Guptill says Kiwis need to improve batting, bowling 'at death' to save World T20 campaign

New Zealand opener Martin Guptill has said that his team must improve both its batting and bowling at the death in order to reach the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 tournament.

New Zealand stumbled in the final over of their two-run loss to South Africa in Chittagong on Monday, scoring just four runs off pace bowler Dale Steyn as they reached 8-168.

Guptill said that in the next game, if they get into a similar situation, they would need to be a bit smarter in their decision-making and get the player who is on 60-odd at the time on strike, adding that it is unforgivable that Ross Taylor, who was on 62 going into the final over, did not get the strike until the final ball.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Guptill also said that their bowlers should have bowled better in the closing stages, with JP Duminy (86 off 43 balls) given too much room to attack.

Following their opening nine-run win over England on Saturday, New Zealand is locked in a tight race for the semi-finals as it plays the Netherlands on Saturday and then Sri Lanka on Monday, the report added.