England & New Zealand: Ben Stokes says Paul Collingwood as England seeks to revive T20 World Cup momentum | cricket news

England assistant coach Paul Collingwood backed Ben Stokes to deliver a winning match in the crucial T20 World Cup match with New Zealand.

After their match against Australia was abandoned due to bad weather on Friday, England need important wins to reach the T20 World Cup semi-finals.

Take the win in their clash against a brilliant team from New Zealand on Tuesday, live Sky Sports From 7:30 in the morning, necessary.

While Stokes has been useful on the ball and has had some solid moments on the pitch since his return to T20 earlier this month, he’s only averaged 10.25 with a bat in five games.

Stokes scored just eight points in two World Cup groups, a disappointing comeback considering he rose to the top four, still without half a century in 39 T20 caps.

Despite speculation about his chronic knee problem, England insist he is fit and ready to play his first limited game of the series against New Zealand since his star player turned up against them in the 2019 World Cup Final.

Collingwood, also a former Stokes teammate at Durham, noted that the Test captain often saves his best performances when his team needs them most.

“The only person you want on your team when the pressure is on him is Ben Stokes,” Collingwood said. “I know if it’s a crisis, you want a guy like Ben Stokes out.

“We all know what he is capable of, not just winning sets, but winning sets under a lot of pressure. Not only is he racing, he gives everything else.

“I’m pretty sure there’s a round around the corner and now we’re entering the crucial part of the World Cup… you always see Ben getting ahead in these situations.

“We know that if we succeed in the next four games, we have a chance to win the World Cup.

“It’s almost in the knockout stages now in terms of how we handle our cricket. These are games to win.”

But he added: “That’s why we play the game. Those are the positions you want to be in, a chance to win the World Cup and hopefully we can get our momentum back up again tomorrow.”

England’s attempt to recover from their loss to Ireland has been thwarted by a Melbourne drift and more rain is expected in Gabba on Tuesday, but the worst could be before the teams play in the evening.

“It would be great to get the full 40 tomorrow night. Fingers crossed that we have the right conditions to be able to do that,” Collingwood said.

“In the World Cup, you want to see the teams go against each other, the best teams go against each other in an equal match.

“So we hope tomorrow night the rain can still go away and we can manage that. The boys are really looking forward to playing cricket.”

England have the opportunity to add the T20 crown to their 50-plus title and become the first team to hold both simultaneously. But a lot will depend on this match against New Zealand.

After defeating Ireland on Monday, Australia joined New Zealand with five points in the group – two ahead of England – while trimming their net-point deficit, which will be crucial if the two teams finish tied on points.

Tuesday November 1, 7:30 a.m.

“You have to evolve with the game”

New Zealander Tim Southey has been a regular feature at the T20 World Cup since 2010 and is currently the best international player in that format. He promised that his team is looking forward to the challenge against England.

“It’s always a great match against England and it’s always played in a really good spirit,” said Southee.

“It’s a game we’ve always looked forward to – England have been a great team for a long time, and they play an exciting kind of cricket, so it’s always a game to look forward to.”

Southee himself was a major influence in helping New Zealand successfully defend their winning aggregates at last World Cup.

“When you are still here after so long, you must have done something along the way. I hope there are more years left,” he said.

“I think the key for me is to keep learning and looking for ways to improve, to adapt your game and the older you get, the more experience you get as well.

“You always have to have the mindset of wanting to get better and better, whether it’s to change the pace, and look at the different variations you can bring into your game.”

“I’ve always been looking forward to swinging the ball,” he said, “it’s always been something that stuck with me.”

“The way hitters play and the shots they play now, you just have to not be as predictable as you used to be.

“There have only been a few players who have been able to do the courses and vice versa where it is almost on par with the course now.”

He added, “I may be a little smarter than I was at the time, [I was] Slightly damp behind the ears in these early years. I think you have to grow with the game and if you don’t you will be left behind. »

Watch the England vs New Zealand match on Tuesday live on Sky Sports Cricket. Gathering begins at 7:30 a.m. before 8 a.m. departure for Brisbane.