T20 World Cup 2026: New Zealand slips up against England, fails to confirm semifinal spot

Will Jacks (32, 18b, 4×4, 1×6) and Rehan Ahmed (19 n.o., 7b, 1×4, 2×6) emerged as unlikely heroes for England, and landed a sucker punch on New Zealand with their unbeaten 44-run seventh-wicket alliance, snatching a four-wicket win in their T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eight match at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday.

With 43 needed off the final three overs, Rehan launched an assault against Glenn Phillips with a waft over long on. Jacks made the most of short-pitched bowling to dispatch a maximum over long-on and two consecutive boundaries—first down the ground and then through square-leg.

After Rehan’s reverse-sweep over short-third and a swat over long-off in Mitchell Santner’s over, England was just five short of the 160-run target, with six balls in hand.

Matt Henry’s bouncer ploy could only delay the inevitable for two balls before Jacks’ glance down fine-leg got England the winning runs.

But England’s recovery was a two-legged affair before the late fireworks.

Abandoned by its feeble top order, Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell put on 48 for the third wicket after England was reduced to two for two. Brook was in the mood to take on pace, evident from his slap over cover and a whip off his pads against Henry. Bethell rode Lockie Ferguson’s bounce and thumped him through mid-on.

Their intent was the same against the spinners, and England was at par by the end of the PowerPlay, sitting at 47 for two. The innings segued into the second stage of recovery after the pair fell in successive overs immediately after the field restrictions were eased.

Brook fluffed his slap shot to long-off against Phillips while Bethell picked the fielder at deep midwicket off Rachin Ravindra.

Sam Curran and Tom Banton persisted till the 15th over, building their 42-run partnership on running between the wickets.

Curran’s only streak of aggression came with a slap through cover off Ravindra in the 11th over, and a pull over midwicket off Ish Sodhi in the 14th. Going for another pull through the on-side, this time taking on the longer boundary, Curran holed out to deep midwicket off Ravindra.

England vs New Zealand Highlights

When Banton chased a pull from outside off and was snaffled in the deep, England looked out of gas. But Rehan and Jacks produced a dramatic turnaround, which also kept Pakistan alive in the tournament.

In the first innings, the spinners applied a timely squeeze on a flourishing innings to keep the target within the reach of the England batters.

The early nerves were dispelled by Finn Allen as he hoicked Jofra Archer’s length delivery over long-on. Allen stepped out against Liam Dawson for his second maximum, this time clearing long-off.

Seifert took inspiration from his partner to collect 14 runs off Archer. Off consecutive deliveries, he lofted over cover twice before smoking a length ball deep into the stands beyond midwicket.

But one delivery after getting slog-swept over deep midwicket, Adil Rashid lured Seifert with his flight to beat him and get him stumped. Allen departed in the next over, chipping a length ball to deep midwicket on the longer side of the ground.

Phillips was still on the hunt against the spinners, picking full-length deliveries for quick runs. Rashid’s googly landed in the radar for an across-the-line heave, to which Phillips added his flair, going for a no-look shot. Bethell overpitched to him, too, and was drilled along the ground, the ball bisecting long-on and long-off.

But England’s insistence with spin paid off, and wickets at the other end eventually forced Phillips into an error.

New Zealand lost Mark Chapman and Daryl Mitchell in the space of 12 runs. The squeeze around the Kiwis was firmly in place by the time Phillips departed in the 18th over. He did not account for the turn off Jacks on an attempted slog-sweep and lost his off-stump.

Santner and Cole McConchie eked out 24 runs off the last three overs, but that was far less than what England would manage later in the evening.