New Delhi: England produced a superb comeback to defeat New Zealand by four wickets in their final Super Eight match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in Colombo on Friday.
Already through to the semi-finals, England showed resilience to chase down 160 in 19.3 overs. At one stage, they were in serious trouble at 58/4. But their batting depth once again proved decisive as they secured their third straight win in the Super Eights.
Will Jacks delivered another outstanding all-round performance. He claimed two wickets and later finished unbeaten on 32 off 18 balls, striking four fours and a six to seal the win, according to icc-cricket.com.
The defeat leaves New Zealand’s semi-final hopes hanging in the balance. Their fate will now depend on the outcome of Saturday’s clash between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Asked to bowl first, England’s spinners controlled the game. They restricted New Zealand to 159/7, with all seven wickets falling to spin. England bowled 16 overs of spin, their highest in T20I cricket.
Adil Rashid led the charge with 2/28 after providing the breakthrough. Will Jacks continued his impressive run in the tournament with figures of 2/23.
Rehan Ahmed enjoyed a dream World Cup debut. The leg-spinner dismissed Rachin Ravindra with his very first delivery. He finished with 2/28 in three overs. Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson also made an impact by removing Daryl Mitchell.
New Zealand openers Finn Allen (29) and Tim Seifert (35) started cautiously before accelerating in the fourth over. Jofra Archer opened with a maiden but conceded 16 runs in his fourth over. The Black Caps raced to 54/0 at the end of the powerplay.
Glenn Phillips top-scored with 39 off 28 balls. He stitched useful partnerships with Ravindra and Mark Chapman to steady the innings in the middle overs. Despite losing wickets in clusters, New Zealand maintained a healthy scoring rate throughout.
New Zealand struck early while defending the total. Jos Buttler fell cheaply to Lockie Ferguson, leaving England at 2/2 after just eight balls.
Harry Brook, who had scored a century in the previous game, counterattacked with back-to-back boundaries against Henry, including a scoop for six. He added 48 runs for the third wicket with Jacob Bethell.
However, Glenn Phillips turned the momentum again. He dismissed Brook at long-off and then pulled off a stunning diving catch to send back Bethell. England were reduced to 58/4, and New Zealand looked in control.
But England’s middle and lower order stood firm. Tom Banton made 33, while Sam Curran contributed 24. Jacks and Rehan Ahmed added crucial runs at the end.
Jacks shifted gears in the 18th over, smashing 22 runs off Phillips. Ahmed chipped in with a rapid 19 off seven balls, hitting two sixes and a four to provide the final push.
England eventually crossed the line with three balls to spare, completing a confident run in the Super Eight stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
