England held their nerve in a tight chase to beat New Zealand by 4 wickets in Colombo. Chasing 160, they reached 161 for 6 in 19.3 overs with three balls to spare. Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed finished the job after early trouble at the top.
Both teams had good moments, but England handled the pressure better in the final overs.
Match Summary
| Team | Score | Overs | Run Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 159/7 | 20 | 7.95 |
| England | 161/6 | 19.3 | 8.26 |
- Result: England won by 4 wickets
- Player of the match: Will Jacks
Innings 1: New Zealand 159/7 in 20 overs
New Zealand started well with Tim Seifert and Finn Allen attacking in the powerplay. They scored 54 runs in the first six overs. Seifert made 35 off 25 balls, while Allen hit 29 off 19 balls with three sixes.
After the first wicket at 64, England pulled things back. Will Jacks made a big impact with the ball. He removed Allen and later bowled Glenn Phillips, who top-scored with 39 from 28 balls.
Adil Rashid also played a key role. He picked up two wickets, including Seifert and Mark Chapman. Rehan Ahmed took two wickets as well, including Rachin Ravindra and Cole McConchie.
New Zealand kept losing wickets at regular intervals in the middle overs. Daryl Mitchell struggled for 3 off 8 balls. In the end, Mitchell Santner stayed not out on 9 off 5 balls, helping them reach 159 for 7.
New Zealand Batting
| Batter | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Seifert (wk) | 35 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 140.00 |
| Finn Allen | 29 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 152.63 |
| Rachin Ravindra | 11 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 84.62 |
| Glenn Phillips | 39 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 139.29 |
| Mark Chapman | 15 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 166.67 |
| Daryl Mitchell | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 37.50 |
| Mitchell Santner (c) | 9* | 5 | 0 | 1 | 180.00 |
| Cole McConchie | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 116.67 |
| Matt Henry | 1* | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
- Extras: 3 (lb 1, w 2)
- Did Not Bat: Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson
New Zealand posted 159 for 7 in their 20 overs with Glenn Phillips top scoring with 39 runs.
England Bowling Figures
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | NB | WD | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jofra Archer | 3 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.00 |
| Liam Dawson | 4 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8.00 |
| Sam Curran | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.00 |
| Adil Rashid | 4 | 0 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7.00 |
| Will Jacks | 4 | 0 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5.80 |
| Jacob Bethell | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.00 |
| Rehan Ahmed | 3 | 0 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9.30 |
England did well to restrict New Zealand under 160 after a strong start.
Innings 2: England 161/6 in 19.3 overs
England had a poor start. Philip Salt scored 2, and Jos Buttler was out for a duck. They were 2 for 2 inside two overs.
Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell rebuilt the innings. Brook made 26 off 24 balls, while Bethell added 21 from 16 balls. Tom Banton then played an important knock of 33 from 24 balls.
Rachin Ravindra was the best bowler for New Zealand. He took 3 wickets for 19 runs in 4 overs and kept the pressure on during the middle phase.
At 117 for 6 in 16.5 overs, the match was still open. Then came the turning point. Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed added 44 runs from just 16 balls. Jacks remained unbeaten on 32 off 18 balls, while Rehan smashed 19 from only 7 balls at a strike rate of 271.43.
England crossed the target in 19.3 overs with a run rate of 8.26.
England Batting
| Batter | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Salt | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Jos Buttler (wk) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Harry Brook (c) | 26 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 108.33 |
| Jacob Bethell | 21 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 131.25 |
| Tom Banton | 33 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 137.50 |
| Sam Curran | 24 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 109.09 |
| Will Jacks | 32* | 18 | 4 | 1 | 177.78 |
| Rehan Ahmed | 19* | 7 | 1 | 2 | 271.43 |
- Extras: 4 (lb 3, w 1)
- Did Not Bat: Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid
Also Read: ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 Points Table
New Zealand Bowling Figures
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | NB | WD | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Henry | 2.3 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7.60 |
| Lockie Ferguson | 2 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7.00 |
| Mitchell Santner (c) | 4 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.20 |
| Cole McConchie | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.00 |
| Glenn Phillips | 4 | 0 | 43 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10.80 |
| Rachin Ravindra | 4 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4.80 |
| Ish Sodhi | 2 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.50 |
In the end, England showed better control in crunch moments. A strong finish from Jacks and Rehan sealed an important win in the Super 8 stage.
