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David Willey column: Taj Mahal and six wonders of the World Twenty20

Taj Mahal trip: taking in the sights with Jos, Rooty and Plunkett
Image: Taj Mahal trip: Taking in the sights with Jos, Rooty and Plunkett

After visiting the Taj Mahal, England's left-armer picks his six wonders of the WT20 so far and looks ahead to a possible seventh...

We're two wins away from achieving something very special but for now our sole focus is on Wednesday's semi-final against New Zealand. 

So far we've shown glimpses of what we can do as a team without quite coming together as a collective unit yet, which is an exciting prospect. If we can put it all together against New Zealand, we're going to be very difficult to beat.

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Kane Williamson has done a fantastic job leading them - they've adapted to the conditions really well and, like us, have got across the line in some tight games.

So this semi-final is going to be another exciting game in what has already been an emotionally and mentally exhausting tournament.

The other day I was sat in bed watching the West Indies v South Africa game hoping the result would go our way and I even felt like I was playing in that game as well!

It'd be a dream come true to reach the final, which would be our sixth game. Here are a few of the standout moments for me so far - in no particular order!

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First wicket - If it had been Chris Gayle, the result against West Indies might have been different! Still, not many people can say they've taken a wicket at a World Cup so dismissing Johnson Charles in my first over was a special moment that I'll cherish for ever. Singing the national anthem before the game was right up there too.

David Willey celebrates dismissing Johnson Charles
Image: What a feeling! Shame it wasn't the chap in the photo...

Stunning chase - Our tournament came alive with the win over South Africa. Our bowling disappeared around the park but to chase down such a massive score showed the character in the squad. On our day, the lads believe we can beat anyone in the world. Rooty's knock was phenomenal but one of the strengths of our side is that we've got people who can contribute all the way down the order.

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Rooty talks Rob Key through his extraordinary innings

Taj Mahal visit - It was a long old journey to get there - three hours there, four hours back to spend one hour at the Taj Mahal - but it was one I had to make even it if was an early start. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, after all and you never know when you might be back. Jos and Rooty marked the moment by recreating the 'Atherton-Fairbrother' pose…

Jos and Rooty do an Athers and Fairbrother...
Image: Jos and Rooty do an Athers and Fairbrother...

'Exploring' Delhi - I was lucky enough to play at the DLF Golf and Country Club - one of the most beautiful courses I've played - but after four or five holes I'd barely played a shot without losing a ball and it got to the stage where my caddie was bringing two balls to me and a few clubs for each shot I was playing, because it was an absolute debacle. I was close to going to the driving range and getting some lessons. Jos and Morgs were with me at the time - I was that bad they didn't even bother saying anything.

Hitting out against Afghanistan after building a platform...
Image: Hitting out against Afghanistan after building a platform...

Afghanistan comeback - I was run out without facing a ball against South Africa so I hadn't had a lot of time in the middle before walking out to bat against Afghanistan with the score on 85-7! Mo and I thought we'd try to rotate the strike as best as we could and hopefully give ourselves a bit of a platform to go for it in the last two or three overs of the innings.

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Mo and I catch up with Rob Key after our victory over Afghanistan...

We managed to do that and get a large enough total to get across the line. The Afghan lads were really nice guys - passionate about playing cricket - and really relished playing in this competition.

Sri Lanka success - Going into it, I was still exhausted from watching South Africa against West Indies the previous evening! With the group as it was after that result, we went to Delhi knowing the game was basically a quarter-final. We didn't talk about that a great deal, we just spoke about the game itself but in the back of everybody's mind we knew how important winning was.

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Stokesy gives an insight into bowling at the death

Stokesy and Jordan bowled exceptionally well at the end of the match to get us across the line. It was another example of different players standing up and delivering for the team. 

Watch England take on New Zealand in the semi-final of the ICC World Twenty20 from 1.30pm on Wednesday, on Sky Sports 2.  Or watch for £6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV.

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