Williamson wary of ‘power packed’ England in T20 World Cup semi-final

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson on Tuesday lauded England’s depth as a Twenty20 side and said they would be strong opponents in the World Cup semi-final despite injuries to key players.

Both teams have won four games each of their five in the Super 12 stage and fight for a final spot in a game that brings back memories of their dramatic 2019 50-over World Cup final won by England.

The Kiwis have since clinched the inaugural world Test championship this year and have performed consistently well across all formats.

Eoin Morgan’s England have been the team to beat in the competition but injuries to fast bowler Tymal Mills and Jason Roy which could unsettle their combination.

“It’s a real shame that they have suffered injuries in this competition. But I think one of the strengths as well of the England side is their depth that they’ve managed to produce over a period of time,” Williamson told reporters.

“Having spent some time at the Birmingham Phoenix and being sort of a little bit involved in that 100 ball competition and you can tell that there’s a huge amount of talent throughout.

“They’re still very much a very strong side who have been playing some really good cricket.”

Williamson said, “Look, they’ve got match winners throughout their team. And that’s been a big, I suppose, movement of their white ball side. Power packed and bat deep as well.”

New Zealand’s strength has been their pace duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee who have rattled the opposition with their early strikes in the group stages.

Boult and Southee share 18 wickets between them and lead a disciplined New Zealand bowling attack that has complemented their batting.