Reuters, Abu Dhabi

England captain Eoin Morgan was devastated by their loss in the semi-final of the Twenty20 World Cup and said Jimmy Neesham’s blistering cameo tilted the see-saw contest in New Zealand’s favour.

“We’re devastated. To be on the wrong side of a close game is not easy to take,” Morgan said after the narrow loss. “We were right in the game probably until Jimmy Neesham came to the wicket, if not ahead of the game.”

On a pitch where England’s star-studded batting lineup struggled to clear the ropes, Neesham belted three sixes in his audacious late-order assault.

“I think it was a very closely fought game right throughout. I thought Jimmy Neesham was probably the only guy that came out and was showing the ability to strike the ball cleanly from ball one,” Morgan said.

“Hitting ability within our squad is quite strong, and the indication that the guys didn’t feel like they could clear the ropes due to the nature of the pitch was a good indication that it wasn’t coming on to the bat that well. “I think that continued throughout the Black Caps’ innings until he came to the crease.”