T20 World Cup | Dangerous signs for Pakistan as Mohammad Rizwan, Shoaib Malik miss training

T20 World Cup | Semi-final: Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham take New Zealand in final after incredible overhaul

Daryl Mitchell probably played one of the most crucial knocks of his career during the T20 World Cup semi-final against England in Abu Dhabi after he scored an unbeaten 72 off 47. His innings included four maximums and as many fours during the course in an absolute masterclass in finding his range late in the innings despite being unable to hit early on. Chasing 167 in 20 overs, New Zealand had lost Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson early in the innings but an 82-run partnership between Mitchell and Devon Conway got them back in the hunt. The Blackcaps then lost a couple of more wickets in quick succession and the Kiwis were in a spot of bother when James Neesham unleashed a brutal assault on the England bowling unit. He hammered them all around the park to stitch a stand of 40 runs for the fifth wicket. Neesham was eventually undone by Adil Rashid for 27 runs off 10 deliveries but New Zealand eventually went over the line by 5 wickets and an over to spare. New Zealand will now meet either Australia or Pakistan in the title clash on Sunday.

T20 World Cup | Semi-final: Liam Livingstone produces incredible spell; scalps wickets to give England lead

England’s Liam Livingstone certainly turned the course of the match against New Zealand in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi with his bowling after he scalped wickets at important junctions and eventually returned with impressive figures of 2/22 in 4 overs. Chasing a formidable 167 in 20 overs, the Blackcaps had a struggling start after they lost Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson early and were reduced to 13/2 in the third over but Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway steadied the ship for the side with a 82-run stand for the third wicket. But it was Livingstone who made the important breakthrough after he removed Conway for a 38-ball 46 who was stumped by Jos Buttler. The spinner then made another important breakthrough and scalped the wicket of Glenn Phillips for 2 off 4 after he was caught by Sam Billings. Bowling the 16th over of the game due to the lack of England’s death bowling option, the part-timer bowled a three-run over picking the crucial wickets of Glenn Phillips, known well across the world for his big hitting prowess. Earlier, in the day, England rode on Moeen Ali’s unbeaten half-century to put 166/4 in the allotted 20 overs. While Moeen scored 51* off 37, Dawid Malan chipped in with a 30-ball 41.

T20 World Cup | Semi-final: New Zealand on backfoot as England pick early wickets in powerplay

New Zealand had a struggling start to the chase of a 167-run target against England in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday after they lost early wickets with the likes of Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson back in the hut. The Blackcaps managed to score 36/2 in the first 6 overs. The England seamers Chris Jordan and Woakes never let the batters cut loose in the initial phase and dominated the Kiwi batting line up thoroughly. Guptill was caught by Moeen Ali while he was at 4 off 3. Williamson on the other side, could only manage to score 5 in 11 deliveries before he was caught by Adil Rashid. Woakes scalped both the wickets. Earlier in the innings, Moeen Ali shouldered England to a par total of 166 runs, seeing through the tough overs in the middle overs, scoring rapidly against the likes of Trent Boult and Ish Sodhi. Things could have been much worse for New Zealand if not for the fielding unit, who put in incredible effort to save well over 20 runs in the outfield.

USA to host Test playing nation for first time

USA Cricket has announced that it will host Ireland for two T20Is and three ODIs in Lauderhill, Florida, in late December. This would be the first time that the US will host a Test playing nation. "USA Cricket is absolutely elated to confirm next month's series with Cricket Ireland that we have been working on over the past few months as we continue to try and expand the playing opportunities for our national teams," USA Cricket chief executive Iain Higgins said in a USA Cricket press release. He further added that hosting an ICC Full member is a historic moment for the game in the country. "To be able to bring an ICC Full Member to the United States to play a series of five international matches is an historic and hugely significant step forward for cricket here in America,” he added. The first T20I will be played on December 22 and the second one on the next following day while the ODIs are scheduled to take place on December 26, 28 and 30 respectively.