Humble Kiwis hail 'luck' as England left 'devastated'

Humble New Zealand opener Daryl Mitchell says the Black Caps were "very lucky" to prevail against England in the semi-final of the Twenty20 World Cup.

And a "devastated" England captain Eoin Morgan hailed Jimmy Neesham as the game-changer, while insisting he was still the right man to lead England to next year's T20 World Cup in Australia.

Chasing a tricky 167 on a track where England's star-studded line-up struggled to fire on Wednesday, New Zealand had their own difficulties with the bat that left them needing 57 runs from the last four overs.

Neesham then exploded with the bat, 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," Mitchell, who was adjudged man-of-the-match for his stellar innings, told reporters.

"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 that we were always in with a chance."

Chris Jordan conceded 23 runs in the 17th over as Neesham turned the tide before Mitchell's belligerent blows off Chris Woakes meant the last over was redundant.

"We're devastated," Morgan said.

"To be on the wrong side of a close game is not easy to take ... We were right in the game probably until Jimmy Neesham came to the wicket, if not ahead of the game.

"We've played against Jimmy a lot. He's not struck the ball like that against us, ever.

"It's a fantastic cameo in high-pressure circumstances when his team needed it. You have to take your hat off to him. He played really well."

It took a special cameo from Neesham to win the match but Mitchell said New Zealand were always in the contest.

"It probably sounds weird, but it never felt like it was out of our grasp," the 30-year-old said.

"I think especially with that smaller side boundary on one side, we knew that 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 ODI World Cup between the teams where England were crowned the 50-over champions due to a now-scrapped boundary countback rule.

"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 said.

"It's obviously pretty cool to get the job done, but I know it's a game of inches."

England were aiming to become the first nation to hold both white-ball World Cup trophies simultaneously but that bid will roll over to Australia in 12 months' time, where Morgan is optimistic of still being at the helm.

"I hope so, I'm still offering enough within the side," he said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

"I absolutely love playing cricket at the moment for that changing room.

"The guys give everything, they're at the forefront of change on and off the field and we've a lot of things to be proud about. I'm incredibly proud to be the leader."

2021 Men's T20 World Cup

Semi-finals

Nov 10: New Zealand beat England by five wickets

Nov 11: Pakistan v Australia, Dubai (6pm local, 1am Nov 12 AEDT)

Final

Nov 14: New Zealand v TBC, Dubai (6pm local, 1am Nov 15 AEDT)

All matches live and exclusive on Fox Cricket, available on Kayo Sports.

Click here for the full 2021 ICC T20 World Cup schedule