Rain interrupted play in the first semifinal between India and New Zealand at the Old Trafford on Tuesday with the Kiwi scoreboard reading 211/5 after 46.1 overs. Ross Taylor was unbeaten on 67 off 85 balls when the umpires decided the players needed to head back to the pavilion.
Earlier, slower bouncers, cutters and the knuckleballs ruled the roost as the Indian bowlers showed why they are considered one of the best in world cricket at present. Even as the team management surprised many by deciding to drop the in-form Mohammad Shami, the trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya showed that they were up for the challenge.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson scored a fighting 95-ball 67 even as the Kiwi batsmen found the going extremely tough on the slow wicket on offer.
World Cup Cricket 2019: India vs New Zealand Trent Bridge, Nottingham – hourly weather forecast and updates
India vs New Zealand World Cup 2019 – Pitch Report
Trent Bridge is known for setting up mouth-watering clashes with its batting-friendly pitches. The average first innings winning score at the ground is 308. With overcast conditions pacers may have an extensive role to play in the clash between the Kiwis and the Men in Blues.
After defeating Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in their tournament opener, the Kiwis registered comprehensive victories against Bangladesh and Afghanistan in their next fixture. India have been equally ruthless in their wins against South Africa and Australia.
Squads:
India: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, M.S. Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, K.L. Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shanker, Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah
New Zealand: Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Trent Boult, Martin Guptill, Colin de Grandhomme, Colin Munro, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tom Bundell, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi
With inputs from IANS
