IST). The chances of rain are very high and Team India will hope to have a full game instead of a 20-over game to have better chances to win the match. If there is a shortened game today and New Zealand do not resume their batting, according to the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method (DLS) the targets as per the overs in play would be: Overs Target 46 237 40 223 35 209 30 192 25 172 20 148 For the semi-final match to be completed, India are required to bat for at least 20 overs. If after the reserve day the match is also washed out and does not reach a result, India will progress to the final as they finished higher in the points table to New Zealand in the group stage.

World Cup: Rain may play spoilsport again on reserve day at Manchester in India vs New Zealand semi-final 1

Kane Williamson praised New Zealand's "brilliant fighting effort" as his side reached their second successive World Cup final with a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/new-zealand-stun-india-by-18-runs-to-reach-world-cup-final-234755">dramatic 18-run win</a> over India on Wednesday.

In a semi-final that went into a second day because of rain, New Zealand ripped through India's top-order on Wednesday to reduce the two-time former champions to 24 for four.

Matt&nbsp;Henry and Trent Boult did the damage with the new ball as India's top three of Rohit Sharma, -- who came into match having hit a record five hundreds at a single World Cup -- captain Virat Kohli and KL Rahul all fell for a single apiece in pursuit of a seemingly modest target of 240.

Henry finished with superb figures of three for 37 from his maximum 10 overs and Boult two for 42.

Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/forty-five-minutes-of-bad-cricket-put-us-out-says-kohli-after-indias-shock-exit-234767">'Forty-five minutes of bad cricket put us out' says Kohli after India's shock exit</a>

"A brilliant fighting effort from our guys on another tough surface," &nbsp;Black Caps skipper Williamson said.

"We wanted 240, 250. Then to have the start with the ball we had was an outstanding way to kick things off and get us into a position of strength."

Williamson's 67 in awkward batting conditions on Tuesday, together with fellow senior batsman Ross Taylor's 74, had provided the cornerstone of New Zealand's 239 for eight.

India were in dire straits in their chase when all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja came in at 92 for six.

But he went on to make 77 and share a World Cup record seventh-wicket partnership of 116 with veteran wicketkeeper MS Dhoni, who made 50 in support.

Williamson eventually held the catch that ended Jadeja's counter-attack following a skyer off left-arm quick Boult.

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"We just had to ask a lot of questions against the best batting line-up." 
 
For his incredible 3/37, including the wickets of the Indian openers, Matt Henry was Player of the Match in the first <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CWC19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CWC19</a> semi-final.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvNZ?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvNZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/fsklgDBulB">pic.twitter.com/fsklgDBulB</a>
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) <a href="https://twitter.com/cricketworldcup/status/1148975671504453632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"The innings Jadeja played, it was like he was playing on a different wicket, really. He timed the ball beautifully well," Williamson said.

'Small margins'

Asked what he was thinking when he caught Jadeja, the smiling captain answered: "Someone goes 'catch it' and it's sort of... it's above me so it must be mine."

New Zealand came into this match on the back of three straight group-stage defeats by Pakistan, Australia and England.

They qualified fourth on net run-rate while India topped the 10-team group table, making them heavy underdogs against one of the pre-tournament favourites.

"We've seen that anybody can beat anybody," said Williamson, who will now look to lead New Zealand to their first World Cup title against either champions Australia -- the team that beat them in the 2015 final -- or hosts England at Lord's on Sunday.&nbsp;

When it was suggested that New Zealand had plunged billions of India fans into a state of mourning, the understated skipper, who has captained the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, replied: "I hope they're not too angry.

"Obviously, the passion for the game in India is unrivalled and we are all fortunate to play this sport and have a country like India be right behind it.

"But hopefully we can adopt 1.5 billion supporters and they'll be supporting us, what do you reckon?&nbsp;

"The game of cricket is fickle in its nature especially when it comes to the white ball and Twenty20 and one-day cricket.

"Today perhaps some of those small margins went our way and it was great that we could get across the line and beat a very strong side."

Match in numbers:

<img alt="Cricket World Cup. " data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="faee2cd4-2506-4a28-9851-c7d50d6fed56" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/semi-final%201_2.jpg" />

&nbsp;

Kane Williamson praised New Zealand's "brilliant fighting effort" as his side reached their second successive World Cup final with a dramatic 18-run win over India on Wednesday.

Kane Williamson praised New Zealand's "brilliant fighting effort" as his side reached their second successive World Cup final with a dramatic 18-run win over India on Wednesday. In a semi-final that went into a second day because of rain, New Zealand ripped through India's top-order on Wednesday to reduce the two-time former champions to 24 for four. Matt Henry and Trent Boult did the damage with the new ball as India's top three of Rohit Sharma, -- who came into match having hit a record five hundreds at a single World Cup -- captain Virat Kohli and KL Rahul all fell for a single apiece in pursuit of a seemingly modest target of 240. Henry finished with superb figures of three for 37 from his maximum 10 overs and Boult two for 42. Also Read: 'Forty-five minutes of bad cricket put us out' says Kohli after India's shock exit "A brilliant fighting effort from our guys on another tough surface," Black Caps skipper Williamson said. "We wanted 240, 250. Then to have the start with the ball we had was an outstanding way to kick things off and get us into a position of strength." Williamson's 67 in awkward batting conditions on Tuesday, together with fellow senior batsman Ross Taylor's 74, had provided the cornerstone of New Zealand's 239 for eight. India were in dire straits in their chase when all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja came in at 92 for six. But he went on to make 77 and share a World Cup record seventh-wicket partnership of 116 with veteran wicketkeeper MS Dhoni, who made 50 in support. Williamson eventually held the catch that ended Jadeja's counter-attack following a skyer off left-arm quick Boult. "We just had to ask a lot of questions against the best batting line-up." For his incredible 3/37, including the wickets of the Indian openers, Matt Henry was Player of the Match in the first #CWC19 semi-final.#INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/fsklgDBulB — Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) July 10, 2019 × "The innings Jadeja played, it was like he was playing on a different wicket, really. He timed the ball beautifully well," Williamson said. 'Small margins' Asked what he was thinking when he caught Jadeja, the smiling captain answered: "Someone goes 'catch it' and it's sort of... it's above me so it must be mine." New Zealand came into this match on the back of three straight group-stage defeats by Pakistan, Australia and England. They qualified fourth on net run-rate while India topped the 10-team group table, making them heavy underdogs against one of the pre-tournament favourites. "We've seen that anybody can beat anybody," said Williamson, who will now look to lead New Zealand to their first World Cup title against either champions Australia -- the team that beat them in the 2015 final -- or hosts England at Lord's on Sunday. When it was suggested that New Zealand had plunged billions of India fans into a state of mourning, the understated skipper, who has captained the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, replied: "I hope they're not too angry. "Obviously, the passion for the game in India is unrivalled and we are all fortunate to play this sport and have a country like India be right behind it. "But hopefully we can adopt 1.5 billion supporters and they'll be supporting us, what do you reckon? "The game of cricket is fickle in its nature especially when it comes to the white ball and Twenty20 and one-day cricket. "Today perhaps some of those small margins went our way and it was great that we could get across the line and beat a very strong side." Match in numbers:

Williamson hails 'brilliant' New Zealand after World Cup stunner

New Zealand survived Ravindra Jadeja's late onslaught to stun <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/live-updates-cricket-world-cup-2019-semi-final-1st-india-vs-new-zealand-234231">India by 18 runs</a> in a low-scoring thriller on Wednesday and reach the Cricket World Cup final for the second time in a row.

Twice champions India were reeling at 24-4 in their chase for a modest victory target of 240 in what had appeared to be a lop-sided semi-final.

Jadeja (77) then partnered Mahendra Singh Dhoni in a century-plus stand but India were bowled out for 221 in the final over and New Zealand will play hosts England or defending champions Australia in Sunday's final at Lord's.

Opting to bat first in the rain-hit contest played over two days, New Zealand's 239 for eight looked far from imposing against India's formidable batting lineup.

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After a game like that, all you can do is shake hands and say, 'Well played' 🤝<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvNZ?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvNZ</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CWC19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CWC19</a> <a href="https://t.co/sZMBMCTtWO">pic.twitter.com/sZMBMCTtWO</a>
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But Matt Henry (3-37) and Trent Boult (2-42) ripped the heart out of India's top order and spinner Mitchell Santner struck two crucial blows in the middle overs.

Henry dismissed Rohit Sharma, the World Cup's leading scorer, and Boult trapped Kohli lbw in the next over.

The India captain reviewed the decision but could not get it overturned.

The horror continued for India as KL Rahul became the third Indian top order batsman to depart for one, Henry's second caught-behind victim.

Jimmy Neesham took a magnificent left-handed catch to dismiss Dinesh Karthik as India slumped to 24-4 in 10 overs.

Rishabh Pant added 47 runs with Hardik Pandya to somewhat arrest the slide.

Pant made 32 before his wild heave off Santner found Colin de Grandhomme near the mid-wicket boundary.

Pandya, struggling with a hip injury, also made 32 before throwing away his wicket.

Jadeja injected fresh excitement into the match with his brave counter-attack that left his team needing 90 runs off the last 10 overs with four wickets in hand.

He and Dhoni (50) kept India afloat in the chase which was eventually derailed when both fell in successive overs.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson had won the toss on Tuesday and opted to bat at a venue where teams batting first had won all five previous matches in the tournament.

India's new ball pair of Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3-43) and Jasprit Bumrah bowled with impeccable discipline while Jadeja was also very economical with the ball.

Resuming on the reserve day at 211-5, New Zealand added 28 runs from the remaining 23 deliveries as Ross Taylor top-scored with a gutsy 74 to go with Williamson's 67.

Jadeja proved his value as a fielder with a pinpoint throw to run out Taylor and in the next delivery, took a well-judged catch near the ropes to dismiss Tom Latham.

Match in numbers:

<img alt="Cricket World Cup 2019" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c050a1a2-2a7c-41f1-8648-ca76e261ce8e" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/semi-final%201.jpg" />

&nbsp;

New Zealand survived Ravindra Jadeja's late onslaught to stun India by 18 runs in a low-scoring thriller on Wednesday and reach the Cricket World Cup final for the second time in a row.

New Zealand survived Ravindra Jadeja's late onslaught to stun India by 18 runs in a low-scoring thriller on Wednesday and reach the Cricket World Cup final for the second time in a row. Twice champions India were reeling at 24-4 in their chase for a modest victory target of 240 in what had appeared to be a lop-sided semi-final. Jadeja (77) then partnered Mahendra Singh Dhoni in a century-plus stand but India were bowled out for 221 in the final over and New Zealand will play hosts England or defending champions Australia in Sunday's final at Lord's. Opting to bat first in the rain-hit contest played over two days, New Zealand's 239 for eight looked far from imposing against India's formidable batting lineup. After a game like that, all you can do is shake hands and say, 'Well played' 🤝#INDvNZ | #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/sZMBMCTtWO — Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) July 10, 2019 × But Matt Henry (3-37) and Trent Boult (2-42) ripped the heart out of India's top order and spinner Mitchell Santner struck two crucial blows in the middle overs. Henry dismissed Rohit Sharma, the World Cup's leading scorer, and Boult trapped Kohli lbw in the next over. The India captain reviewed the decision but could not get it overturned. The horror continued for India as KL Rahul became the third Indian top order batsman to depart for one, Henry's second caught-behind victim. Jimmy Neesham took a magnificent left-handed catch to dismiss Dinesh Karthik as India slumped to 24-4 in 10 overs. Rishabh Pant added 47 runs with Hardik Pandya to somewhat arrest the slide. Pant made 32 before his wild heave off Santner found Colin de Grandhomme near the mid-wicket boundary. Pandya, struggling with a hip injury, also made 32 before throwing away his wicket. Jadeja injected fresh excitement into the match with his brave counter-attack that left his team needing 90 runs off the last 10 overs with four wickets in hand. He and Dhoni (50) kept India afloat in the chase which was eventually derailed when both fell in successive overs. New Zealand captain Kane Williamson had won the toss on Tuesday and opted to bat at a venue where teams batting first had won all five previous matches in the tournament. India's new ball pair of Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3-43) and Jasprit Bumrah bowled with impeccable discipline while Jadeja was also very economical with the ball. Resuming on the reserve day at 211-5, New Zealand added 28 runs from the remaining 23 deliveries as Ross Taylor top-scored with a gutsy 74 to go with Williamson's 67. Jadeja proved his value as a fielder with a pinpoint throw to run out Taylor and in the next delivery, took a well-judged catch near the ropes to dismiss Tom Latham. Match in numbers:

New Zealand stun India by 18 runs to reach World Cup final

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-rohit-sharma-is-the-best-odi-player-says-virat-kohli-234035">Virat Kohli</a>-led Indian cricket team face Kane Williamson's side in the first semi-final of Cricket World Cup 2019 on Tuesday.&nbsp;

Two-time champions India and 2015 runners-up New Zealand will leave no stone unturned when they will battle for a finale berth at Manchester's Old Trafford cricket stadium.&nbsp;

India topped the group stage with seven wins from nine matches, while New Zealand limped into the last four after three successive defeats.&nbsp;

It is ironic that India's only washout in the group came against New Zealand, who had beaten the two-time champions in a warm-up game in May.&nbsp;

The two teams have played a total of 106 ODIs against each other, of which India have won 55 while New Zealand won 45. One match was tied between the two.

In World Cup history, both the teams have played a total of eight matches. India won three and New Zealand four, one got abandoned.&nbsp;

Watch: Virat's pre-match press conference

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Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-know-what-will-happen-if-india-vs-new-zealand-match-gets-abandoned-234101">Know what will happen if India vs New Zealand match gets abandoned</a>

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Virat Kohli-led Indian cricket team face Kane Williamson's side in the first semi-final of Cricket World Cup 2019 on Tuesday. Two-time champions India and 2015 runners-up New Zealand will leave no stone unturned when they will battle for a finale berth at Manchester's Old Trafford cricket stadium.

Virat Kohli-led Indian cricket team face Kane Williamson's side in the first semi-final of Cricket World Cup 2019 on Tuesday. Two-time champions India and 2015 runners-up New Zealand will leave no stone unturned when they will battle for a finale berth at Manchester's Old Trafford cricket stadium. India topped the group stage with seven wins from nine matches, while New Zealand limped into the last four after three successive defeats. It is ironic that India's only washout in the group came against New Zealand, who had beaten the two-time champions in a warm-up game in May. The two teams have played a total of 106 ODIs against each other, of which India have won 55 while New Zealand won 45. One match was tied between the two. In World Cup history, both the teams have played a total of eight matches. India won three and New Zealand four, one got abandoned. Watch: Virat's pre-match press conference × Also Read: Know what will happen if India vs New Zealand match gets abandoned

Cricket World Cup, semi-final: India vs New Zealand head-to-head records

Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday sent good wishes to the Indian cricket team, ahead of their <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-coach-ravi-shastri-backs-team-india-ahead-of-clash-vs-new-zealand-234242">semi-final clash</a> against New Zealand in the ongoing ICC Mes Cricket World Cup.

"I have sent my good wishes to the Indian cricket team and I am hopeful they will perform well," Rijiju told ANI.

India have won the World Cup twice (1983 and 2011) whereas New Zealand are yet to lift the trophy.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/live-updates-cricket-world-cup-2019-semi-final-1st-india-vs-new-zealand-234231">The Men in Blue</a> finished the group stage at the top of the standings with 15 points, whereas New Zealand finished fourth with 11 from nine matches each.

India would enter the semi-finals with winning momentum behind their back as they won their last two matches.

On the other hand, the Kiwi side have lost their last two matches and they would look to change their fortunes around.India will take on New Zealand in the semi-final match later in the day.

Following are the squads:

India:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-decision-making-will-be-crucial-says-virat-kohli-ahead-of-semis-234029">Virat Kohli</a> (c), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, MS Dhoni (wk), KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami&nbsp;

New Zealand:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/india-expects-as-new-zealand-bid-for-world-cup-semi-final-upset-234174">Kane Williamson</a> (c), Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill, Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Colin Munro, James Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.

Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday sent good wishes to the Indian cricket team, ahead of their semi-final clash against New Zealand in the ongoing ICC Mes Cricket World Cup.

Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday sent good wishes to the Indian cricket team, ahead of their semi-final clash against New Zealand in the ongoing ICC Mes Cricket World Cup. "I have sent my good wishes to the Indian cricket team and I am hopeful they will perform well," Rijiju told ANI. India have won the World Cup twice (1983 and 2011) whereas New Zealand are yet to lift the trophy. The Men in Blue finished the group stage at the top of the standings with 15 points, whereas New Zealand finished fourth with 11 from nine matches each. India would enter the semi-finals with winning momentum behind their back as they won their last two matches. On the other hand, the Kiwi side have lost their last two matches and they would look to change their fortunes around.India will take on New Zealand in the semi-final match later in the day. Following are the squads: India: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, MS Dhoni (wk), KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill, Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Colin Munro, James Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju sends good wishes to team India ahead of semi-final vs New Zealand

As <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-rain-could-play-spoilsport-in-india-vs-new-zealand-semi-final-match-at-old-trafford-234099">rain-threat looms large over both the semi-finals</a> of the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, the apex cricketing body released information regarding reserve days for the knock-out stages of the tournament.

Reserve days will be in place for both semi-finals and final of the tournament.

The semi-finals of the tournament will be played between India-New Zealand and Australia-England.

A reserve day is required if the match officials decide that the ground and pitch conditions are not suitable for play to continue on the scheduled match day.

All the steps are taken to finish the match on the scheduled date even if it requires shortening the match up to 20-overs per side or extending the match up to 120 minutes.

If there is still no result on the scheduled match day, then the play goes on the reserve day, and the same time and hours of play are used as the scheduled match day.

If no overs are bowled on the scheduled match day, then a full-50 overs per side match takes place on the reserve day if the weather permits. If the match ends up in a tie, super over is used to determine the winner.

However, if no play takes place on the reserve day of the semi-final as well, then the higher placed team from the group stages progress to the finals of the tournament.

If there is no play possible on either the scheduled day of the final, or the reserve Day, the World Cup gets shared between the two finalist teams.

Reserve days for the semi-finals and final of the World Cup: 

Semi-final 1: India vs New Zealand -July 10

Semi-final 2: England vs Australia -July 12

Final: Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2 - July 15

Watch: Virat's pre-match press conference

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The semi-final between India and New Zealand is scheduled to take place on July 9 whereas semi-final between England and Australia will take place on July 11 and final is scheduled on July 14.&nbsp;

There were no reserve days for the group stages of the tournament and as a result, four matches got abandoned due to rain and the apex cricketing body was criticised for not having reserve days in place.&nbsp;

As rain-threat looms large over both the semi-finals of the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, the apex cricketing body released information regarding reserve days for the knock-out stages of the tournament.

As rain-threat looms large over both the semi-finals of the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, the apex cricketing body released information regarding reserve days for the knock-out stages of the tournament. Reserve days will be in place for both semi-finals and final of the tournament. The semi-finals of the tournament will be played between India-New Zealand and Australia-England. A reserve day is required if the match officials decide that the ground and pitch conditions are not suitable for play to continue on the scheduled match day. All the steps are taken to finish the match on the scheduled date even if it requires shortening the match up to 20-overs per side or extending the match up to 120 minutes. If there is still no result on the scheduled match day, then the play goes on the reserve day, and the same time and hours of play are used as the scheduled match day. If no overs are bowled on the scheduled match day, then a full-50 overs per side match takes place on the reserve day if the weather permits. If the match ends up in a tie, super over is used to determine the winner. However, if no play takes place on the reserve day of the semi-final as well, then the higher placed team from the group stages progress to the finals of the tournament. If there is no play possible on either the scheduled day of the final, or the reserve Day, the World Cup gets shared between the two finalist teams. Reserve days for the semi-finals and final of the World Cup: Semi-final 1: India vs New Zealand -July 10 Semi-final 2: England vs Australia -July 12 Final: Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2 - July 15 Watch: Virat's pre-match press conference × The semi-final between India and New Zealand is scheduled to take place on July 9 whereas semi-final between England and Australia will take place on July 11 and final is scheduled on July 14. There were no reserve days for the group stages of the tournament and as a result, four matches got abandoned due to rain and the apex cricketing body was criticised for not having reserve days in place.

World Cup: Know what will happen if India vs New Zealand match gets abandoned

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has posted an image of all four captains who led their teams to the semi-finals of Cricket World Cup 2018 with a caption, "The Fab Four #CWC19".&nbsp;

India, Australia, England and New Zealand have entered the semis and ICC posted the image of Virat Kohli, Aaron Finch, Eoin Morgan and Kane Williamson standing according to their team's respective position on the World Cup standings.&nbsp;

India atop the points table and will face fourth-positioned New Zealand in the semi-final, which is scheduled to take place on July 9.&nbsp;

While second-placed and defending champions Australia will face hosts England in a much-anticipated clash in Birmingham on July 11.&nbsp;

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The Fab Four 🙌 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CWC19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CWC19</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KaneWilliamson?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KaneWilliamson</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EoinMorgan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EoinMorgan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AaronFinch?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AaronFinch</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ViratKohli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ViratKohli</a> <a href="https://t.co/q1X0ARRGEC">pic.twitter.com/q1X0ARRGEC</a>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1148136604449611778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The final will be played at the Lord`s on July 14.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-know-what-will-happen-if-india-vs-new-zealand-match-gets-abandoned-234101">Know what will happen if India vs New Zealand match gets abandoned</a>

<img alt="Cricket World Cup" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2b48f5eb-268f-450e-ad17-b886201079aa" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/semi-final_2.jpg" />

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has posted an image of all four captains who led their teams to the semi-finals of Cricket World Cup 2018 with a caption, "The Fab Four #CWC19".

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has posted an image of all four captains who led their teams to the semi-finals of Cricket World Cup 2018 with a caption, "The Fab Four #CWC19". India, Australia, England and New Zealand have entered the semis and ICC posted the image of Virat Kohli, Aaron Finch, Eoin Morgan and Kane Williamson standing according to their team's respective position on the World Cup standings. India atop the points table and will face fourth-positioned New Zealand in the semi-final, which is scheduled to take place on July 9. While second-placed and defending champions Australia will face hosts England in a much-anticipated clash in Birmingham on July 11. The Fab Four 🙌 #CWC19 #KaneWilliamson #EoinMorgan #AaronFinch #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/q1X0ARRGEC — ICC (@ICC) July 8, 2019 × The final will be played at the Lord`s on July 14. Also Read: Know what will happen if India vs New Zealand match gets abandoned

Here's the 'Fab Four' Cricket World Cup 2019

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-morgan-hails-bairstow-roy-while-williamson-rues-lack-of-partnerships-232936">New Zealand qualified</a> for the World Cup semi-finals on Friday when Pakistan could no longer better their net run-rate in their final group game against Bangladesh.

Sarfaraz Ahmed's team needed to smash the world record for margin of victory in a one-day international but after winning the toss at Lord's they failed to muster enough runs to give them a chance.

Their total of 315 for nine meant that Bangladesh needed only eight runs to end Pakistan's hopes of progress at the tournament and they reached that in the second over.

New Zealand join Australia, India and England in next week's semi-finals.

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New Zealand have QUALIFIED for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CWC19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CWC19</a> semi-finals! <a href="https://t.co/KCi4ISclqQ">pic.twitter.com/KCi4ISclqQ</a>
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) <a href="https://twitter.com/cricketworldcup/status/1147143101829582848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Pakistan, backed by thousands of passionate flag-waving fans, started curiously slowly in the London sunshine, crawling to 38-1 after 10 overs.

Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam eventually stepped on the gas, reaching their 150 partnership for the second wicket off 146 balls.

But Babar was out shortly afterwards for an impressive 96 off 98 deliveries.

Babar had batted beautifully, hitting 11 fours as he and Imam laid the foundation for a late-innings flourish.

But in another huge blow for Pakistan, Imam was next to go when he trod on his stumps after scoring exactly 100, to leave them 246-3 in the 42nd over, with Mohammad Hafeez departing in the next over.

A late flourish from Imad Wasim, who scored 43 runs from 26 balls, boosted the score but Pakistan lacked the muscle to take the game away from Bangladesh.&nbsp;

"It feels great when you do something good for the team but we have to win the match, that's the main thing," Imam said.

Imam admitted Pakistan took a realistic approach to the match, and were not aiming for 400.

"We have to be realistic and assess the conditions," he said. "They are a good side and they were bowling tight lines -- it was our plan to look for 300 or 320."

Mustafizur Rahman took five wickets for Bangladesh, including a superb caught and bowled to dismiss Shadab Khan.

Bangladesh lost Soumya Sarkar for 22 early in their reply and Tamim Iqbal was the next to go, leaving them 48-2 in the 11th over.

Pakistan were shot out for a paltry 105 in their first match, with the West Indies winning in just 13.4 overs, meaning they took a huge hit on run rate.

They won just one of their first five matches, coming back strongly to beat South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan to sit fifth in the 10-team table, but in the end left themselves too much to do.

New Zealand qualified for the World Cup semi-finals on Friday when Pakistan could no longer better their net run-rate in their final group game against Bangladesh.

New Zealand qualified for the World Cup semi-finals on Friday when Pakistan could no longer better their net run-rate in their final group game against Bangladesh. Sarfaraz Ahmed's team needed to smash the world record for margin of victory in a one-day international but after winning the toss at Lord's they failed to muster enough runs to give them a chance. Their total of 315 for nine meant that Bangladesh needed only eight runs to end Pakistan's hopes of progress at the tournament and they reached that in the second over. New Zealand join Australia, India and England in next week's semi-finals. New Zealand have QUALIFIED for #CWC19 semi-finals! pic.twitter.com/KCi4ISclqQ — Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) July 5, 2019 × Pakistan, backed by thousands of passionate flag-waving fans, started curiously slowly in the London sunshine, crawling to 38-1 after 10 overs. Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam eventually stepped on the gas, reaching their 150 partnership for the second wicket off 146 balls. But Babar was out shortly afterwards for an impressive 96 off 98 deliveries. Babar had batted beautifully, hitting 11 fours as he and Imam laid the foundation for a late-innings flourish. But in another huge blow for Pakistan, Imam was next to go when he trod on his stumps after scoring exactly 100, to leave them 246-3 in the 42nd over, with Mohammad Hafeez departing in the next over. A late flourish from Imad Wasim, who scored 43 runs from 26 balls, boosted the score but Pakistan lacked the muscle to take the game away from Bangladesh. "It feels great when you do something good for the team but we have to win the match, that's the main thing," Imam said. Imam admitted Pakistan took a realistic approach to the match, and were not aiming for 400. "We have to be realistic and assess the conditions," he said. "They are a good side and they were bowling tight lines -- it was our plan to look for 300 or 320." Mustafizur Rahman took five wickets for Bangladesh, including a superb caught and bowled to dismiss Shadab Khan. Bangladesh lost Soumya Sarkar for 22 early in their reply and Tamim Iqbal was the next to go, leaving them 48-2 in the 11th over. Pakistan were shot out for a paltry 105 in their first match, with the West Indies winning in just 13.4 overs, meaning they took a huge hit on run rate. They won just one of their first five matches, coming back strongly to beat South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan to sit fifth in the 10-team table, but in the end left themselves too much to do.

New Zealand qualify for World Cup semis as Pakistan fail in 'miracle bid'

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson lamented the lack of significant partnerships on a difficult track after their <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/live-updates-cricket-world-cup-2019-match-41-england-vs-new-zealand-232709">crushing defeat by England</a> in their final group match of the Cricket World Cup on Wednesday.

Chasing 306 for a victory that would have assured them a place in the semi-finals, New Zealand lost both their openers cheaply and the wheels came off their innings when Williamson and Ross Taylor both were run out in successive overs.

Tom Latham made a fighting 57 but New Zealand were still shot out for 186 in 45 overs.

"Going into that second half, we just needed a couple of big partnerships, certainly from the top order and it wasn't there," said Williamson, who felt the track got tough to bat on midway through the England innings.''

"By no means was it an easy surface to try and gain momentum but at the same time it was important as a batting unit we were able to try and take the game to a position where you might give yourself a chance to win it, but we weren't able to do that," said Williamson.

Electing to bat, England got a flying start from <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-really-pleased-with-my-performance-says-jonny-bairstow-after-smashing-century-232822">Jonny Bairstow</a> and Jason Roy to be 194-1 in 30 overs before the New Zealand bowlers halted their progress to restrict the hosts to 305-8.

England captain Eoin Morgan said his team had played some of their best cricket in their last two group games to make the semi-finals of the World Cup after 27 years.

Back-to-back defeats by Sri Lanka and Australia had jeopardised England's semi-final prospects but Morgan's men bounced back in style, ending India's unbeaten run in Birmingham and then crushing New Zealand to storm into the last four.

A common factor in both the victories was the flying start England got from openers Jonny Bairstow, who smashed his second successive century on Wednesday, and Jason Roy who made a roaring return from a hamstring injury in the match against India.

"We bat all the way down but those two are pushing the ceiling as to what guys can normally do," Morgan said.

More than the runs they raise, Morgan was pleased with how the openers complemented each other.

"Jonny got off to a flyer, Jason was quite slow to start and then caught up and Jonny slowed down.

"It was really brilliant to watch because normally you have two guys competing with each other the whole time trying to get ahead, trying to get the strike, trying to be more dominant, whereas as a partnership they are extremely dominant."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/england-beat-new-zealand-by-119-runs-to-reach-world-cup-semis-232875">England </a>will play either Australia or India in their semi-final match at Edgbaston, where England have not lost in 10 matches across formats.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson lamented the lack of significant partnerships on a difficult track after their crushing defeat by England in their final group match of the Cricket World Cup on Wednesday.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson lamented the lack of significant partnerships on a difficult track after their crushing defeat by England in their final group match of the Cricket World Cup on Wednesday. Chasing 306 for a victory that would have assured them a place in the semi-finals, New Zealand lost both their openers cheaply and the wheels came off their innings when Williamson and Ross Taylor both were run out in successive overs. Tom Latham made a fighting 57 but New Zealand were still shot out for 186 in 45 overs. "Going into that second half, we just needed a couple of big partnerships, certainly from the top order and it wasn't there," said Williamson, who felt the track got tough to bat on midway through the England innings.'' "By no means was it an easy surface to try and gain momentum but at the same time it was important as a batting unit we were able to try and take the game to a position where you might give yourself a chance to win it, but we weren't able to do that," said Williamson. Electing to bat, England got a flying start from Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy to be 194-1 in 30 overs before the New Zealand bowlers halted their progress to restrict the hosts to 305-8. England captain Eoin Morgan said his team had played some of their best cricket in their last two group games to make the semi-finals of the World Cup after 27 years. Back-to-back defeats by Sri Lanka and Australia had jeopardised England's semi-final prospects but Morgan's men bounced back in style, ending India's unbeaten run in Birmingham and then crushing New Zealand to storm into the last four. A common factor in both the victories was the flying start England got from openers Jonny Bairstow, who smashed his second successive century on Wednesday, and Jason Roy who made a roaring return from a hamstring injury in the match against India. "We bat all the way down but those two are pushing the ceiling as to what guys can normally do," Morgan said. More than the runs they raise, Morgan was pleased with how the openers complemented each other. "Jonny got off to a flyer, Jason was quite slow to start and then caught up and Jonny slowed down. "It was really brilliant to watch because normally you have two guys competing with each other the whole time trying to get ahead, trying to get the strike, trying to be more dominant, whereas as a partnership they are extremely dominant." England will play either Australia or India in their semi-final match at Edgbaston, where England have not lost in 10 matches across formats.

World Cup: Morgan hails Bairstow, Roy while Williamson rues lack of partnerships

After registering a comprehensive 119-run victory over New Zealand, England's pacer Mark Wood said that he got really lucky to dismiss Kiwi skipper <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-morgan-hails-bairstow-roy-while-williamson-rues-lack-of-partnerships-232936">Kane Williamson</a>.

Williamson was playing steadily during the chase of 307 runs against England.

Ross Taylor punched a delivery from Wood down the ground, but Wood stuck his hand out and he got the slightest of deflection onto the stumps at the non-striker's end.

Williamson who was backing up in trying to steal a run, was found short of his ground and was eventually sent back to the pavilion.

"I got lucky. He backed-up because he was looking for the run. It was nothing to do with my bowling. And it's not as if I deliberately palmed it back on the stumps. I was trying to actually stop it and got a little bit fortunate. I am pleased that in such a big game I managed to be so lucky," Wood said.

"He doesn't know how unlucky he is because I've got the smallest hands for a bloke you've ever seen. I managed to just get a fingertip to it. The umpire wasn't sure if I'd tipped it, and I was like 'I swear to God I did.'&nbsp;I knew it had flicked the end of my finger," he added.

During the match between <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/england-beat-new-zealand-by-119-runs-to-reach-world-cup-semis-232875">England </a>and New Zealand, the former won the toss and opted to bat first.

England posted a score of 306 runs on the board. Openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow once again provided a solid opening partnership to the team.

Roy was dismissed for 60 but Bairstow went on to score a century. This was Bairstow's second consecutive century as he earlier scored a century against India on Sunday as well.

New Zealand were not able to chase the target as they fell 119-run short. No Kiwi batsmen were able to stay at the crease for a long time and England kept chipping away at the wickets.

As a result of this, England qualified for the semi-finals.

England have qualified for the semi-finals for the first time in the World Cup since 1992.

Wood heaped praise on Williamson, saying that the Kiwi is one of the best batsmen he has bowled at. The pacer said that the team has momentum in its corner, which will be beneficial for the side in the semi-final.

"He is one of the best players I've ever bowled at. So to get him out any way you can is pretty important. It saved me bowling at him any more so I was pretty pleased," Wood said.

"We've got some great momentum. We've had our backs up against the wall so to play with the values we have talked about in the past has shown a lot of courage from the team. Now we are going on to another huge game, but one we'll be pretty confident in," he added.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-really-pleased-with-my-performance-says-jonny-bairstow-after-smashing-century-232822">England </a>now waits for other results to find out who they will face in the semi-final.

After registering a comprehensive 119-run victory over New Zealand, England's pacer Mark Wood said that he got really lucky to dismiss Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson.

After registering a comprehensive 119-run victory over New Zealand, England's pacer Mark Wood said that he got really lucky to dismiss Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson. Williamson was playing steadily during the chase of 307 runs against England. Ross Taylor punched a delivery from Wood down the ground, but Wood stuck his hand out and he got the slightest of deflection onto the stumps at the non-striker's end. Williamson who was backing up in trying to steal a run, was found short of his ground and was eventually sent back to the pavilion. "I got lucky. He backed-up because he was looking for the run. It was nothing to do with my bowling. And it's not as if I deliberately palmed it back on the stumps. I was trying to actually stop it and got a little bit fortunate. I am pleased that in such a big game I managed to be so lucky," Wood said. "He doesn't know how unlucky he is because I've got the smallest hands for a bloke you've ever seen. I managed to just get a fingertip to it. The umpire wasn't sure if I'd tipped it, and I was like 'I swear to God I did.' I knew it had flicked the end of my finger," he added. During the match between England and New Zealand, the former won the toss and opted to bat first. England posted a score of 306 runs on the board. Openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow once again provided a solid opening partnership to the team. Roy was dismissed for 60 but Bairstow went on to score a century. This was Bairstow's second consecutive century as he earlier scored a century against India on Sunday as well. New Zealand were not able to chase the target as they fell 119-run short. No Kiwi batsmen were able to stay at the crease for a long time and England kept chipping away at the wickets. As a result of this, England qualified for the semi-finals. England have qualified for the semi-finals for the first time in the World Cup since 1992. Wood heaped praise on Williamson, saying that the Kiwi is one of the best batsmen he has bowled at. The pacer said that the team has momentum in its corner, which will be beneficial for the side in the semi-final. "He is one of the best players I've ever bowled at. So to get him out any way you can is pretty important. It saved me bowling at him any more so I was pretty pleased," Wood said. "We've got some great momentum. We've had our backs up against the wall so to play with the values we have talked about in the past has shown a lot of courage from the team. Now we are going on to another huge game, but one we'll be pretty confident in," he added. England now waits for other results to find out who they will face in the semi-final.

World Cup: I got lucky, says England's Mark Wood on dismissing Kane Williamson

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson is a "world-class" leader and pundits should not brand him as timid or cautious after the Kiwis lost their last two matches at the Cricket World Cup, batsman Ross Taylor said on Tuesday.

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/new-zealands-trent-boult-takes-world-cup-hat-trick-against-australia-231583&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwik5ZzOkZjjAhVMLo8KHbaeC2kQFjAGegQIBhAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2bi3h_rwdFfwzpCSvM9Bvz">New Zealand</a> were firm favourites to become the first team to seal a semi-final spot after winning five matches in a row but consecutive losses to Pakistan and Australia have left Williamson's side in third place with one game to go.

British media have picked on Williamson's sedate captaincy style which they said was in stark contrast to former captain Brendon McCullum's gung-ho approach but Taylor said he was not concerned by the reaction from pundits.

"I think Kane is a fantastic world-class batsman and a world-class captain," he told reporters ahead of Wednesday's match against England. "You don't have to look far, the last couple of matches.''

"There are some pundits out there saying he was a great captain. We lose a couple of games and he is a bad captain. He is still a great captain, leads from the front and the team respect him and I love playing under him.''

"I played under many different captains, Brendon was the extreme and <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-world-cup-2015-firmly-behind-kane-williamsons-new-zealand-as-they-reunite-with-sri-lanka-223318&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwik5ZzOkZjjAhVMLo8KHbaeC2kQFjADegQIDxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw3e4Gib8bbdanDAS87pBEc3">Kane </a>has his own unique style... Brendon would want to set very attacking fields throughout the whole match and Kane would pick his moments when he wants to attack," said Taylor.

Taylor said he expected a high-scoring match at The Riverside Ground after Sri Lanka beat West Indies by 23 runs at the same venue on Monday, with both teams scoring 300-plus runs.

"I think it will be a good wicket," Taylor added. "I think we saw yesterday (in the) Sri Lanka-West Indies (game), 300 played 300. So I think we've got to expect... scores of 300-plus.

"But in saying that, both teams have got very good bowling lineups that can exploit conditions if suited and vice versa some very powerful batting lineups as well."

A win against <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-england-end-indias-unbeaten-run-to-revive-semis-hopes-231858&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjl5LT4kZjjAhVZinAKHcg8CswQFjABegQIAhAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw0P3LpmRK4ucDwqMrAk4xc2">England </a>will seal a semi-final spot for the Kiwis but - placed three points behind Australia - they cannot top the standings.

However, Taylor said a top-four finish was their primary target and not their seeding for the semi-final fixtures.

"We said at the start of the tournament, it doesn't matter if you go on as the first seed or the fourth seed as long as you make the semi-finals," the 35-year-old said.

"Once you make the semi-finals, you know you are only two games away," Taylor said.

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson is a "world-class" leader and pundits should not brand him as timid or cautious after the Kiwis lost their last two matches at the Cricket World Cup, batsman Ross Taylor said on Tuesday.

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson is a "world-class" leader and pundits should not brand him as timid or cautious after the Kiwis lost their last two matches at the Cricket World Cup, batsman Ross Taylor said on Tuesday. New Zealand were firm favourites to become the first team to seal a semi-final spot after winning five matches in a row but consecutive losses to Pakistan and Australia have left Williamson's side in third place with one game to go. British media have picked on Williamson's sedate captaincy style which they said was in stark contrast to former captain Brendon McCullum's gung-ho approach but Taylor said he was not concerned by the reaction from pundits. "I think Kane is a fantastic world-class batsman and a world-class captain," he told reporters ahead of Wednesday's match against England. "You don't have to look far, the last couple of matches.'' "There are some pundits out there saying he was a great captain. We lose a couple of games and he is a bad captain. He is still a great captain, leads from the front and the team respect him and I love playing under him.'' "I played under many different captains, Brendon was the extreme and Kane has his own unique style... Brendon would want to set very attacking fields throughout the whole match and Kane would pick his moments when he wants to attack," said Taylor. Taylor said he expected a high-scoring match at The Riverside Ground after Sri Lanka beat West Indies by 23 runs at the same venue on Monday, with both teams scoring 300-plus runs. "I think it will be a good wicket," Taylor added. "I think we saw yesterday (in the) Sri Lanka-West Indies (game), 300 played 300. So I think we've got to expect... scores of 300-plus. "But in saying that, both teams have got very good bowling lineups that can exploit conditions if suited and vice versa some very powerful batting lineups as well." A win against England will seal a semi-final spot for the Kiwis but - placed three points behind Australia - they cannot top the standings. However, Taylor said a top-four finish was their primary target and not their seeding for the semi-final fixtures. "We said at the start of the tournament, it doesn't matter if you go on as the first seed or the fourth seed as long as you make the semi-finals," the 35-year-old said. "Once you make the semi-finals, you know you are only two games away," Taylor said.

Ross Taylor slams skipper Kane Williamson's critics ahead of New Zealand vs England clash

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has spent plenty of time with Australian batsman <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-i-thrive-on-crowd-booing-i-love-it-says-australias-david-warner-230818&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwi_rMvZ_Y3jAhUIP48KHfrbBkY4ChAWMAF6BAgOEAI&amp;usg=AOvVaw0I5NFSkHL0D3RgDTN3mf7y">David Warner</a> over the years and needed no reminding on Friday of the danger faced in Saturday's World Cup clash at Lord's.

The pair have played together in Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.

"Day-in, day-out, he's one of the top players for a reason," Williamson told reporters.

"He's been instrumental on the Australian side, he's adapted his game and been able to help put his side in a position of strength,'' said Williamson.

"We know he's a very good player. We want to still worry about us and what we want to achieve with the ball in hand, with the bat, and always importantly for us, it's how we operate with our attitude in the field as well," he added.

Australia have already secured their spot in the last four while neighbours New Zealand, unbeaten in their first six games of the tournament, are third in the standings but have yet to play hosts England.

A win over Australia would see the Black Caps through and represent a strong recovery from their six-wicket loss to Pakistan at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

Warner currently heads the runs table with 500, ahead of Australia captain Aaron Finch on 496. Williamson ranks fifth on 414.

"It will be a really good atmosphere," promised Williamson, who said <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-pakistans-shaheen-afridi-tears-through-new-zealand-top-order-230632&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjR_azs_Y3jAhVLrY8KHfwlCtAQFjABegQIDBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2Wlh3LfXmSCzB-0Jm8WmbI">New Zealand</a> would assess the conditions carefully before confirming the side.

"Sometimes I think we've seen in the last few games that looking to blast teams out, perhaps with the use of seam movement and these sorts of things, it hasn't quite been there, and it's been about playing the long game a little bit," he said.

"They have been playing really good cricket... but when you come to a World Cup, or any tournament, anybody can beat anybody and we've seen that on different occasions already in this tournament," Williamson said.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has spent plenty of time with Australian batsman David Warner over the years and needed no reminding on Friday of the danger faced in Saturday's World Cup clash at Lord's.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has spent plenty of time with Australian batsman David Warner over the years and needed no reminding on Friday of the danger faced in Saturday's World Cup clash at Lord's. The pair have played together in Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League. "Day-in, day-out, he's one of the top players for a reason," Williamson told reporters. "He's been instrumental on the Australian side, he's adapted his game and been able to help put his side in a position of strength,'' said Williamson. "We know he's a very good player. We want to still worry about us and what we want to achieve with the ball in hand, with the bat, and always importantly for us, it's how we operate with our attitude in the field as well," he added. Australia have already secured their spot in the last four while neighbours New Zealand, unbeaten in their first six games of the tournament, are third in the standings but have yet to play hosts England. A win over Australia would see the Black Caps through and represent a strong recovery from their six-wicket loss to Pakistan at Edgbaston on Wednesday. Warner currently heads the runs table with 500, ahead of Australia captain Aaron Finch on 496. Williamson ranks fifth on 414. "It will be a really good atmosphere," promised Williamson, who said New Zealand would assess the conditions carefully before confirming the side. "Sometimes I think we've seen in the last few games that looking to blast teams out, perhaps with the use of seam movement and these sorts of things, it hasn't quite been there, and it's been about playing the long game a little bit," he said. "They have been playing really good cricket... but when you come to a World Cup, or any tournament, anybody can beat anybody and we've seen that on different occasions already in this tournament," Williamson said.

World Cup: Australia take on New Zealand in Trans-Tasman clash

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner admitted that his team could not read the pitch properly and missed the services of a second spinner against Pakistan in Wednesday's World Cup match.

Santner said the Kiwis thought the wicket would suit pace bowlers at Edgbaston.

"Obviously, there was a bit of turn out there, probably more than we thought there would be. Obviously at the toss, only going with one spinner, we thought it might be a bit better than that," Santner said.

In the absence of legspinner Ish Sodhi, New Zealand went with the part-time off-spin of skipper Kane Willaimson, who returned with figures of 1-39.

The Kiwis were visibly helpless and frustrated as they could not break the 126-run stand between Haris Sohail and<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-babar-azam-says-belief-is-key-for-pakistan-230779"> Babar Azam</a> until the penultimate over when it was too late as Pakistan needed just two runs off 10 balls.

Santner, however, credited <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/pakistan-on-identical-1992-world-cup-path-after-beating-new-zealand-230750">Pakistan's </a>batting in the middle overs.

He also lauded the match-winning partnership between Haris and Babar.

"It's the spinner's role to take wickets on a surface like that but I think credit has to go to the way Pakistan batted throughout the middle. That partnership through the middle there was pretty special. There were a couple of chances there but it's about trying to build up pressure from both ends and stuff like that, but the way they were able to manipulate the field, and get their ones, when you're only chasing 230, is the way to go about it," Santner said.

On the third ball of the 49th over, Haris fell short of his ground as Martin Guptill ran him out.

However, on the first ball of the last over, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-pakistan-keep-semi-final-hopes-alive-after-defeating-new-zealand-by-six-wickets-230695">Pakistan </a>skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed hit the winning boundary in a match that was must-win for the Men in Green.

"I think we fought pretty well to the end and I guess they only got it in the last over. It was obviously a tough surface and we just had to stick at it. If we could put a couple on it, a couple of wickets on throughout that chase it might have been a little bit different," he said.

Had New Zealand won the match they would have booked their spot in the semi-finals.

The Kiwis would aim to beat Australia on June 29 at Lord's to enter the knock-out stage.

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner admitted that his team could not read the pitch properly and missed the services of a second spinner against Pakistan in Wednesday's World Cup match.

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner admitted that his team could not read the pitch properly and missed the services of a second spinner against Pakistan in Wednesday's World Cup match. Santner said the Kiwis thought the wicket would suit pace bowlers at Edgbaston. "Obviously, there was a bit of turn out there, probably more than we thought there would be. Obviously at the toss, only going with one spinner, we thought it might be a bit better than that," Santner said. In the absence of legspinner Ish Sodhi, New Zealand went with the part-time off-spin of skipper Kane Willaimson, who returned with figures of 1-39. The Kiwis were visibly helpless and frustrated as they could not break the 126-run stand between Haris Sohail and Babar Azam until the penultimate over when it was too late as Pakistan needed just two runs off 10 balls. Santner, however, credited Pakistan's batting in the middle overs. He also lauded the match-winning partnership between Haris and Babar. "It's the spinner's role to take wickets on a surface like that but I think credit has to go to the way Pakistan batted throughout the middle. That partnership through the middle there was pretty special. There were a couple of chances there but it's about trying to build up pressure from both ends and stuff like that, but the way they were able to manipulate the field, and get their ones, when you're only chasing 230, is the way to go about it," Santner said. On the third ball of the 49th over, Haris fell short of his ground as Martin Guptill ran him out. However, on the first ball of the last over, Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed hit the winning boundary in a match that was must-win for the Men in Green. "I think we fought pretty well to the end and I guess they only got it in the last over. It was obviously a tough surface and we just had to stick at it. If we could put a couple on it, a couple of wickets on throughout that chase it might have been a little bit different," he said. Had New Zealand won the match they would have booked their spot in the semi-finals. The Kiwis would aim to beat Australia on June 29 at Lord's to enter the knock-out stage.

World Cup: Needed a second spinner, says Mitchell Santner after loss to Pakistan

Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood questioned New Zealand's ability to win the biggest matches ahead of World Cup clash in Birmingham, while Mitchell Santner said New Zealand could not afford to take "dangerous" Pakistan lightly.

Pakistan have a good record in matches between the two sides, winning six of their eight World Cup encounters, including semi-final victories in 1992 and in the 1999 edition, also in England. 
 
Kane Williamson's side are undefeated at the tournament in England and Wales, with five wins in six games, plus one no result.

In contrast, <a href="http://13.232.42.114/sports/world-cup-wanted-to-commit-suicide-mickey-arthur-after-pakistans-defeat-against-india-230449">Pakistan </a>must win the match at Edgbaston if they are to maintain a realistic chance of reaching the semi-finals after a poor start to the tournament.

Mahmood, a former all-rounder who played in three World Cups for Pakistan, said New Zealand had a good record early in tournaments but often wilted under pressure at the business end.

"New Zealand's history is such that they get there winning, winning and then when a crunch situation comes up, in the semi-final, or quarter-final, they don't do that well," Mahmood said on Tuesday.

"It can happen to any team. Everyone has to have a bad day. Hopefully New Zealand have it tomorrow," Mahmood said.

Mahmood praised in-form paceman Mohammad Amir, who has taken 15 wickets in five matches.

"His skills and ability have always been exceptional," added&nbsp;Mahmood.&nbsp; 
 
Mitchell Santner said <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-new-zealands-fiery-ferguson-eager-to-unsettle-west-indies-big-hitters-229435&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiMtou-uobjAhUJKo8KHenPBhEQFjAFegQIAxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw0H0Z-4JijpDn086p-g7lpu">New Zealand</a> could not afford to take "dangerous" Pakistan lightly as they attempt to seal their place in the World Cup semi-finals in Birmingham.

Unbeaten New Zealand have 11 points from five victories and a rained-off game while Pakistan must win to keep alive their chances of qualifying for the last four.

Santner praised Pakistan's varied bowling attack.

"Their bowling attack, on the whole, is very good. They've got some very good seam bowlers as well as spin bowlers. We're aware of their strengths, and I think Wahab (Riaz) back into their team is very good for them.(Mohammad) Amir is bowling very well as well," said Santner.

"When they're hot, they're really hot. We have to, obviously, find ways of trying to cool them down when they're like that," Santner added.&nbsp;

Santner said Pakistan, who have lost three matches at the World Cup so far, had the ability to raise their game despite their troubles.

"They took down England and took down South Africa the other day," he said.

Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood questioned New Zealand's ability to win the biggest matches ahead of World Cup clash in Birmingham, while Mitchell Santner said New Zealand could not afford to take "dangerous" Pakistan lightly.

Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood questioned New Zealand's ability to win the biggest matches ahead of World Cup clash in Birmingham, while Mitchell Santner said New Zealand could not afford to take "dangerous" Pakistan lightly. Pakistan have a good record in matches between the two sides, winning six of their eight World Cup encounters, including semi-final victories in 1992 and in the 1999 edition, also in England. Kane Williamson's side are undefeated at the tournament in England and Wales, with five wins in six games, plus one no result. In contrast, Pakistan must win the match at Edgbaston if they are to maintain a realistic chance of reaching the semi-finals after a poor start to the tournament. Mahmood, a former all-rounder who played in three World Cups for Pakistan, said New Zealand had a good record early in tournaments but often wilted under pressure at the business end. "New Zealand's history is such that they get there winning, winning and then when a crunch situation comes up, in the semi-final, or quarter-final, they don't do that well," Mahmood said on Tuesday. "It can happen to any team. Everyone has to have a bad day. Hopefully New Zealand have it tomorrow," Mahmood said. Mahmood praised in-form paceman Mohammad Amir, who has taken 15 wickets in five matches. "His skills and ability have always been exceptional," added Mahmood. Mitchell Santner said New Zealand could not afford to take "dangerous" Pakistan lightly as they attempt to seal their place in the World Cup semi-finals in Birmingham. Unbeaten New Zealand have 11 points from five victories and a rained-off game while Pakistan must win to keep alive their chances of qualifying for the last four. Santner praised Pakistan's varied bowling attack. "Their bowling attack, on the whole, is very good. They've got some very good seam bowlers as well as spin bowlers. We're aware of their strengths, and I think Wahab (Riaz) back into their team is very good for them.(Mohammad) Amir is bowling very well as well," said Santner. "When they're hot, they're really hot. We have to, obviously, find ways of trying to cool them down when they're like that," Santner added. Santner said Pakistan, who have lost three matches at the World Cup so far, had the ability to raise their game despite their troubles. "They took down England and took down South Africa the other day," he said.

World Cup: Pakistan face battle of survival against unbeaten New Zealand

Lanky paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi took three quick wickets to leave New Zealand in desperate trouble at 46-4 in the World Cup match against Pakistan at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

Mohammad Amir bowled Martin Guptill with the score on five before Shaheen had opener Colin Munro caught by Haris Sohail in the slips for 12.

Ross Taylor then edged a Shaheen delivery to wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed to depart for three and Tom Latham departed in similar fashion.

New Zealand, who won the toss and chose to bat, struggled passed fifty in the 16th over, with captain Kane Williamson and Jimmy Neesham unbeaten.

Shaheen's figures were an eye-catching 3-9 off his first six overs.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-new-zealand-win-the-toss-opt-to-bat-against-pakistan-230594">Overnight rain delayed the start</a> by an hour but the umpires decided the match would remain at 50 overs per side.

New Zealand, who are second on the 10-team table with 11 points, kept the same team for the fifth match in a row.

Pakistan, who are seventh in the table with five points, also kept faith with the team that beat South Africa at Lord's on Sunday.

If New Zealand win they will join title holders Australia in the semi-finals.

Lanky paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi took three quick wickets to leave New Zealand in desperate trouble at 46-4 in the World Cup match against Pakistan at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

Lanky paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi took three quick wickets to leave New Zealand in desperate trouble at 46-4 in the World Cup match against Pakistan at Edgbaston on Wednesday. Mohammad Amir bowled Martin Guptill with the score on five before Shaheen had opener Colin Munro caught by Haris Sohail in the slips for 12. Ross Taylor then edged a Shaheen delivery to wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed to depart for three and Tom Latham departed in similar fashion. New Zealand, who won the toss and chose to bat, struggled passed fifty in the 16th over, with captain Kane Williamson and Jimmy Neesham unbeaten. Shaheen's figures were an eye-catching 3-9 off his first six overs. Overnight rain delayed the start by an hour but the umpires decided the match would remain at 50 overs per side. New Zealand, who are second on the 10-team table with 11 points, kept the same team for the fifth match in a row. Pakistan, who are seventh in the table with five points, also kept faith with the team that beat South Africa at Lord's on Sunday. If New Zealand win they will join title holders Australia in the semi-finals.

World Cup: Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi tears through New Zealand top order

New Zealand have won the toss and skipper Kane Williamson opted to bat first against Pakistan at Edgbaston.

New Zealand are unbeaten and placed second on the 10-team table with 11 points, winning five matches and one no result while Pakistan are seventh with just two wins, three defeats and a no result.

Earlier, the toss was <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-start-delayed-in-new-zealand-vs-pakistan-match-230588">delayed due to a wet outfield</a> but no overs will be deducted from the 50-over-a-side match.

New Zealand (Playing XI):&nbsp; 
Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham(w), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult 
 
Pakistan (Playing XI):&nbsp; 
Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Haris Sohail, Sarfaraz Ahmed(w/c), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Afridi

The game is set to begin at 12:00pm (1100 GMT).

New Zealand have won the toss and skipper Kane Williamson opted to bat first against Pakistan at Edgbaston. New Zealand are unbeaten and placed second on the 10-team table with 11 points, winning five matches and one no result while Pakistan are seventh with just two wins, three defeats and a no result.

New Zealand have won the toss and skipper Kane Williamson opted to bat first against Pakistan at Edgbaston. New Zealand are unbeaten and placed second on the 10-team table with 11 points, winning five matches and one no result while Pakistan are seventh with just two wins, three defeats and a no result. Earlier, the toss was delayed due to a wet outfield but no overs will be deducted from the 50-over-a-side match. New Zealand (Playing XI): Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham(w), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult Pakistan (Playing XI): Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Haris Sohail, Sarfaraz Ahmed(w/c), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Afridi The game is set to begin at 12:00pm (1100 GMT).

World Cup: New Zealand win toss, opt to bat against Pakistan

The crucial&nbsp;World Cup encounter&nbsp;between <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-pakistan-face-battle-of-survival-against-unbeaten-new-zealand-230494">Pakistan and New Zealand </a>at Edgbaston on Wednesday has been delayed due to wet outfield with the toss still not taken place.

The scheduled 10:00am (0900 GMT) toss was put back after an early inspection by on-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Bruce Oxenford of Australia.

Overnight rain had left the outfield wet and there will be another inspection at 10:30 am before taking a final decision on when to start the match.

Unbeaten New Zealand are second on the 10-team table with 11 points, winning five matches and one no result while Pakistan are seventh with just two wins, three defeats and a no result.

The toss is now scheduled for 11:30am (1030 GMT) with the game set to begin at 12:00pm (1100 GMT) with no overs lost.

The crucial World Cup encounter between Pakistan and New Zealand at Edgbaston on Wednesday has been delayed due to wet outfield with the toss still not taken place.

The crucial World Cup encounter between Pakistan and New Zealand at Edgbaston on Wednesday has been delayed due to wet outfield with the toss still not taken place. The scheduled 10:00am (0900 GMT) toss was put back after an early inspection by on-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Bruce Oxenford of Australia. Overnight rain had left the outfield wet and there will be another inspection at 10:30 am before taking a final decision on when to start the match. Unbeaten New Zealand are second on the 10-team table with 11 points, winning five matches and one no result while Pakistan are seventh with just two wins, three defeats and a no result. The toss is now scheduled for 11:30am (1030 GMT) with the game set to begin at 12:00pm (1100 GMT) with no overs lost.

World Cup: Wet outfield delays New Zealand vs Pakistan match

Kane Williamson<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/live-updates-cricket-world-cup-2019-match-25-new-zealand-vs-south-africa-228634"> anchored New Zealand to a tense four-wicket victory</a> at Edgbaston on Wednesday after an astonishing stroke of luck when South Africa failed to review an edge from the Kiwi captain.

The Black Caps' skipper was on 76 when he got a faint edge to a ball by leg-spinner Imran Tahir that Quinton de Kock took behind the stumps but South Africa took no action.

That decision could prove fatal to their tournament hopes, with the Proteas now needing a miracle to progress to the semi-finals after just one win from six matches, while New Zealand now top the 10-team table.

Earlier, Martin Guptill, who had been guiding New Zealand towards their target of 242 off a rain-reduced 49 overs with a minimum of fuss, trod on his stumps to spark a mini-collapse.&nbsp;

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The batsman, on 35, pulled Andile Phehlukwayo and ended up swivelling, only to lose his balance and clip his leg stump with his foot.

Two overs later New Zealand slipped to 74-3 when Ross Taylor tickled a Chris Morris leg-side delivery and De Kock took the catch behind the stumps. Tom Latham's dismissal left them struggling at 80-4.

Jimmy Neesham (23) steadied the ship with his skipper but when he was out, New Zealand were back in trouble at 137-5.

Colin de Grandhomme came to New Zealand's rescue, batting positively and bringing up his fifty off 39 balls but when he was caught in the deep for 60 by Du Plessis off Lungi Ngidi, Kiwi nerves were jangling again.

Eight were still needed off the final over.&nbsp;
<img alt="Match 25" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d5ee8701-ebad-4ff7-9b8f-06dbf19483ef" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/match%2025.jpg" />
But Mitchell Santner pinched a single and Williamson kept his nerve, bringing up his century with a huge six off the next ball and then a four sealed the victory.

Earlier, Rassie van der Dussen gave South Africa something to bowl at as the Proteas struggled to 241-6 after losing the toss.

Hashim Amla made a sluggish 55 off 83 balls but Van der Dussen's 67 not out came at better than a run a ball.

During his innings, Amla became the fourth South African to reach 8,000 runs in one-day internationals.

He is the second-fastest player (176 innings) from any side to reach the milestone after India's Virat Kohli (175 innings).

Kane Williamson anchored New Zealand to a tense four-wicket victory at Edgbaston on Wednesday after an astonishing stroke of luck when South Africa failed to review an edge from the Kiwi captain.

Kane Williamson anchored New Zealand to a tense four-wicket victory at Edgbaston on Wednesday after an astonishing stroke of luck when South Africa failed to review an edge from the Kiwi captain. The Black Caps' skipper was on 76 when he got a faint edge to a ball by leg-spinner Imran Tahir that Quinton de Kock took behind the stumps but South Africa took no action. That decision could prove fatal to their tournament hopes, with the Proteas now needing a miracle to progress to the semi-finals after just one win from six matches, while New Zealand now top the 10-team table. Earlier, Martin Guptill, who had been guiding New Zealand towards their target of 242 off a rain-reduced 49 overs with a minimum of fuss, trod on his stumps to spark a mini-collapse. The captains embrace after giving their all 👏 #CWC19 #SpiritOfCricket pic.twitter.com/puJCsgKdtK — Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) June 19, 2019 × The batsman, on 35, pulled Andile Phehlukwayo and ended up swivelling, only to lose his balance and clip his leg stump with his foot. Two overs later New Zealand slipped to 74-3 when Ross Taylor tickled a Chris Morris leg-side delivery and De Kock took the catch behind the stumps. Tom Latham's dismissal left them struggling at 80-4. Jimmy Neesham (23) steadied the ship with his skipper but when he was out, New Zealand were back in trouble at 137-5. Colin de Grandhomme came to New Zealand's rescue, batting positively and bringing up his fifty off 39 balls but when he was caught in the deep for 60 by Du Plessis off Lungi Ngidi, Kiwi nerves were jangling again. Eight were still needed off the final over. But Mitchell Santner pinched a single and Williamson kept his nerve, bringing up his century with a huge six off the next ball and then a four sealed the victory. Earlier, Rassie van der Dussen gave South Africa something to bowl at as the Proteas struggled to 241-6 after losing the toss. Hashim Amla made a sluggish 55 off 83 balls but Van der Dussen's 67 not out came at better than a run a ball. During his innings, Amla became the fourth South African to reach 8,000 runs in one-day internationals. He is the second-fastest player (176 innings) from any side to reach the milestone after India's Virat Kohli (175 innings).

World Cup: Kane Williamson's unbeaten century guides New Zealand to 4-wicket win over South Africa

Captain Faf du Plessis was left contemplating the ruins of another World Cup campaign on the ground where South Africa experienced their greatest heartache in the competition 20 years ago.

The Proteas' hopes of reaching the semi-finals in England and Wales are all but over after a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-kane-williamson-unbeaten-century-guides-new-zealand-to-win-over-south-africa-228842">four-wicket defeat by New Zealand</a> on Wednesday.

One minor consolation is that the recriminations from Wednesday's reverse at Edgbaston are unlikely to be as great as those at Warwickshire's headquarters 20 years ago when a disastrous run-out saw them tie with Australia and miss out on the final due to an inferior net run rate.

South Africa are still alive at the World Cup but with just one win from six matches, it would take an extraordinary combination of results to see them into the semi-finals from a 10-team round-robin group phase.

On Wednesday, South Africa fought hard to get to 241 for six on a difficult pitch after losing the toss.

And it so very nearly proved enough, with New Zealand needing a superbly paced 106 not out from captain and star batsman Kane Williamson to see them home with just three balls to spare.

Fans of AB de Villiers will argue this proves the Proteas were wrong to refuse the gifted batsman's offer to come out of international retirement for the World Cup, but others will say the offer came far too late for it to be accepted by South Africa's selectors.

"Kane played a great knock, you know. It's probably the difference between the two sides, just one guy taking it through. You need someone to go further, and we haven't had that," said Du Plessis.&nbsp;

Inevitably, given their painful World Cup history, the question of whether South Africa "choked" on Wednesday is bound to be asked.

"Choking", however, implies squandering a winning position, whereas this match in Birmingham was more of a see-saw contest determined largely by Williamson's knock.

Stuttering campaign&nbsp; 
 
The New Zealand skipper is a world-class batsman and the truth is that South Africa's World Cup campaign was in trouble long before this fixture.

Losing Dale Steyn without the veteran fast bowler delivering a ball at the tournament was blow, but South Africa were gambling on the 35-year-old recovering from a longstanding shoulder injury.

Having tournament hosts England and another highly-fancied side in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/i-feel-emotional-says-shikhar-dhawan-after-injury-ends-his-world-cup-campaign-228775">India </a>as two of their early opponents meant South Africa had a tough start and it was no surprise when they lost both of those matches.

But what really derailed their campaign was a 21-run defeat by Bangladesh, where the Tigers piled up 330.

Several South Africa batsmen got starts in reply, including Du Plessis, who made 62, but nobody was able to play the major innings required.

The Proteas' painful history at the World Cup is littered with self-inflicted wounds.

As well as the 1999 run-out debacle, they exited in 2003 after misunderstanding the rules governing rain-affected matches and made the controversial decision to drop Kyle Abbott for what turned out to be a nailbiting semi-final loss to<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/live-updates-cricket-world-cup-2019-match-25-new-zealand-vs-south-africa-228634"> New Zealand</a> four years ago.

South Africa did not help themselves on Wednesday when Williamson, who had then made 76, got a thin edge off Imran Tahir to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.

The Proteas did not request a review, only for replays to show a nick.

"I think I was at long on at the time, and Quinny is the closest to the action. That's not where the game was won and lost," said Du Plessis.&nbsp;

This World Cup could well mark the last appearance at the global showpiece for players in their mid-30s such as Du Plessis and Proteas opener <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-hashim-amla-becomes-second-fastest-batsman-to-register-8000-odi-runs-228825">Hashim Amla</a>, who never really got back to his best after being hit on the head by a bouncer from England's Jofra Archer.

"If you look at our batting unit, we've got some future talent and some promising players, but if you put our top six and you put the other top sixes around the world, purely on a numbers point of view, we won't be in the top three," admitted Du Plessis.&nbsp;

Captain Faf du Plessis was left contemplating the ruins of another World Cup campaign on the ground where South Africa experienced their greatest heartache in the competition 20 years ago.

Captain Faf du Plessis was left contemplating the ruins of another World Cup campaign on the ground where South Africa experienced their greatest heartache in the competition 20 years ago. The Proteas' hopes of reaching the semi-finals in England and Wales are all but over after a four-wicket defeat by New Zealand on Wednesday. One minor consolation is that the recriminations from Wednesday's reverse at Edgbaston are unlikely to be as great as those at Warwickshire's headquarters 20 years ago when a disastrous run-out saw them tie with Australia and miss out on the final due to an inferior net run rate. South Africa are still alive at the World Cup but with just one win from six matches, it would take an extraordinary combination of results to see them into the semi-finals from a 10-team round-robin group phase. On Wednesday, South Africa fought hard to get to 241 for six on a difficult pitch after losing the toss. And it so very nearly proved enough, with New Zealand needing a superbly paced 106 not out from captain and star batsman Kane Williamson to see them home with just three balls to spare. Fans of AB de Villiers will argue this proves the Proteas were wrong to refuse the gifted batsman's offer to come out of international retirement for the World Cup, but others will say the offer came far too late for it to be accepted by South Africa's selectors. "Kane played a great knock, you know. It's probably the difference between the two sides, just one guy taking it through. You need someone to go further, and we haven't had that," said Du Plessis. Inevitably, given their painful World Cup history, the question of whether South Africa "choked" on Wednesday is bound to be asked. "Choking", however, implies squandering a winning position, whereas this match in Birmingham was more of a see-saw contest determined largely by Williamson's knock. Stuttering campaign The New Zealand skipper is a world-class batsman and the truth is that South Africa's World Cup campaign was in trouble long before this fixture. Losing Dale Steyn without the veteran fast bowler delivering a ball at the tournament was blow, but South Africa were gambling on the 35-year-old recovering from a longstanding shoulder injury. Having tournament hosts England and another highly-fancied side in India as two of their early opponents meant South Africa had a tough start and it was no surprise when they lost both of those matches. But what really derailed their campaign was a 21-run defeat by Bangladesh, where the Tigers piled up 330. Several South Africa batsmen got starts in reply, including Du Plessis, who made 62, but nobody was able to play the major innings required. The Proteas' painful history at the World Cup is littered with self-inflicted wounds. As well as the 1999 run-out debacle, they exited in 2003 after misunderstanding the rules governing rain-affected matches and made the controversial decision to drop Kyle Abbott for what turned out to be a nailbiting semi-final loss to New Zealand four years ago. South Africa did not help themselves on Wednesday when Williamson, who had then made 76, got a thin edge off Imran Tahir to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock. The Proteas did not request a review, only for replays to show a nick. "I think I was at long on at the time, and Quinny is the closest to the action. That's not where the game was won and lost," said Du Plessis. This World Cup could well mark the last appearance at the global showpiece for players in their mid-30s such as Du Plessis and Proteas opener Hashim Amla, who never really got back to his best after being hit on the head by a bouncer from England's Jofra Archer. "If you look at our batting unit, we've got some future talent and some promising players, but if you put our top six and you put the other top sixes around the world, purely on a numbers point of view, we won't be in the top three," admitted Du Plessis.

World Cup: New Zealand add to South Africa's stuttering campaign agony

Virat Kohli-led India will take on New Zealand in the 18th match of Cricket World Cup 2019 but the weather forecast at the venue is not looking good as there are slim chances of getting a full a game today in Nottingham.

The match starts at 10:30 GMT and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-heavy-rain-forecast-ahead-of-india-vs-new-zealand-match-226204">light rain is expected to fall </a>from 10:00 am and to an end at about lunchtime, around 1:00 pm.&nbsp;

After about an hour of relief from the rain, it's set to pour down again from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm and subside only by 6:00 pm in the evening.

The Met Office in England had issued a 'yellow warning'&nbsp;for heavy rain at Trent Bridge in Nottingham for today and the maximum temperature will be around 13 degrees through the day, making it extremely cold for both the teams on the field.&nbsp;

"The unsettled weather continues this week with further heavy rain and thunderstorms expected to impact some parts of the UK," published The Met Office on their website.&nbsp;

A record three matches have already been either abandoned or called off in the weather-hit tournament and the forecast is for further washouts this week.&nbsp;

The absence of reserve days is being brought up by the players and the coaches, but the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday defended not scheduling reserve days for group matches at the rain-marred World Cup and blamed the disruptions on "extremely unseasonable weather".

The organisers have been criticised for not allotting reserve days in the group stage and outgoing ICC chief executive David Richardson said it was not a feasible idea.

"Factoring in a reserve day for every match ... would significantly increase the length of the tournament and practically would be extremely complex to deliver," he said in a statement.

If the game is washed-out both <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-injured-shikhar-dhawan-at-practice-session-ahead-of-new-zealand-contest-226574">India </a>and New Zealand will get one point each. 
 
New Zealand are at the top of the points table with six points from three games and India have four points from two games with two victories.

(All timings in GMT)

Virat Kohli-led India will take on New Zealand in the 18th match of Cricket World Cup 2019 but the weather forecast at the venue is not looking good as there are slim chances of getting a full a game today in Nottingham.

Virat Kohli-led India will take on New Zealand in the 18th match of Cricket World Cup 2019 but the weather forecast at the venue is not looking good as there are slim chances of getting a full a game today in Nottingham. The match starts at 10:30 GMT and light rain is expected to fall from 10:00 am and to an end at about lunchtime, around 1:00 pm. After about an hour of relief from the rain, it's set to pour down again from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm and subside only by 6:00 pm in the evening. The Met Office in England had issued a 'yellow warning' for heavy rain at Trent Bridge in Nottingham for today and the maximum temperature will be around 13 degrees through the day, making it extremely cold for both the teams on the field. "The unsettled weather continues this week with further heavy rain and thunderstorms expected to impact some parts of the UK," published The Met Office on their website. A record three matches have already been either abandoned or called off in the weather-hit tournament and the forecast is for further washouts this week. The absence of reserve days is being brought up by the players and the coaches, but the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday defended not scheduling reserve days for group matches at the rain-marred World Cup and blamed the disruptions on "extremely unseasonable weather". The organisers have been criticised for not allotting reserve days in the group stage and outgoing ICC chief executive David Richardson said it was not a feasible idea. "Factoring in a reserve day for every match ... would significantly increase the length of the tournament and practically would be extremely complex to deliver," he said in a statement. If the game is washed-out both India and New Zealand will get one point each. New Zealand are at the top of the points table with six points from three games and India have four points from two games with two victories. (All timings in GMT)

World Cup: Weather report of Nottingham for India vs New Zealand match

Kane Williamson led by example as the New Zealand captain's 79 not out guided his side to a seven-wicket win over Afghanistan that maintained their 100 percent start to the World Cup on Saturday.

Williamson was New Zealand's top scorer with a 99-ball innings containing nine fours after Jimmy Neesham took career-best one-day figures of 5-31 to dismiss Afghanistan for 172 at Taunton.

New Zealand's third successive victory kept them on course to make the semi-finals in the 10-team tournament, while minnows Afghanistan have lost all three of their matches.

Earlier, New Zealand dismissed Afghanistan for 172 in Saturday's World Cup match at Taunton.

Neesham turned the game in New Zealand's favour with his impressive spell after Afghanistan briefly threatened to rock the Black Caps.

Put in to bat by New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson, Afghanistan openers Hazratullah Zazai and Noor Ali Zadran blasted a quickfire 66 for the first wicket.

But pace bowler Neesham, who had struggled in New Zealand's first two matches, finally found his rhythm despite two rain interruptions.

New Zealand, World Cup runners-up in 2015, have to make 173 from their 50 overs to extend their unbeaten start to three matches.

Hashmatullah Shahidi (59) top-scored for Afghanistan, who are fighting to avoid a third successive defeat.

With Mohammad Shahzad ruled out for the rest of the tournament due to a knee injury, the onus was on Hazratullah to anchor the Afghanistan innings and he made a flying start with three fours off Matthew Henry's opening over of the match.

On the small west country ground, the free-hitting Afghanistan's openers were doing their best to rattle New Zealand as they reached 66 in the 11th over.

But Neesham made the crucial breakthrough when Hazratullah went for one big shot too many, the left-hander hitting to Colin Munro at deep cover to depart for 34.

New Zealand had two wickets in the space of three balls as Noor Ali (31) was strangled down the leg side by fast bowler Lockie Ferguson, who would finish with four wickets.

Afghanistan lost their third wicket with the score still on 66 when Rahmat Shah was dismissed for a duck after a leading edge off Neesham was held by Martin Guptill.

When Gulbadin Naib failed with a review attempt to overturn his edge behind off Neesham, Afghanistan had lost four wickets for four runs in 21 deliveries.

Play was halted due to rain with the score on 84-4 and although the teams returned when the weather relented 25 minutes later, another shower forced them off just two overs later.

After the rain at last disappeared, Neesham shattered Afghanistan's resistance when he had both Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran caught behind to leave them 109-6 and earn his first five-wicket haul in ODIs.

By the time Rashid Khan was bowled when a Ferguson bouncer hit his helmet and cannoned onto the stumps, it was clear that aggressive New Zealand had imposed their will.

Kane Williamson led by example as the New Zealand captain's 79 not out guided his side to a seven-wicket win over Afghanistan that maintained their 100 percent start to the World Cup on Saturday.

Kane Williamson led by example as the New Zealand captain's 79 not out guided his side to a seven-wicket win over Afghanistan that maintained their 100 percent start to the World Cup on Saturday. Williamson was New Zealand's top scorer with a 99-ball innings containing nine fours after Jimmy Neesham took career-best one-day figures of 5-31 to dismiss Afghanistan for 172 at Taunton. New Zealand's third successive victory kept them on course to make the semi-finals in the 10-team tournament, while minnows Afghanistan have lost all three of their matches. Earlier, New Zealand dismissed Afghanistan for 172 in Saturday's World Cup match at Taunton. Neesham turned the game in New Zealand's favour with his impressive spell after Afghanistan briefly threatened to rock the Black Caps. Put in to bat by New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson, Afghanistan openers Hazratullah Zazai and Noor Ali Zadran blasted a quickfire 66 for the first wicket. But pace bowler Neesham, who had struggled in New Zealand's first two matches, finally found his rhythm despite two rain interruptions. New Zealand, World Cup runners-up in 2015, have to make 173 from their 50 overs to extend their unbeaten start to three matches. Hashmatullah Shahidi (59) top-scored for Afghanistan, who are fighting to avoid a third successive defeat. With Mohammad Shahzad ruled out for the rest of the tournament due to a knee injury, the onus was on Hazratullah to anchor the Afghanistan innings and he made a flying start with three fours off Matthew Henry's opening over of the match. On the small west country ground, the free-hitting Afghanistan's openers were doing their best to rattle New Zealand as they reached 66 in the 11th over. But Neesham made the crucial breakthrough when Hazratullah went for one big shot too many, the left-hander hitting to Colin Munro at deep cover to depart for 34. New Zealand had two wickets in the space of three balls as Noor Ali (31) was strangled down the leg side by fast bowler Lockie Ferguson, who would finish with four wickets. Afghanistan lost their third wicket with the score still on 66 when Rahmat Shah was dismissed for a duck after a leading edge off Neesham was held by Martin Guptill. When Gulbadin Naib failed with a review attempt to overturn his edge behind off Neesham, Afghanistan had lost four wickets for four runs in 21 deliveries. Play was halted due to rain with the score on 84-4 and although the teams returned when the weather relented 25 minutes later, another shower forced them off just two overs later. After the rain at last disappeared, Neesham shattered Afghanistan's resistance when he had both Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran caught behind to leave them 109-6 and earn his first five-wicket haul in ODIs. By the time Rashid Khan was bowled when a Ferguson bouncer hit his helmet and cannoned onto the stumps, it was clear that aggressive New Zealand had imposed their will.

World Cup: New Zealand beat Afghanistan by 7 wickets

There’s a slight sense of déjà vu about New Zealand versus Sri Lanka in Cardiff, game three of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

In 2015, in the similarly nondescript surroundings of Hagley Oval in Christchurch, the two teams played the first match of the World Cup. Like Hagley Oval, Sophia Gardens is surrounded by a perimeter of thick trees, their dense foliage acting as a pleasant backdrop to a small ground which is, a day before the match, populated by the Sri Lankan and New Zealand cricket teams, a fistful of reporters, a few from the TV crew and of course an array of ICC support and hospitality staff.

For added effect, the sky above is nearing a slate grey much as it was a day before New Zealand and Sri Lanka began the last World Cup four years ago.

Yes, déjà vu alright.

But that’s where the similarities end, even though the Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson admits it is a bit of a coincidence that his team is again opening their World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka.

Four years ago, Williamson played the World Cup under the inspirational captaincy of Brendon McCullum and had a fairly muted tournament with the bat. McCullum is of course retired and Williamson is the captain of New Zealand, with a 34-29-2 record in ODIs.

His batting has remained as classy and dependable as it was under McCullum, and now Williamson will lead New Zealand against Sri Lanka in their opening match at Cardiff on Saturday.

Asked to look back at 2015, Williamson found the situation different but could identify a similar rush of positivity.

“Naturally a little bit different just being different seasons, I suppose. The last campaign we were playing a lot of cricket in our home summer, I guess in some ways preparing for the World Cup which was also at home,” he told reporters on Friday.

“Being over in this part of the world heading into winter at home meant it was a little bit different. We had IPL guys who were playing cricket in different parts, which was a good thing, and so we were able to make sure we were getting cricket in. There was some cricket in Australia. Everybody was playing, which was nice. I guess the difference between playing months together and then going into World Cup versus perhaps not and guys being quite excited to get back together as a group is still a positive thing.

“It [2015 World Cup] was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed that tournament. I guess we come to now and so many things are different and have changed and different personnel on both sides. I guess it’s coincidence that we’re playing each other again in our first matches. But, yeah, the focus is very much on our team, the sort of cricket that we want to be playing, the attitudes we want to be taking into the first match, and that’s where we’ll place our importance.”

New Zealand go into the World Cup after gap of a few months, having ended their home season in February. This year, in ODIs, they have swept Sri Lanka and Bangladesh 3-0 and lost to India 1-4, all at home. Post the Bangladesh series, some of their players went to play in the IPL. They are back together in England, having beaten India and lost to New Zealand in their two World Cup warm-ups.

Their opponents, Sri Lanka, have in 2019 been whitewashed by South Africa 0-5 after the winless tour of New Zealand. Most recently, they won an ODI against Scotland. They are a team flying very low under the radar, chiefly because of poor form and inconsistency, chopping and changing and the fact that their new captain, Dimuth Karuraratne had, before the aforementioned Scotland match, not played an ODI since the 2015 World Cup.

Smart man that he is, Williamson did not go anywhere near venturing to say that New Zealand have the upper hand over an opponent they last lost an ODI to in … wait for it … 2015.

“I don’t know how much the past really counts as we come into a tournament. It is on the day,” said Williamson. “We know in this competition that any team can beat any of the other teams, so we’re certainly treating all our matches like that. We want to bring the focus back to the cricket we want to play day in and day out.

“Naturally when you go through the tournament you play one country and you might have two or three days, play another country on another surface, and you’re trying to, I guess, stay up-to-date with the different I suppose plans that you’re adjusting with the different opposition.

“But our focus is much about the cricket that we want to play. We know the Sri Lankan side is a little bit different to the one we played at home, but we have no doubt they’re a tough side.”

So far, the sense of déjà vu lingers. Whether Sri Lanka smash that on Saturday with victory over New Zealand remains to be seen.

(This article was originally published on Cricket Country. Read the <a href="https://www.cricketcountry.com/news/cricket-world-cup-2015-firmly-behind-kane-williamsons-new-zealand-as-they-reunite-with-sri-lanka-850269">original article</a>)

There’s a slight sense of déjà vu about New Zealand versus Sri Lanka in Cardiff, game three of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. In 2015, in the similarly nondescript surroundings of Hagley Oval in Christchurch, the two teams played the first match of the World Cup.

There’s a slight sense of déjà vu about New Zealand versus Sri Lanka in Cardiff, game three of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. In 2015, in the similarly nondescript surroundings of Hagley Oval in Christchurch, the two teams played the first match of the World Cup. Like Hagley Oval, Sophia Gardens is surrounded by a perimeter of thick trees, their dense foliage acting as a pleasant backdrop to a small ground which is, a day before the match, populated by the Sri Lankan and New Zealand cricket teams, a fistful of reporters, a few from the TV crew and of course an array of ICC support and hospitality staff. For added effect, the sky above is nearing a slate grey much as it was a day before New Zealand and Sri Lanka began the last World Cup four years ago. Yes, déjà vu alright. But that’s where the similarities end, even though the Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson admits it is a bit of a coincidence that his team is again opening their World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka. Four years ago, Williamson played the World Cup under the inspirational captaincy of Brendon McCullum and had a fairly muted tournament with the bat. McCullum is of course retired and Williamson is the captain of New Zealand, with a 34-29-2 record in ODIs. His batting has remained as classy and dependable as it was under McCullum, and now Williamson will lead New Zealand against Sri Lanka in their opening match at Cardiff on Saturday. Asked to look back at 2015, Williamson found the situation different but could identify a similar rush of positivity. “Naturally a little bit different just being different seasons, I suppose. The last campaign we were playing a lot of cricket in our home summer, I guess in some ways preparing for the World Cup which was also at home,” he told reporters on Friday. “Being over in this part of the world heading into winter at home meant it was a little bit different. We had IPL guys who were playing cricket in different parts, which was a good thing, and so we were able to make sure we were getting cricket in. There was some cricket in Australia. Everybody was playing, which was nice. I guess the difference between playing months together and then going into World Cup versus perhaps not and guys being quite excited to get back together as a group is still a positive thing. “It [2015 World Cup] was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed that tournament. I guess we come to now and so many things are different and have changed and different personnel on both sides. I guess it’s coincidence that we’re playing each other again in our first matches. But, yeah, the focus is very much on our team, the sort of cricket that we want to be playing, the attitudes we want to be taking into the first match, and that’s where we’ll place our importance.” New Zealand go into the World Cup after gap of a few months, having ended their home season in February. This year, in ODIs, they have swept Sri Lanka and Bangladesh 3-0 and lost to India 1-4, all at home. Post the Bangladesh series, some of their players went to play in the IPL. They are back together in England, having beaten India and lost to New Zealand in their two World Cup warm-ups. Their opponents, Sri Lanka, have in 2019 been whitewashed by South Africa 0-5 after the winless tour of New Zealand. Most recently, they won an ODI against Scotland. They are a team flying very low under the radar, chiefly because of poor form and inconsistency, chopping and changing and the fact that their new captain, Dimuth Karuraratne had, before the aforementioned Scotland match, not played an ODI since the 2015 World Cup. Smart man that he is, Williamson did not go anywhere near venturing to say that New Zealand have the upper hand over an opponent they last lost an ODI to in … wait for it … 2015. “I don’t know how much the past really counts as we come into a tournament. It is on the day,” said Williamson. “We know in this competition that any team can beat any of the other teams, so we’re certainly treating all our matches like that. We want to bring the focus back to the cricket we want to play day in and day out. “Naturally when you go through the tournament you play one country and you might have two or three days, play another country on another surface, and you’re trying to, I guess, stay up-to-date with the different I suppose plans that you’re adjusting with the different opposition. “But our focus is much about the cricket that we want to play. We know the Sri Lankan side is a little bit different to the one we played at home, but we have no doubt they’re a tough side.” So far, the sense of déjà vu lingers. Whether Sri Lanka smash that on Saturday with victory over New Zealand remains to be seen. (This article was originally published on Cricket Country. Read the original article)

Cricket World Cup: 2015 firmly behind Kane Williamson's New Zealand as they reunite with Sri Lanka

On the eve of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/search?q=cricket+world+cup">Cricket World Cup 2019</a>, all the skippers of the participating countries met Queen Elizabeth and Prince Harry at the Buckingham Palace in London.&nbsp;

The tournament is hosted by England and Wales is scheduled to take place between from May 30 to July 14.&nbsp;

The format of the World Cup 2019 will be round-robin, which means, all countries will play each other once and the top four will enter the knockout stages.

Just after the visit, the opening ceremony held at the London Mall next to the Buckingham Palace and from Viv Richards to Anil Kumble, many cricketing legends attended the ceremony.&nbsp;

Team Pakistan was represented by Nobel peace prize winner Malala Yousafzai.&nbsp;

During the ceremony, a unique 60-second challenge was played&nbsp;in which all teams were given one minute to score the maximum runs.&nbsp;

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared the picture of the captains' meeting with the Queen. "The 10 #CWC19 Captains with the Queen," BCCI captioned one of the photos on Twitter.&nbsp;

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The 10 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CWC19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CWC19</a> Captains with the Queen. <a href="https://t.co/cT42NfuPCv">pic.twitter.com/cT42NfuPCv</a>
— BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1133783155574550529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Captains including <a href="https://twitter.com/Eoin16?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Eoin16</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@imVkohli</a> met Her Majesty and His Royal Highness before joining a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. <a href="https://t.co/AjS5eZBrVH">pic.twitter.com/AjS5eZBrVH</a>
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) <a href="https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1133764856178446336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Watch:&nbsp;Queen and Harry joke with world cricket captains

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England takes on South Africa in the opening match of the World cup today at the Oval in London.&nbsp;

On the eve of Cricket World Cup 2019, all the skippers of the participating countries met Queen Elizabeth and Prince Harry at the Buckingham Palace in London. The tournament is hosted by England and Wales is scheduled to take place between from May 30 to July 14.

On the eve of Cricket World Cup 2019, all the skippers of the participating countries met Queen Elizabeth and Prince Harry at the Buckingham Palace in London. The tournament is hosted by England and Wales is scheduled to take place between from May 30 to July 14. The format of the World Cup 2019 will be round-robin, which means, all countries will play each other once and the top four will enter the knockout stages. Just after the visit, the opening ceremony held at the London Mall next to the Buckingham Palace and from Viv Richards to Anil Kumble, many cricketing legends attended the ceremony. Team Pakistan was represented by Nobel peace prize winner Malala Yousafzai. During the ceremony, a unique 60-second challenge was played in which all teams were given one minute to score the maximum runs. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared the picture of the captains' meeting with the Queen. "The 10 #CWC19 Captains with the Queen," BCCI captioned one of the photos on Twitter. The 10 #CWC19 Captains with the Queen. pic.twitter.com/cT42NfuPCv — BCCI (@BCCI) May 29, 2019 × Captains including @Eoin16 and @imVkohli met Her Majesty and His Royal Highness before joining a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. pic.twitter.com/AjS5eZBrVH — The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 29, 2019 × Watch: Queen and Harry joke with world cricket captains × England takes on South Africa in the opening match of the World cup today at the Oval in London.

Captains meet Queen Elizabeth before the commencement of Cricket World Cup 2019

New Zeland defeated India in the warm-up match for the Cricket World Cup 2019 on Saturday at the Oval by six wickets.&nbsp;

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor struck half-centuries each as the team chased down the target in 37.1 overs.&nbsp;

"The wicket didn't have enough in the second innings. Very good innings." said the losing captain Virat Kohli after the match.&nbsp;

"In a tournament like WC, the lower order has to score at times if the top-order gets out quickly. Hardik batted well, MS absorbed the pressure well and Jadeja played well," he added.&nbsp;

Earlier, Trent Boult took four wickets as the 'Men in Blue' were dismissed for just 179 after Indian skipper Virat Kohli opted to bat first.&nbsp;

Left-arm seamer Boult, who removed openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan for two apiece to leave India 10 for two, finished with figures of four for 33.

Ravindra Jadeja (54) and Hardik Pandya (30) were the only India batsmen to make it past 19.

India captain Virat Kohli fell for 18 to medium-pacer Colin de Grandhomme when the star batsman was clean bowled by a ball that cut back in off the seam as he aimed towards midwicket.&nbsp;

Kohli's men were in danger of being dismissed for under a hundred when MS Dhoni, the captain of the India side that won the 2011 World Cup, fell to Southee to leave his team on 91 for seven.

But Jadeja's 50 ball innings, featuring six fours and two sixes, helped rally the tail.

India, however, were still bowled out with nearly 10 overs of their innings remaining, with James Neesham taking three for 26.&nbsp;

New Zeland defeated India in the warm-up match for the Cricket World Cup 2019 on Saturday at the Oval by six wickets. New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor struck half-centuries each as the team chased down the target in 37.

New Zeland defeated India in the warm-up match for the Cricket World Cup 2019 on Saturday at the Oval by six wickets. New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor struck half-centuries each as the team chased down the target in 37.1 overs. "The wicket didn't have enough in the second innings. Very good innings." said the losing captain Virat Kohli after the match. "In a tournament like WC, the lower order has to score at times if the top-order gets out quickly. Hardik batted well, MS absorbed the pressure well and Jadeja played well," he added. Earlier, Trent Boult took four wickets as the 'Men in Blue' were dismissed for just 179 after Indian skipper Virat Kohli opted to bat first. Left-arm seamer Boult, who removed openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan for two apiece to leave India 10 for two, finished with figures of four for 33. Ravindra Jadeja (54) and Hardik Pandya (30) were the only India batsmen to make it past 19. India captain Virat Kohli fell for 18 to medium-pacer Colin de Grandhomme when the star batsman was clean bowled by a ball that cut back in off the seam as he aimed towards midwicket. Kohli's men were in danger of being dismissed for under a hundred when MS Dhoni, the captain of the India side that won the 2011 World Cup, fell to Southee to leave his team on 91 for seven. But Jadeja's 50 ball innings, featuring six fours and two sixes, helped rally the tail. India, however, were still bowled out with nearly 10 overs of their innings remaining, with James Neesham taking three for 26.

World Cup Warm-Up: New Zealand defeat India by 6 wickets

The road to the final has become difficult but Delhi have the means to drive their way through the obstacles, starting with the IPL eliminator against Hyderabad.

IPL 2019: Delhi to clash with Hyderabad in Eliminator

Shimron Hetmyer and Gurkeerat Singh Mann engineered an incredible turnaround that will linger long in IPL memory, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/live-updates-ipl-2019-match-54-bangalore-vs-hyderabad-at-chinnaswamy-stadium-215942">powering Bangalore to a four-wicket victory over Hyderabad</a> on Saturday.&nbsp;

Both Hetmyer and Gurkeerat hit blazing fifties as Bangalore recovered from a hopelessly placed 20 for three in the third over to reach the 176-run target with four balls to spare.

The win meant Bangalore ended what has been a forgettable season on a positive note, while Hyderabad's hopes of securing a playoffs berth were kept on standby.&nbsp;

During their 144-run partnership for the fourth wicket, Hetmyer smashed half a dozen sixes and four boundaries for his 47-ball 75, while Gurkeerat made 65 in 48 deliveries with the help of eight fours and one maximum.

This was the first time that Bangalore had a hundred-plus partnership since 2013 when Kohli and De Villiers were not involved.&nbsp;

After Parthiv Patel was snapped up early by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Virat Kohli got began Bangalore's riposte with two delightful strokes, a straight-driven boundary and a flicked six, but the mainstay nicked a length ball to stun the home crowd.

More trouble was in store for Bangalore as they lost AB de Villiers, who snicked Bhuvneshwar to the first slip where Martin Guptill took a neat catch.

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Two men announced themselves to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VIVOIPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VIVOIPL</a>, one man redeemed himself with the winning shot for <a href="https://twitter.com/RCBTweets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RCBTweets</a> 🙌<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RCBvSRH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RCBvSRH</a> <a href="https://t.co/4YjoLbdhY7">pic.twitter.com/4YjoLbdhY7</a>
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1124740249106538496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Bangalore were tottering at 20 for three in the third over but Shimron Hetmyer and Gurkeerat Singh Mann had other ideas.

It rained sixes and fours as the duo of Hetmyer and Gurkeerat blunted the opposition attack with their exemplary batting, bringing the smiles back on the face of skipper Kohli and the faces of their faces.

Gurkeerat was contend to play second fiddle to Hetmyer initially, when the Guyanese was dealing in fours and sixes, but opened up later.

Earlier, Kane Williamson dealt in fours and sixes as Hyderabad plundered 28 runs in the final over to reach a challenging 175 for seven.

Hyderabad were 147 for seven at the end of the 19th over but Williamson cut loose after that, smashing Umesh Yadav for two sixes and as many fours to finish the innings on a high.

Williamson remained not out on 70 off 43 balls, hitting four sixes and five fours at the Chinnaswami Stadium.&nbsp;

To make matters worse for Yadav, he was wrongly no-balled by umpire Nigel Llong.

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We've got a Super Sunday tomorrow to complete the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VIVOIPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VIVOIPL</a> league stages! After <a href="https://twitter.com/RCBTweets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RCBTweets</a>' win, here's how things stand.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RCBvSRH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RCBvSRH</a> <a href="https://t.co/qxgLgEqnyH">pic.twitter.com/qxgLgEqnyH</a>
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1124741446878150656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Sent into bat, Bangalore were off to a brisk start with Martin Guptill and Wriddhiman Saha (20) putting on 46 runs for the opening wicket in 4.3 overs, but the keeper-batsman failed to clear pacer Navdeep Saini as the visitors lost their first wicket.&nbsp;

After addition of another 14 runs to the team total, Hyderabad lost their second wicket when Guptill was dismissed by Washington Sundar for a 23-ball 30.&nbsp;

Manish Pandey, who stretched Mumbai with his brave half-century in their last game, fell cheaply, for nine, leaving the visitors in some trouble at 61 for three in the eighth over.&nbsp;

Picked in the World Cup-bound Indian team for his 'three-dimensional' abilities, Vijay Shankar raced to 27 with the help of three sixes, but again failed to translate the start into a big score.&nbsp;

Shankar was Sundar's third scalp of the evening and Yuzvendra Chahal picked up his 100th wicket in IPL when he lured Yusuf Pathan into playing an irresponsible shot to leave Sunrisers at 127 for five in the final ball of 16th over.&nbsp;

Even as wickets fell at regular intervals, Williamson looked to rotate the strike and also go for the big hits. &nbsp;

Barring the opening stand, the only partnership that flourished a bit was the one between Williamson and Shankar, who ended up giving a catch while going for a slog sweep.

Williamson brought up his fifty in style, hoicking Yadav over long off for a six and followed that with some more lusty hits.

Shimron Hetmyer and Gurkeerat Singh Mann engineered an incredible turnaround that will linger long in IPL memory, powering Bangalore to a four-wicket victory over Hyderabad on Saturday.

Shimron Hetmyer and Gurkeerat Singh Mann engineered an incredible turnaround that will linger long in IPL memory, powering Bangalore to a four-wicket victory over Hyderabad on Saturday. Both Hetmyer and Gurkeerat hit blazing fifties as Bangalore recovered from a hopelessly placed 20 for three in the third over to reach the 176-run target with four balls to spare. The win meant Bangalore ended what has been a forgettable season on a positive note, while Hyderabad's hopes of securing a playoffs berth were kept on standby. During their 144-run partnership for the fourth wicket, Hetmyer smashed half a dozen sixes and four boundaries for his 47-ball 75, while Gurkeerat made 65 in 48 deliveries with the help of eight fours and one maximum. This was the first time that Bangalore had a hundred-plus partnership since 2013 when Kohli and De Villiers were not involved. After Parthiv Patel was snapped up early by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Virat Kohli got began Bangalore's riposte with two delightful strokes, a straight-driven boundary and a flicked six, but the mainstay nicked a length ball to stun the home crowd. More trouble was in store for Bangalore as they lost AB de Villiers, who snicked Bhuvneshwar to the first slip where Martin Guptill took a neat catch. Two men announced themselves to #VIVOIPL, one man redeemed himself with the winning shot for @RCBTweets 🙌#RCBvSRH pic.twitter.com/4YjoLbdhY7 — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 4, 2019 × Bangalore were tottering at 20 for three in the third over but Shimron Hetmyer and Gurkeerat Singh Mann had other ideas. It rained sixes and fours as the duo of Hetmyer and Gurkeerat blunted the opposition attack with their exemplary batting, bringing the smiles back on the face of skipper Kohli and the faces of their faces. Gurkeerat was contend to play second fiddle to Hetmyer initially, when the Guyanese was dealing in fours and sixes, but opened up later. Earlier, Kane Williamson dealt in fours and sixes as Hyderabad plundered 28 runs in the final over to reach a challenging 175 for seven. Hyderabad were 147 for seven at the end of the 19th over but Williamson cut loose after that, smashing Umesh Yadav for two sixes and as many fours to finish the innings on a high. Williamson remained not out on 70 off 43 balls, hitting four sixes and five fours at the Chinnaswami Stadium. To make matters worse for Yadav, he was wrongly no-balled by umpire Nigel Llong. We've got a Super Sunday tomorrow to complete the #VIVOIPL league stages! After @RCBTweets' win, here's how things stand.#RCBvSRH pic.twitter.com/qxgLgEqnyH — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 4, 2019 × Sent into bat, Bangalore were off to a brisk start with Martin Guptill and Wriddhiman Saha (20) putting on 46 runs for the opening wicket in 4.3 overs, but the keeper-batsman failed to clear pacer Navdeep Saini as the visitors lost their first wicket. After addition of another 14 runs to the team total, Hyderabad lost their second wicket when Guptill was dismissed by Washington Sundar for a 23-ball 30. Manish Pandey, who stretched Mumbai with his brave half-century in their last game, fell cheaply, for nine, leaving the visitors in some trouble at 61 for three in the eighth over. Picked in the World Cup-bound Indian team for his 'three-dimensional' abilities, Vijay Shankar raced to 27 with the help of three sixes, but again failed to translate the start into a big score. Shankar was Sundar's third scalp of the evening and Yuzvendra Chahal picked up his 100th wicket in IPL when he lured Yusuf Pathan into playing an irresponsible shot to leave Sunrisers at 127 for five in the final ball of 16th over. Even as wickets fell at regular intervals, Williamson looked to rotate the strike and also go for the big hits. Barring the opening stand, the only partnership that flourished a bit was the one between Williamson and Shankar, who ended up giving a catch while going for a slog sweep. Williamson brought up his fifty in style, hoicking Yadav over long off for a six and followed that with some more lusty hits.

IPL 2019: Shimron Hetmyer, Gurkeerat Singh power Bangalore to four-wicket win over Hyderabad

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