Eng v NZ promises another epic

Not a dark horse anymore, nether a team that only win hearts; New Zealand have emerged as giant killers in world cricket over the last three years or so.

The Kiwis reached the final of the 2019 ODI World Cup beating India in the semifinal, won the ICC Test Championship beating India in the final, and now they have reached the semifinal of T20 World Cup handing India a return ticket from the Super 12 stage with a lot of authority.

But when New Zealand face England in the first semifinal in Abu Dhabi today, the crazy final of the 2019 50-over World Cup will probably remain on the back of Kane Williamson's mind.

The Kiwis went on to lose the final after the regulation 50 overs and the super over produced ties, with the result being decided in favour of England due to them having scored more boundaries during the 50 overs.

Williamson, however, had mentioned after the final that they didn't lose the game, and probably when the two sides meet again today, the fans won't rule out the possibility of another nail-biting finish.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has since changed the rule, with the game now to be decided only by the super over and not by the percentage of boundaries scored by teams if a match eventually ends in a tie.

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead informed that the ghosts of the 2019 won't haunt them in their semifinal clash against England.

From being knocked out by Bangladesh in the group stage of the 2015 World Cup to becoming the World Champions in the 2019 World Cup and becoming the number one T20I side -- the rise of England, especially in the white ball format, clearly reflects the result of long-term planning.

Eoin Morgan and Co have adopted a fearless brand of cricket where the attacking mindset from each individual sets them apart from the others in world cricket.

It is going to be an interesting battle between the Kiwi swing bowlers in the powerplay with Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Adam Milne against a high-flying England top-order, which has the scoring rate of 8.33 in the power play -- the best in the tournament so far.

Jos Buttler, who scored the only century of the ongoing World Cup and is also the second-highest run-getter of the tournament, will surely have a big role to play in absence of Jason Roy, who was ruled out due to a calf injury.

England will also miss injured Tymal Mills -- their main weapon in the death overs -- while New Zealand skipper Williamson has also remained cautious due to his complex elbow injury for quite some time.

The battle between the spinners of the two sides is also going to be a sight to behold, with leg-spinners Ish Sodhi and Adil Rashid set to play crucial roles for New Zealand and England respectively.

Both New Zealand and England had managed to overcome the hurdles of tough UAE conditions where hot and humid weather didn't hold them back from playing their own game and fans can definitely expect fireworks in the night game starting at 8pm tonight.