Twitter hails Daryl Mitchell's 'spirit of cricket' gesture during T20 World Cup semi final

The New Zealand cricket team on Wednesday avenged their defeat of the 2019 World Cup final by knocking out England in the T20 World Cup semi-final stage.  The star of the England vs New Zealand match was New Zealand opener Daryl Mitchell who scored 72 runs of 47 balls to guide the team to victory with an over to spare. Apart from the match-winning knock, Daryl Mitchell will also be remembered for his act of sportsmanship during this high-pressure T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final match.

T20 World Cup 2021: Twitter reacts to Daryl Mitchell's act of sportsmanship

Daryl Mitchell's act of sportsmanship in the England vs New Zealand match was visible during the 18th over of the New Zealand innings. James Neesham was facing Adil Rashid for the first ball. There was an opportunity to run a single, but Daryl Mitchell denied it because he came in the way of the spinner. The gesture from the New Zealand opener won the hearts of the fans and here's how Twitter reacted to the entire episode

Recap of the England vs New Zealand match T20 World Cup semi-final

Having been asked to bat first, England openers Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow provided a decent start at the top before New Zealand pacer Adam Milne provided the breakthrough. Buttler was next to perished trapped LBW by Ish Sodhi. Moeen Ali joined Malan at the crease as both players tried to get England's innings back on track. Moeen Ali top-scored with an unbeaten 37-ball 51 to propel England to 166 for four, while Dawid Malan scored 42 off 30 balls as England ended the innings on 166/4.

Chasing 167 to win Martin Guptill (4) began New Zealand's chase with a first-ball boundary but, two balls later, the opener, so vital to his team's prospects, got a leading edge off Woakes to hand England a massive advantage right in the beginning of their innings.

As England tightened the noose, Kane Williamson tried to break the shackles but in doing so the Kiwi skipper ended up top-edging Woakes to Rashid, as New Zealand slipped to 13 for two in third over. The two early wickets put England in the driver's seat as New Zealand struggled to keep pace with the required run rate. Conway and Mitchell found the boundaries on and off, but New Zealand needed more than that to mount a serious challenge to their opponents.

Needing 57 off 24 balls, Neesham carted Chris Jordan for two sixes and a four for a total of 23 runs. The big over brought the equation down to 34 from 18 balls for New Zealand. Neesham and Daryl Mitchell then smashed a six each but the former ended up hitting Adil Rashid straight to Eoin Morgan in the covers in the 18th over. However, Mitchell pulverised Chris Woakes for two more sixes and a four to finish the job with an over to spare, something that seemed impossible a few moments ago.

(With PTI inputs)