Former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull, showered praise on Daryl Mitchell and said that his knock against England reminded him of former India captain MS Dhoni.
On Wednesday, Mitchell struggled to play his shots early on a sluggish wicket, but he hung in with Devon Conway (46) in a crucial 82-run stand before anchoring the chase in style with Neesham.
“The great MS Dhoni, the great finisher once said to me that the longer you bat the deeper you take the game, the more worried is the opposition and its bowlers,” Doull said on air during the commentary.
“That is what Daryl Mitchell has done here tonight. He saw the first two New Zealand wickets go down cheaply but ensured he batted through, and here is taking his team closer to a place in the final,” Doull added.
For the New Zealanders, it was a measure of revenge for a runner-up finish in the 50-over World Cup in England in 2019. The final between England and New Zealand finished in a tie — with some critics questioning an umpiring decision which potentially cost the Blacks Caps a victory — then the teams couldn’t be split in a Super Over tiebreaker. England was awarded the World Cup on a countback determined by the number of boundaries hit.
Now the New Zealanders are potentially one win away, again, from capturing their first major limited-overs prize.
