ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Impressive England reach the semi-finals after beating New Zealand by 87 runs
England 310 all out (49.3 overs), New Zealand 223 all out (44.3 overs), England won by 87 runs: Another impressive win means the hosts currently look like justifying their favourite’s tag
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Your support makes all the difference.If the true sign of a tournament-winning team is gaining results when not playing at your very best then England look like justifying their favourite’s tag and going all the way in the Champions Trophy.
This ultimately comfortable victory against New Zealand, by 87 runs and with 6.3 overs remaining, secures the passage of Eoin Morgan’s team into the semi-finals.
They have also secured top place in Group A, and a last-four match back here in Cardiff next Wednesday, regardless of the result of their final first-round fixture against Australia at Edgbaston on Saturday.
With the number of wins, rather than net run rate, the decider if teams finish level on points nobody can overtake England’s total of two.
Yet that encounter against the Australians will not be without significance in an Ashes year, particularly as England can knock Steve Smith’s side out of the tournament with victory in Birmingham.
They will, though, probably have to raise their performance level up another notch if they are to achieve that goal.
England’s total of 310 was certainly competitive. Alex Hales, Joe Root and Jos Buttler, who finished unbeaten on 61 from 48 balls, all played their part with the bat.
Yet the fact that the overriding feeling at the conclusion of the innings was disappointment shows just how far this team have come since the 2015 World Cup.
New Zealand inflicted a humiliating eight-wicket loss on England at Wellington during that tournament.
This time the boot was firmly on the other foot as the home bowlers dismissed the Black Caps for 223 inside 45 overs despite a fine innings of 87 from captain Kane Williamson.
Liam Plunkett’s performance, taking four wickets for the second successive match in this tournament, stood out for the hosts.
Adil Rashid, dropped for the tournament opener against Bangladesh at The Oval last Thursday, also justified his recall with two wickets.
Then there was Jake Ball, who recovered from a disappointing match at The Oval, where he conceded 82 runs, by returning two wickets for 31 runs from his eight overs here.
It wasn’t all perfect for England, certainly not Jason Roy, who now has just 47 ODI runs at an average of 6.71 this summer after he was bowled for 13 by Adam Milne walking across his stumps.
Yet that was counterbalanced by another half-century from Hales, his opening partner whose 56 from 62 balls followed up the 95 he made against Bangladesh.
Even though Hales and Morgan both fell within the space of four overs, a 54-run stand between Root and Ben Stokes meant England were looking good on 188 for three in the 34th over of their innings.
At that point a total of around 350 was on the cards.
Yet within nine overs they had lost Root, bowled by Corey Anderson via an inside edge, Stokes, uppercutting Trent Boult to third man on 48, and Moeen Ali, picking out short third man.
Root, whose 64 followed a match-winning unbeaten century against Bangladesh, was the one set batsman who should have kicked on.
Even after losing Rashid in the 44th over, trapped lbw by Mitchell Santner, England, on 260 for seven, should have made at least 320.
Buttler was at his brutal best during the final overs, evident when he audaciously ramped Boult into the camera gantry at the River Taff End on his way to a 14th ODI half-century.
But a fine final over from Boult, who dismissed Mark Wood and Ball in successive deliveries after Buttler had taken a single off the first ball saw England dismissed with three deliveries left unused.
Morgan’s team made a promising start to the defence of their total when Ball uprooted Luke Ronchi’s middle stump with the fourth delivery of the innings.
Martin Guptill then edged Stokes to slip to leave New Zealand on 63 for two in the 14th over of their chase.
But despite a sketchy start amid increasingly windy conditions in Wales, Williamson hung in there and alongside Ross Taylor, New Zealand’s third-wicket pair put their side in the ascendency with a 95-run partnership.
Williamson, who had started the Champions Trophy with a century against Australia last week, was always going to be key to his side’s chances.
So, his departure, edging behind a Wood delivery that spat out of the pitch, was a significant moment.
At that point, New Zealand were 158 for three in the 31st over but the loss of three wickets in 30 balls put England back on top.
Taylor, Jimmy Neesham and Neil Broom all fell in that period. The last of those was taken by Rashid and the leg-spinner all but settled this contest when he had Santner stumped to leave New Zealand on 205 for seven in the 42nd over.
Plunkett then dismissed Anderson, Milne and Tim Southee in quick succession to seal an emphatic win.
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