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BRISBANE: New Zealand can become the first team in the T20 World Cup semi-final this week, but first will have to contain England‘s powerful batting line-up, pace bowler said Lockie Ferguson Monday.
Ferguson told reporters that New Zealand will need him and his fellow batsmen Trent Boult and Tim Southee to be at their best to beat England. Gabba on Tuesday evening.
“What you always expect from England is that they come out really hot,” Ferguson said. “They probably pride themselves on that aggressive nature and bat really deep.”
New Zealand sit top of Group 1 of the Super 12 stage after two wins and one elimination and need one more win from their final two matches against England on Tuesday or Ireland on Friday to seal a place in the last four.
Boult has been superb so far in the tournament, taking six wickets, including a career-best 4-13 against Sri Lanka on Saturday.
Southee took 3-6 as New Zealand started with a bang Australia in the tournament opener.
“Tim and Trent have had a blinder in these first two games,” Ferguson said.
“When the ball is swinging, there’s not much better in the world. So I think from that point of view nothing needs to change too much, and we just have to adapt to the conditions on the day.
“England are going to have a lot of firepower and we have to combat that.”
The clash against England at the Gabba is a repeat of the 2021 T20 World Cup semi-final which New Zealand won by five wickets in Abu Dhabi.
It is also a repeat of the 2019 World Cup 50-over final, which England won by the best of margins, a boundary count, after a super over failed to separate the teams.
Ferguson said New Zealand knew a win would secure a place in the semi-finals, but they weren’t looking that far ahead.
“Obviously there is a long way to go for us. We have to make sure we take it game by game,” he said.
“It’s very much one game at a time. Tomorrow is a big focus for us, after that we’ll cross the next bridge when it comes.”
Ferguson told reporters that New Zealand will need him and his fellow batsmen Trent Boult and Tim Southee to be at their best to beat England. Gabba on Tuesday evening.
“What you always expect from England is that they come out really hot,” Ferguson said. “They probably pride themselves on that aggressive nature and bat really deep.”
New Zealand sit top of Group 1 of the Super 12 stage after two wins and one elimination and need one more win from their final two matches against England on Tuesday or Ireland on Friday to seal a place in the last four.
Boult has been superb so far in the tournament, taking six wickets, including a career-best 4-13 against Sri Lanka on Saturday.
Southee took 3-6 as New Zealand started with a bang Australia in the tournament opener.
“Tim and Trent have had a blinder in these first two games,” Ferguson said.
“When the ball is swinging, there’s not much better in the world. So I think from that point of view nothing needs to change too much, and we just have to adapt to the conditions on the day.
“England are going to have a lot of firepower and we have to combat that.”
The clash against England at the Gabba is a repeat of the 2021 T20 World Cup semi-final which New Zealand won by five wickets in Abu Dhabi.
It is also a repeat of the 2019 World Cup 50-over final, which England won by the best of margins, a boundary count, after a super over failed to separate the teams.
Ferguson said New Zealand knew a win would secure a place in the semi-finals, but they weren’t looking that far ahead.
“Obviously there is a long way to go for us. We have to make sure we take it game by game,” he said.
“It’s very much one game at a time. Tomorrow is a big focus for us, after that we’ll cross the next bridge when it comes.”
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