They say all good things must come to an end and so it was for the BLACKCAPS' magical run at the World Twenty20 in India.
Our unbeaten boys ran into a rampant England side in our semi-final in Delhi as our 154-run total was picked off with 17 balls to spare and seven wickets in hand.
View scorecard
Man of the Match: English opener Jason Roy has a lot of different shots in his arsenal, backed up by some tremendous power. His 78 runs off 44 balls knocked the stuffing out of the total and ensured the required run rate never became an issue. He’s had a good tournament and showed up once again today - key wicket for the final.
Key moment: England restricted the BLACKCAPS to 5-20 in the final four overs, with the last two worth 3-6. England bowled well, the BLACKCAPS hit the fielders and the target dropped a good 20 runs below what might have been earlier anticipated.
Shot of the match: Too often this category seems to be dedicated to a stunningly beautiful Williamson stroke or a piece of innovative Munro genius. Today we've changed it up - and gone for both. A lofted drive over mid-off for six from Williamson earned a double tea-pot stance from Stokes, while Munro reverse smashed (swept) Adil Rashid for a spectacular maximum. Will never get sick of watching these shots and then writing about them.
Ball of the match: No cartwheeling stumps to speak of, but Ben Stoke's ability to put the screws on at the death gave England the upper-hand. Slower balls, yorkers and the occasional bouncer made it difficult for the BLACKCAPS to find the boundary in the final overs and gave England the upper-hand heading into their pursuit.
In the field: Goes to an expert piece of ground fielding from David Willey, who showed impressive athleticism to cut off a Ross Taylor pull shot on the boundary. The English fast bowler sprinted round and at full stretch patted the ball back in before cannoning into the rope. He'll never read this, he'll never care and it only saved one run, but we were impressed.
Honourable mention to Adam Milne who bowled a 151.3 kph full ball that was returned at twice the speed and stopped by his left mitt. Gutsy and skillful.
Quirk: The announcer in the press box confidently proclaimed (no less than five times) that there was exactly 35,000 people at the match. On the dot. Not one more, not one less. He was later undermined by the ground announcer who called out a lesser total which was not quite so perfectly rounded. Classic!
Next up: The result brings to and end what has been an impressive tournament for the BLACKCAPS, if not ultimately successful. The young spin duo of Santner and Sodhi have been a revelation, while all of the top six batsmen contributed at different stages of the tournament. Some of the team will return to home for a well earned break, while many will stay on for the start of the IPL. We also bid adieu to Nathan McCullum who is now officially retired — a better team man you could not find and he will be missed.
We also send our best wishes to the WHITE FERNS who take on West Indies Women at 10.00pm NZT today for their place in the finals. You can watch the match LIVE on SKY, or follow on our website or on Twitter @WHITE_FERNS.
Thanks: It’s been a great ride and the entire BLACKCAPS unit has appreciated all the support from around the world and particularly back home in New Zealand. Late nights and early mornings on behalf of the boys has been an awesome effort. Losing hurts but hope we did enough to make you proud and we will rise again. Until next time…
