England top Super 8 group, keep Pakistan’s semi-final hopes alive with New Zealand win | Cricket News – The Times of India
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England top Super 8 group, keep Pakistan’s semi-final hopes alive with New Zealand win | Cricket News – The Times of India


England top Super 8 group, keep Pakistan’s semi-final hopes alive with New Zealand win | Cricket News – The Times of India
England’s Will Jacks, left, and Rehan Ahmed (Photo by AP)

England pull off an exciting four-wicket win over New Zealand in the T20 World Cup Super Eights, thanks to a brilliant late fightback by Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed. The victory keeps Pakistan’s semifinal hopes alive, while England finish top of Group 2 with three wins from three matches.

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England pulled off an exciting four-wicket win over New Zealand in the T20 World Cup Super Eights, thanks to a brilliant late fightback by Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed. The victory kept Pakistan’s semifinal hopes alive, while England finished top of Group 2 with three wins from three matches. New Zealand batted first and posted 159 for seven in 20 overs. Their batters got good starts but failed to convert them into big scores. Glenn Phillips scored 39, Tim Seifert made 35, and Finn Allen added 29. England’s spinners played a key role in controlling the innings, with Jacks, Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed picking up two wickets each to slow the scoring in the middle overs. England’s chase began poorly as they lost two early wickets and struggled at 58 for four. Harry Brook attempted to steady the innings, but New Zealand kept striking at regular intervals. Tom Banton and Sam Curran added valuable runs, yet England slipped to 117 for six in 17 overs, still needing 43 runs from 18 balls. At that stage, New Zealand appeared firmly in control. However, Jacks and Rehan had other plans. They attacked Glenn Phillips in the 18th over, smashing 22 runs to shift the momentum. The duo then collected 16 runs off Mitchell Santner in the next over, putting England on course for victory. With confidence high, they calmly guided the team home with three balls to spare. Earlier, there had been a brief moment of drama when Seifert was wrongly given out, only for TV replays to overturn the decision. In the end, England held their nerve to complete a thrilling comeback win.


Anthem blunder in Colombo! New Zealand players left laughing before ENG vs NZ clash – Watch | Cricket News – The Times of India
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Anthem blunder in Colombo! New Zealand players left laughing before ENG vs NZ clash – Watch | Cricket News – The Times of India


Anthem blunder in Colombo! New Zealand players left laughing before ENG vs NZ clash – Watch | Cricket News – The Times of India
England vs New Zealand (Screengrab)

There was a light-hearted moment before the high-pressure clash between England and New Zealand in Colombo when New Zealand’s national anthem accidentally played in fast forward. The unexpected goof-up left players smiling and laughing, easing tension ahead of the must-win Super Eight match at the R Premadasa Stadium.

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Watch:On the field, New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat first. Captain Mitchell Santner kept the same playing XI as the previous game, while England made one change, bringing in Rehan Ahmed for Jamie Overton.After the toss, Santner explained his decision clearly. “We’re going to bat first. You have to win games if you want to win a World Cup. Nice to have a run on this wicket the other night. We know what it’s going to do. Does look the same. Looked good in the last game and spun more than we thought. If it’s flatter, have to adjust accordingly. You try to use the dimensions in your favour. Same team,” he said. England skipper Harry Brook said he would have batted first too. “Would’ve won the toss and batted as well. Watched the game the other night, and there was spin here. They’re an amazing side. If we can beat them and try to knock them out, that’ll be great. I think we fielded amazingly throughout the competition. There was mis-execution in the previous game. I think I’ll be sticking at number three. Jamie Overton is out, Rehan Ahmed is in,” he added.England have already reached the semifinals, while New Zealand must win to qualify.