Blackcaps opener Daryl Mitchell admits they needed generous help from 'Lady Luck' to prevail against England in the semi-final of the Twenty20 World Cup.
Chasing a tricky 167 on a track where England's star-studded lineup struggled to fire, New Zealand had their own difficulties with the bat that left them needing 57 runs from the last four overs.
Jimmy Neesham then exploded, belting an 11-ball 27 and Mitchell, who remained not out after a 47-ball 72, guided New Zealand home.
They hit a combined seven sixes, including two occasions when Chris Jordan and Jonny Bairstow caught the ball near the rope, but just could not check their momentum.
"Look, we were obviously very lucky at times," was Mitchell, who was adjudged man-of-the-match for his stellar innings.
"A couple sailed over the ropes that could have been a metre shorter and we're all out.
"But at the same time we always knew that as long as we kept sort of just within the certain numbers that we felt comfortable with, we were always in with a chance."
A special cameo from Neesham won the match, but Mitchell, 30, says the Blackcaps were always in the contest.
"It probably sounds weird, but it never felt like it was out of our grasp," he says. "I think, especially with that smaller-side boundary on one side, we knew there were going to be match-ups there that might suit us towards the end."
The late drama was a reminder of the heart-stopping final of the 2019 World Cup one-day between the same teams, where England were crowned champions due to a now-scrapped boundary countback rule, while benefitting from a series of NZ misfortunes.
"It's a bit of a blur, but I can imagine it was a hell of a game to watch and I think the way England played was very special," Mitchell says. "It's obviously pretty cool to get the job done, but I know it's a game of inches."
In Monday's final, New Zealand - the reigning world test champions - will meet the winners of Friday's second semi-final between Pakistan and Australia.
Reuters.
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