T20 World Semi Finals Preview: New Zealand vs Pakistan & India vs England – Betting, Stats & Everything You Need To Know

After almost a month of competition, just four teams remain in the 2022 T20 World Cup, and they will this week fight it out for a spot in the final. The action kicks off on Wednesday night when New Zealand take on Pakistan in the first semi-final, before continuing the next day when India faces England in a clash of the top two ranked sides in the world. Here’s everything that you need to know about these two big games.

 

First Semi-Final – Wednesday 9th November, 19:00 @ The SCG 

 

New Zealand vs Pakistan Preview

After seven attempts, New Zealand are still yet to add a T20 World Cup to their silverware cabinet, while for Pakistan it’s been 13 long years since they last held the trophy aloft. They both now have a great opportunity to break those droughts, with just two wins separating them from the ultimate T20 success. 

The last time these two met in this format was just last month in the New Zealand T20 Tri-Series, and on that occasion Pakistan got the job done, chasing down the Kiwis’ total of 163 with five wickets in hand and three balls to spare. A few days earlier, however, the result went the other way, with New Zealand demolishing Pakistan to the tune of nine wickets.

 This time around, the game could very easily go either way. Pakistan’s bowling line-up has been in lethal form after a grim first match, but the Kiwis are reliable with the willow in hand and will be a far tougher opponent than those Pakistan has faced over the past few games. Pakistan enter the game on the back of a very strong few games, but over the course of the event they have been a little more erratic in their form than the Kiwis. 

 

New Zealand T20 World Cup So Far

The Kiwis could hardly have started their World Cup campaign in better fashion, demolishing their cross-Pacific rivals in Australia to the tune of 89 runs in their first game. After their second match-up, against Afghanistan, was abandoned due to inclement weather, they continued their glittering form with a dominant victory over Sri Lanka, but their winning ways came to a grounding halt when they fell 20 runs short in their chase of England’s 179-run total. However, they quickly bounced back in their fifth and final game of the Super 12 stage, locking up their spot in the semi-finals with a comfortable win over Ireland. 

 

Pakistan T20 World Cup So Far

Unlike New Zealand, Pakistan did not start this tournament well, though it could have very easily been a different story. In their first game, in front of over 90,000 fans at the MCG against India, they lost on the final ball in an extraordinary finish, and against Zimbabwe in their second game they were again on the wrong end of a close game when they fell one run short of Zimbabwe’s total. Looking down the barrel of an early exit, however, they flicked a switch. It started with a dominant six-wicket win over the Netherlands, before they beat South Africa by 33 runs in a rain-affected game and then Bangladesh by five wickets to shore up their spot in the semis.

 

Key Stats

•  Glenn Phillips has been explosive with the bat for New Zealand, scoring 195 runs in four games at an average of 48.75 and with a massive strike rate of 163.86.
• Shaheen Shah Afridi has been brilliant with ball in hand for Pakistan; he has taken eight wickets at 14.75 while conceding just 6.21 runs per over
• These two sides have conceded the least runs per over throughout the course of the tournament.
• New Zealand’s net run rate of 2.113 is relatively comfortably the best of any side at the tournament.

 

New Zealand vs Pakistan Betting

Match Winner Betting 

New Zealand – $1.82

Pakistan – $2.00

 

New Zealand vs Pakistan Predictions

Whichever team ends up batting first will be made to work hard to put a decent score on the board, with neither of these bowling line-ups likely to give up a big total – at least not easily. Expect a score of 160-170 to be very competitive in a game in which batters will find it hard to get off the chain. This should be a close one and could go either way, but New Zealand have been the more reliable, predictable team throughout the tournament and can make their way through to a second consecutive T20 World Cup final with a hard-fought win.

 

Second Semi-Final – Thursday 10th November. 19:00 @ The Adelaide Oval

 

India vs England Preview

The second semi-final of the T20 World Cup will see India take on England, and whichever team ends this game victorious will likely head into the final as the favourite. They’ve both been there before, each having won one T20 World Cup and made another final, although for England that victory was back in 2010 and for India, it was in 2007.

 These two sides most recently played T20 cricket against one another in July of this year, in a three-game series in England. India was the better side throughout that series, winning the first two matches comfortably – by 50 and 49 runs – before England earned a consolation victory in the last match. 

If that series is anything to go by then India deserves to be favourites for this match, though England have looked good so far this tournament with the exception of a surprise slip up against Ireland in their second match. With arguably the two biggest cricketing nations in the world going head to head, this should be an enthralling clash.

 

India T20 World Cup So Far

India could hardly have started their World Cup campaign on a better foot, beating their biggest rival in Pakistan off the last ball on the back of a brilliant Virat Kohli innings in front of 90,000 at the MCG. A comfortable win against the Netherlands made it two from two, though they hit something of a roadblock thereafter, losing a close game to South Africa and then just scraping over the line against Bangladesh in a rain-affected match. They did what they needed to do in their final match against Zimbabwe though, winning by 71 runs to lock up top spot in Group 2.

 

England T20 World Cup So Far

England’s World Cup didn’t begin exactly as planned, and at one point they were up against it to make it through to the semi-finals. After a comfortable enough victory over Afghanistan to begin, they lost by five runs to Ireland before their third game – against Australia – was abandoned due to rain. That saw them needing to beat both New Zealand and Sri Lanka to advance through to the final four, but with their backs against the wall they beat New Zealand by 20 runs and Sri Lanka by four wickets to make it through.

 

Key Stats

• England’s opening batting duo of Alex Hales and Jos Buttler have been terrific in the last couple of games, registering 75 runs against Sri Lanka and 81 against the Kiwis – and in quick time.
• Virat Kohli has been as clinical as ever in this tournament; in five games he’s been dismissed just twice, compiling 246 runs at an average of 123 and striking at nearly 140.
• India’s net run rate of 1.319 in the Group Stage is nearly three times better than that of England.
• India have scored 808 runs at the T20 World Cup – the most at the event by nearly 100 runs – though they have faced 16 more overs than New Zealand, who sit in second.

 

India vs England Betting

Match Winner Betting 

India – $1.82

England – $2.02

 

India vs England Predictions

Whoever out of New Zealand and Pakistan progresses to the final; will be a formidable opponent, but England and India have, at their best, probably been the best teams in the tournament and will be confident in their ability to beat either of those sides. 

This will be a fierce contest between the top two ranked T20 sides in the world, and one with star power in spades. Virat Kohli looms large as a key figure in the match as he has so often before, and his form so far in the tournament is ominous for England. England themselves, however, are not without plenty of dangerous players, and if Jos Buttler and Alex Hales can continue their scintillating form at the top of the order they could lead their side to a big total. India, however, are the number one side in the world for a reason, and can make their way through to their third T20 World Cup final with a win.

 

 

T20 World Cup Futures Betting 

Tournament Winner

India – $3.20

England – $3.40

New Zealand – $4.00

Pakistan – $4.30