New Zealand beat England to reach T20 World Cup final

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - In a stunning finish, New Zealand beat favorites England by five wickets to reach the final of the T20 World Cup on Wednesday.

Dazzling knocks by Daryl Mitchell (73 not out off 48 balls) and Jimmy Neesham (27 off 11 balls) in the final overs of the nail-biting contest in Abu Dhabi helped Kiwis chase a difficult 167-run target in 19 overs.

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to field with an apparent aim to take advantage of the evening dew.

Jonny Bairstow and Jos Butler produced an aggressive 37-run start in the first five overs.

Bairstow was the first to fall – caught in the short extra-cover by Williamson on the first ball of the sixth over by John Milne.

England completed their first 50 runs in the eight over at the loss of one wicket.

In-form Butler was trapped lbw by off-spinner Ish Sodhi while trying reverse sweep on a straight delivery at 53. He scored 29 off 24 balls.

Dawid Malan and Moeen Ali, who kept the scoreboard moving with singles and occasional boundaries, brought the total to 67-2 in 10 overs.

The two left- handers took the total to 100 in 14 overs.

Malan (41 off 30 balls) hit the first six of the match in the 16th over before falling to Tim Southe who broke the 62-run partnership.

Ali, who continued to charge from one end, dispatched the ball into the stands for six on mid-on in the 17th and 18th over.

Liam Livingstone followed suit with a towering six on mid-off on the last delivery of the 18th over. He scored 17 off 10 balls before being caught on the mid-off.

Unbeaten Ali completed his 50 in the last over, helping England reach a handsome total of 166 -4. He scored 51 off 37 balls.

Skipper Eoin Morgan, who was dropped on mid-wicket on the last ball of the innings, remained not out on four.

In reply, New Zealand's opener Martin Guptil opened the innings with a boundary on the first ball, but was dismissed on the third delivery by Chris Woakes. It was an easy catch by Ali at short mid-on.

Woakes struck again in the third over, sending Williamson back to the pavilion. The Kiwis' captain, who was caught by Adil Rasheed at fine-leg, scored five off 10 balls.

Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway (46 off 38 balls) did not allow English bowlers to take more wickets, taking the total to 58-2 in 10 overs.

The duo accelerated the run-rate after 10 overs, hitting boundaries coupled with a six before Conway was stumped on a deceptive delivery by Livingstone.

The two amassed 83 runs off 66 balls, bringing the total to 95 in 14th over. However, a real charge by Mitchell and Neesham turned the tables.

Neesham hit three sixes and one four, putting New Zealand on the victory path. He made 20 runs in Chris Jordan's over and hit a towering six to Rasheed before being caught in the covers.

Mitchell turned out to be the real tormentor for England who continued to play strokes freely to all corners of the ground.

He hit two back-to-back sixes to Woakes in the 19th over, ensuring a thrilling victory with a full over to spare, and was declared the man of the match.

Kiwis will meet the winner of Thursday's semi-final between Pakistan and Australia, in the final.