New Zealand is now the first team to officially qualify for the T20 World Cup semi-finals. The Kiwis beat Ireland in their last Super 12 clash to book a spot to their name in the next stage of the World Cup in Australia. The match saw New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson finally delivering a flamboyant knock. And now, their opponent Ireland is officially out of the T20 World Cup tournament.
New Zealand Vs Ireland: All that Went Down at Adelaide Oval
The match scheduled at the Adelaide Oval saw Ireland winning the toss and opting to bowl first. Batting first, New Zealand set a target of 186 for the Andrew Balbirnie-led side. After consistently delivering knocks at a sub-par strike rate in the earlier matches, Williamson played an impressive knock scoring 61 off 35. Finn Allen and Devon Conway gave a strong start and in the later part, Daryl Mitchel’s Swift cameo helped New Zealand put up a strong total on board.
However, the highlight of the first innings was Joshua Little taking a hat-trick. Little, bowling the penultimate over scalped the wickets of Williamson, Neesham, and Santer to register only the second hat-trick in this World Cup, first in the Super 12 stage. Ireland’s chase of 186 fell short of 35 runs, scoring 150 at the loss of 9 wickets. The Kiwis’ bowling attack denied the Ireland batting line-up to settle. Captain Balbirnie and Paul Stirling were the only ones to score impactful innings in the face of a dwindling batting line-up.
Also Read: Pakistan Keep Their Qualification Hopes Alive Beating South Africa in the T20 World Cup
New Zealand continues its undeniable dominance in the ICC events. Despite struggling with an individual batting form, captain Kane Williamson has been consistently leading his team to the conclusive stages of important championships as such. And the 2021 T20 World Cup runners-up have once again successfully breached the playoffs mark. Now it is to see who else from Group 1 will join the Kiwis in the playoffs of the marquee event.
