T20 World Cup: New Zealand 1st side to qualify for semis; Australia's fate not in their hands

New Zealand on Friday became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2022.

When Australia scored 168 for 8 in the first innings against Afghanistan in their final Super 12s game, the BlackCaps were officially declared one of the four semi-finalists in the tournament. Australia went on to win the game by four runs but failed to boost their net run-rate and now, semi-final fate is not in their hands.

It means if England beat Sri Lanka by any margin on Saturday, they will progress to the last-four at the expense of the defending champions. In their Group 1, Ireland, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka have already been eliminated. By beating England at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Saturday, Sri Lanka could deny the 2010 champions from progressing to the next round.

On Friday, Kane Williamson-led New Zealand defeated Ireland by 35 runs in their final Super 12 game. The Kiwi skipper was the Player of the Match for scoring a 35-ball 61, where he struck three sixes and five fours at a strike-rate of 174.29.

After failing to reach the 50-run mark in the last four innings in the T20 World Cup, Williamson said he was "happy to time a few balls well today."

"The ball held on the surface a little bit, I think the guys at the top were brilliant to give us the start and help us build the momentum. Then I think the spinners bowled brilliantly to get us the win. I was just trying to build some partnerships and contribute, happy to time a few balls as well today but it was a real team effort," Williamson said at the post-match presentation on Friday.

The New Zealand captain also credited the Irish side for playing "some amazing and challenging cricket."

"They [Ireland] played some amazing cricket, played some challenging cricket and we had to adapt well, which I thought we did. The ball was stopping on the surface, the openers made a great start and the rest of the batters adjusted well to the conditions, especially against spin. I wanted to take my options, work on partnerships, and speak with the batters about things to do going forward. We had to wait until the 9-over mark to get our first wicket. We needed to adjust our lines, bowl a bit slower and I thought the bowlers did so beautifully," added Williamson.

T20 World Cup: Josh Little is a class operator, says Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie

Ireland bowler Josh Little clinched a hat-trick against New Zealand at Adelaide Oval and got a special mention from his skipper Andy Balbirnie.

"We played a top-class team and when you play such teams, you need to capitalize on all opportunities. We bowled well right through the tournament, the fielding was a bit off. (Coming to today) It was nice to set-up a platform - that has been a trend in this tournament, but we needed someone to kick on from there.

"We're quite happy with what we achieved (in the tournament), compared to where we were in the last 12 months, we have improved a lot, especially against good teams and we are looking forward to meeting these sides once again," added Balbirnie.

Speaking of Little, who finished with figures of 3 for 22 in his quota of four overs, Balbirnie said," He's a class operator and showed it today."