England won the sixth T20 International tri-series by two runs against New Zealand but failed to qualify for the final as it needed to win by at least 20 runs.
Coming in to bat first, England posted 194 runs for the loss of seven wickets with the help of skipper Eoin Morgan’s magnificent unbeaten knock of 80 (46b, 4x4, 8x6).
However, Morgan’s efforts went in vain as the visitors’ lone win in the series didn’t guarantee them a place in the finals.
Dawid Malan struck a half-century (53, 36b, 2x4, 5x6) as Jason Roy contributed with 21 runs in the consolation win.
Brisk start
For New Zealand, Colin Munro and Martin Guptill came out to open the innings and struck brisk half-centuries. Munro hammered seven sixes before he was dismissed by Adil Rashid for 57, while Guptill went on to hit 62.
Mark Chapman and Colin de Grandhomme needed to score 12 runs in the final over but fell two runs short as Tom Curran bowled a superb last over, which is already into the final having beaten England twice and New Zealand twice
An aggressive Colin Munro (57, 21b, 3x4, 7x6) belted New Zealand into the Twenty20 tri-series final against Australia despite England claiming their final round-robin match by two runs here on Sunday.
Munro plundered the England attack at the top of the New Zealand innings, equalling the sixth-fastest half-century of all time in cricket’s shortest form as he raced past 50 in just 18 deliveries.
England, on the back of an unbeaten 80 by returning captain Eoin Morgan, posted 194 for seven after being sent into bat. Morgan, who missed the last two matches because of a groin strain, hit six sixes and four fours in a crucial innings that ensured his side posted a competitive score.
New Zealand, with Martin Guptill adding 62 and Hong Kong-born Mark Chapman unbeaten on 37, made 192 for four in reply.
Bitter-sweet result
The narrow two-run winning margin was a bitter-sweet result for Morgan. It provided a confidence-boosting first win in the series but England needed to win by 20 runs to overtake New Zealand on overall run-rate to face unbeaten Australia in Wednesday’s final.
New Zealand passed that target at the start of the 18th over but the groundwork had been laid by opener Munro’s whirlwind big-hitting innings.
“Not that good,” Morgan said when asked how he felt.
“Given the start they got off to, with Colin Munro and Martin Guptill in that sort of form, there’s a bit of dew around, the ball skidding on, it was quite difficult for our attack,” he added.
“We played our best game today. Good enough to win the game but not good enough to go through to the final.
“We just haven’t been good enough throughout this T20 campaign,” said the man-of-the-match winner.
“At the top of the order, Colin Munro was brilliant,” said Kiwi Williamson, who also played tribute to Guptill.
“Martin played so well through that middle period to suck it up after whacking it to all parts a few days ago, to do what the team required to get as close as we could to that total.”
New Zealand will now meet Australia in the final.
The scores: England 194 for seven in 20 overs (D. Malan 53, E. Morgan 80 n.o.; Boult three for 50, Southee two for 22) bt New Zealand 192 for four in 20 overs (M. Guptill 62, C. Munro 57, M. Chapman 37 n.o.) .
