COLOMBO : Rehan Ahmed and Will Jacks struck a decisive late partnership as England beat New Zealand by four wickets with three balls to spare in their Twenty20 World Cup Super Eights clash on Friday.
Chasing 160 for victory, England plundered 44 runs from the final three overs to finish on 160-6 and seal top spot in Group Two with three wins from three matches. Already assured of a semi-final berth, England’s victory left New Zealand sweating on other results to determine their fate.
“It was on a bit of a knife edge and I’m over the moon,” said player of the match Jacks, who claimed two wickets and then smashed a quickfire 32 to swing the contest.
New Zealand, the 2021 finalists, made 159-7 after opting to bat. Despite a maiden opening over from Jofra Archer, Tim Seifert (35) and Finn Allen (29) helped them race to 54 in the powerplay.
England’s spinners then applied the brakes, with Adil Rashid (2-28) removing Seifert and Mark Chapman (15), while Jacks dismissed Allen. The Black Caps failed to hit a boundary between the 13th and 17th overs as Daryl Mitchell (3) also fell cheaply.
Glenn Phillips revived the innings with a brisk 39 and Cole McConchie added 14 before captain Mitchell Santner struck a six off the final ball to lift New Zealand to a competitive total.
New Zealand struck early in England’s reply, Matt Henry having Phil Salt caught behind for two and Lockie Ferguson dismissing Jos Buttler for a duck to leave them 2-2.
Captain Harry Brook steadied the innings with Jacob Bethell in a 48-run stand before Brook fell for 26. Bethell (21) and Tom Banton (33) made useful contributions, but Rachin Ravindra’s 3-19 left England needing 43 from the last three overs.
Rehan (19) and Jacks then seized control, each hitting Phillips for six in a 22-run 18th over, before calmly closing out victory.
New Zealand must now await the outcome of the Pakistan-Sri Lanka match on Saturday. Pakistan need to win by 64 runs or chase down a target in around 13.1 overs to deny New Zealand a semi-final place.
