After posting a modest total of 241, New Zealand needed early wickets to put any pressure whatsoever on the star-studded English attack. They managed to scalp three quick wickets and were doing well against Eoin Morgan. The English skipper was constantly targeted with short pitched deliveries which kept him on the back foot.
On the very first delivery of the 24th over, which was also Jimmy Neesham’s first, Morgan tried to whip him over square on the off side for a maximum but didn’t get the desired power. He realised his mistake the moment he hit the ball and his lack of power meant Lockie Ferguson was in business. He charged in and cupped a complete blinder to send Morgan packing. He didn’t celebrate immediately, which left the bowler confused as Neesham refused to believe that the extraordinary catch was taken.
However, after a long pause, Ferguson finally celebrated and signalled that he indeed took the catch cleanly, much to the rejoice of the Kiwis. Morgan’s dismissal dented England’s hopes and opened up the game completely. In high-pressure game like a final, it is pivotal to convert half-chances into opportunities and New Zealand so far have done exactly that so far.
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