HomeCommonwealth Games 2022CWG 2022: England Ready To Face New Zealand For The Bronze Medal

CWG 2022: England Ready To Face New Zealand For The Bronze Medal

CWG 2022: Hosts England will face New Zealand in the 3rd place play-off in the 2022 Commonwealth Games on August 7. The winner of this match will earn the bronze medal. England will have to quickly recover from the heartbreaking loss to India in the semis by 4 runs within 24 hours to give a challenge to New Zealand. The Kiwis suffered a similar fate, losing out to Australia in the second semis in the last over.

England will come back stronger

England is a strong unit, having won all their league games, but just fell short in the semis against India. They were looking good to overhaul the target of 165 against India but good bowling and fielding from Harmanpreet Kaur and her girls saw England suffer a heart-breaking loss. Nevertheless, there is the bronze medal to play for in the 3rd place play-off. England would look to amend the mistakes they did in the semis against India. They could not finish off the game when they were the favourite to chase it down. They have to bring their top game to the table against New Zealand which is a great competitive unit as well.

England’s bowling was taken to task by India’s openers and they were left struggling with answers. They will have to put up a better bowling display against the Kiwis. England will take inspiration from their convincing win over the Kiwis in the league phase where they restricted New Zealand to 71/9 before overhauling the target in 12 overs. But coming back from a loss against India, England will have to show up a lot of character to go past New Zealand and win the bronze.

Past results:

England was on a roll, winning all three league games before ending second best to India in the semis. They have won four T20Is in their last five games.

Key players:

England captain Sciverwill be the key to England’s chances in the third-place play-off. She almost snatched victory against India with a knock of 41 before she was run out. Her all-round skills can be extremely handy for England.

Probable XI:

Nat Sciver (captain), Maia Bouchier, Katherine Brunt, Alice Capsey, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Issy Wong, Danni Wyatt.

New Zealand needs to stop losing streak

Kiwis have lost their last two matches – vs England and Australia. Their loss to England was disappointing as they were restricted for 71/9. The Kiwis will have to pick themselves up quickly and put the last 2 losses behind and go all out against England for the bronze medal. Kiwis had won convincingly only against Sri Lanka in this tournament by45 runs while winning closely against South Africa by 13 runs.

Hence, New Zealand has its task cut out as England would be the favourite at home. However, New Zealand is known for its strong competitive spirit and could spring a surprise against the home team which would be emotionally shattered after their heartbreaking loss to India in the semis. Can New Zealand capitalise on it? It would depend on how well they bat against England as their bowling has done its job so far in the tournament.

Previous results:

New Zealand has won three and lost two in their last 5 T20Is. The two losses came against England and Australia.

Key players:

A lot rests on New Zealand captain-cum-opener Sophie Devine and her opening partner Suzie Bates to take a cue from India and go all out against England bowlers in the powerplay. It would be New Zealand’s best chance to put pressure on England straight away and give themselves a chance of a win.

Probable XI:

Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Amelia Kerr, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu

Head to head:

England has a strong record against New Zealand. In the last 5 T20Is between the two teams, England has won 4 and lost 1. Overall, England has won 23 out of 29T20Is against New Zealand.

Pitch Report:

It is not confirmed if a new pitch will be used for this match. But the trend suggests batting second is not easy. The best strategy will be to make the first use of the pitch, put up a big score and try to defend it. But the pitch in Birmingham will keep both batswomen and bowlers interested.

CWG 2022 Third Place Play-off Telecast Details:

TV: Sony Sports Network
Live Streaming: Sony Liv App

CWG 2022 Squads for England vs New Zealand match

England: Heather Knight, Nat Sciver, Maia Bouchier, Katherine Brunt, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Bryony Smith, Issy Wong, Danni Wyatt

New Zealand: Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Izzy Gaze, Claudia Green, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Amelia Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Jess McFadyen, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu

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