Nottingham, Sep 6 (IANS): After New Zealand chased down 176 in just 17.2 overs against England to end the T20I series 2-2, left-handed batter Mark Chapman said he knew the target could be chased down as the tourists had wickets in hand.

At Trent Bridge, Tim Seifert made 48 while Glenn Phillips slammed 42 off 25 balls, before Chapman applied finishing touches to the chase with an unbeaten 40 runs off 25 balls, hitting five fours and one six. The result meant New Zealand made a stirring comeback from 2-0 down to draw the series.

“Once Glenn (Phillips) got out, I sort of looked to take over from there. If we had wickets in hand, (we knew) the total was going to be chase-able for us. I think the boys were outstanding. And I guess not only today, but the last couple of games after a couple of tough losses in the first two,” said Chapman on SENZ Radio.

Chapman also feels that New Zealand’s strong finish in T20Is has built confidence in the group, as they prepare for the ODI series with England and then the World Cup, which begins from October 5 in India.

New Zealand will kick off their four-match ODI series against current World Cup winners England at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Friday. “It’s always nice to hit a couple out of the middle. I think more importantly though, it was nice to be there at the end and see the team through to a win. We switch our focus now to the slightly longer format and hopefully we can put up some more strong performances,” added Chapman.

New Zealand will be opening their 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup campaign in a re-match of the 2019 final against England on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The final is also scheduled to be played at the same venue on November 19.