England defeated New Zealand by four wickets in a thrilling Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup, thanks to a scintillating 44-run partnership between Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed played at Colombo on Friday.
Chasing a target of 160 runs, England reached 160/6 in the final over, with Jacks and Ahmed’s 16-ball stand playing a decisive role in clinching the win.
Both batsmen remained not out, scoring 32 and 19 runs respectively.
Other contributions came from Tom Banton (33), captain Harry Brook (26), Sam Curran (24), Phil Salt (2), and Jos Buttler (0).
For New Zealand, Rachin Ravindra claimed three wickets, while Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, and Glenn Phillips took one wicket each.
Earlier, New Zealand posted 159/7 against England, setting a target of 160 runs for victory.
Glenn Phillips was the top scorer for New Zealand with 39 runs, supported by Tim Seifert (35), Finn Allen (29), Mark Chapman (15), Cole McConchie (14), Rachin Ravindra (11), and Daryl Mitchell (3).
Captain Mitchell Santner remained unbeaten on 9, while Matt Henry finished not out on 1.
For England, Will Jacks and Adil Rashid claimed two wickets each, with Rehan Ahmed also taking two, while Liam Dawson added one more to the bowling tally.
Earlier, New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first against England.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner opted to take first strike in the must-watch contest, fully aware that a win would guarantee the Black Caps a place in the tournament’s final four.
The Kiwis currently have three points from two matches and need just one more point to secure qualification.
A victory over England would confirm their semi-final berth and simultaneously eliminate Pakistan from the competition.
England, however, have already sealed their spot in the semi-finals with two wins in the Super 8 stage.
Despite having qualification secured, the English side’s performance carries enormous importance for Pakistan.
An England victory would keep the Green Shirts’ slim hopes alive heading into the final round of matches.
Pakistan, with just one point from two outings, are scheduled to play their last Super 8 fixture against Sri Lanka.
For Pakistan to progress, they must defeat Sri Lanka and rely on England to overcome New Zealand.
In that scenario, qualification would be decided on net run rate between Pakistan and New Zealand, with the superior side advancing to the semi-finals.
Playing XIs
England: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Harry Brook (capt), 4 Jacob Bethell, 5 Tom Banton, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Will Jacks, 8 Rehan Ahmed, 9 Liam Dawson, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 Adil Rashid
New Zealand: 1 Tim Seifert (wk), 2 Finn Allen, 3 Rachin Ravindra, 4 Glenn Phillips, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Mark Chapman, 7 Mitchell Santner (capt), 8 Cole McConchie, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Ish Sodhi, 11 Lockie Ferguson