Sports Desk: It was nerve-wracking at times but England is through to its first Cricket World Cup semifinal since 1992. Propelled by another century by Jonny Bairstow and a freakish run-out that removed danger man Kane Williamson, England coasted to a 119-run win over New Zealand on Wednesday to climb back into the playoff spots after its final group-stage match.
The English, who are guaranteed to finish in third place, will play in the second semifinal — at Edgbaston on July 11 — against the team that finishes in second place. That is currently India. Back-to-back defeats, to Australia and Sri Lanka, meant the knockout stage started early for England and the tournament hosts responded to being in a perilous situation by winning pressure-filled matches against India and now New Zealand.
“Maybe at the end of the World Cup, if everything goes to plan, we’ll look back on the Australia and Sri Lanka games and say that they built our competition and the character of the team. That was a huge test and we got through it,” England fast bowler Mark Wood said.