Johannesburg, September 30: New Zealand defeated England by four wickets in their crucial last Group B match to enter the semifinals of the ICC Champions Trophy in style at the New Wanderers here today.
New Zealand not only won, in what can be regarded as a must-win match for them, but also ensured that they top their group and throw Sri Lanka out of the tournament. With two wins out of three games, England also progressed to the last four stage from Group B.
Brendon McCullum (40 off 39 balls) and Martin Guptil (53 off 58) starred with the bat to seal the match for New Zealand with 22.5 overs to spare after Grant Elliot (4 for 31) and Shane Bond (3 for 21) ran havoc in overcast conditions to skittle out England for a paltry 146 in 43.1 overs.
For England Paul Collingwood (40 off 58 balls) and Ravi Bopara (30 off 51) were the notable run-getters while Stuart Broad shone with the ball with figures of four for 39.
Chasing a modest 147 for victory, McCullum and Guptil started the proceedings on a breezy note pilling up 66 runs in the first 10 overs.
McCullum was in a hurry to finish off the match and was the severe among the two Kiwi batsmen, hitting James Anderson for two boundaries in the fifth over. .
—Agencies