Cricket Column: Kiwis have played the smartest cricket thus far

THE first semifinal between New Zealand and England should be a cracker of a game. Both teams are well matched and have the kind of balance that skippers and coaches are would die for. If the Kiwis have played the smartest cricket by far in this tournament England have shown a resilience and late order explosion that other teams would give anything for. Jos Buttler’s assault on the Lankan bowlers in England’s final game of the group stage is an indication of how quickly a game can turn around in this format. He has shown in recent matches that he is probably the best finisher in this format and England will be hoping for another blast from him to take them through to another T20 finals. Virat Kohli’s brilliant stroke play in the must win game against the Australians is going to be remembered for a long long time. Those who were present at the Wankhede Stadium a couple of weeks earlier when England set off in chase of South Africa’s 229 will not forget Joe Root’s innings either. Like Kohli did to the Aussies, Root made the South African attack look bewildered and hopeless as he took England home. Way back in the late 70s and 80s four all-rounders were battling it out for their teams and turning games upside down with bat and ball and in doing so went on to become legends of the game. Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, Ian botham and Richard Hadlee were just incredible and while they may not admit it, were spurred on by the others performances and looked to better them. Today there are four batsmen that cricket lovers look forward to watching - Joe Root, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson bring the same competitive skills and energy to their deeds. Their performances uplift their teams and enthuse their supporters. There is also, like with the all-rounders of yore, an unspoken competition among them to be called the best in the world. If Joe Root’s fabulous innings against Dale Steyn and Co took England to a great win, it certainly made Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Virat play their special innings to get their teams across the line. The beneficiaries was the cricket loving public who saw young geniuses at work. Williamson has settled down to the captaincy just like a duck takes to water and so also Steve Smith. Virat Kohli too has shown leadership qualities that promise many big things and Root is waiting in the wings for his opportunity. The semifinals is as much about Williamson vs Root as it is New Zealand against England and going by what we have seen so far it could be a close run finish indeed. - PMG