Johannesburg, Sep. 30 : Coach Andy Moles has hailed the Black Caps'' fighting spirit as they continued an impressive turnaround by beating England to finish top of their group in cricket''s Champions Trophy.

"The one thing about this New Zealand side is that they''re fighters and they fight for each other. They knew they had to stand up and each person had to contribute the best he could," the New Zealand Herald quoted Moles, as saying.

The result in Johannesburg, however, could come at a cost, with man-of-the-match Grant Elliott left nursing a hand injury.

South African-born Elliott, playing on his former home ground of the Wanderers, was hit on the right thumb while batting as New Zealand chased a target of 147 on a pitch with an uneven bounce.

After a disappointing tour of Sri Lanka and defeat to South Africa in their opening Champions Trophy match, the Black Caps'' hopes of making the semi-finals had seemed forlorn. But victory over Sri Lanka kept them alive and they sealed their berth by overtaking England''s total with four wickets and almost 23 overs to spare.

Moles said the Black Caps had no preference over which opposition they faced in their semi-final in Johannesburg.

"We just have to make sure we play to the best of our ability," he said. (ANI)