‘Street-smart’ New Zealand can topple England to make T20 semis: coach

COLOMBO: New Zealand’s “street-smart” cricketers can find a way to beat England and guarantee their semi-final place at the T20 World Cup, coach Rob Walters said on Thursday.

A win for New Zealand in Friday’s night’s Super Eights clash in Colombo will see them top Group 2 and join the already-qualified England in the final four.

A defeat would leave the door ajar for Pakistan to beat eliminated Sri Lanka on Saturday with the second semi-final berth then being decided on net run rate.

Mitchell Santner’s New Zealand were in trouble at 84-6 against Sri Lanka on Wednesday before the captain steered them to 168-7 and a thumping 61-run win which knocked out the co-hosts.

“I think if you look historically at the Black Caps, you would probably say that they’re a team that have been great problem solvers,” Walters told reporters.

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“They are street smart, they find a way to understand the conditions quickly.

“It’s certainly something that we pride ourselves on. We can adapt to conditions quickly and find a method.”

England are the only team to secure a place in the semi-finals so far after skipper Harry Brook’s match-winning century against Pakistan.

New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra is aware of England’s threat.

“You’re always confident going into these fixtures, especially when we know what the surface is going to be like,” said Ravindra, who took four wickets against Sri Lanka.

“But I think it’d be silly to underestimate England at any point.

“They’re obviously such a quality unit and they’ve shown this in how well they’ve been bowling.

“They’ve got world-class batters throughout their order.”