Colombo: New Zealand will look to seal the semifinal spot when they face two-time champions England in their last match of the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s to be played at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday.
Two-time champions England have already booked their semifinal berth by winning both games in the Super 8s, while New Zealand will confirm their spot if they beat Harry Brook’s team.
New Zealand are coming into the contest after registering a dominant victory against co-hosts Sri Lanka. Batting first in the game, the Black Caps recovered from a shaky start to post 168/7 in 20 overs.
Mitchell Santner’s team then restricted Sri Lanka to just 107/8 in 20 overs to register a 61-run win. Their first match against Pakistan was abandoned due to rain, and they currently sit on three points from two games.
A win against England would take them to five points, which would confirm their spot in the semifinal, but a loss would complicate matters as they would have to maintain a good net run rate and hope that Pakistan lose their last match against Sri Lanka.
Even if Salman Agha’s team win their last match, the Blackcaps can still qualify if their net run rate is higher than Pakistan’s.
On the other hand, England are coming into the contest after a close win against Pakistan. They restricted Salman Agha’s side to 164/7 and then, with the help of a magnificent century from skipper Harry Brook, chased the target in 19.1 overs. England previously beat Sri Lanka by 51 runs in the Super 8s.
Despite the wins and confirmation of a semi-final spot, England’s openers have struggled, and the team will hope that former captain Jos Buttler returns to form against New Zealand as they look to enter the semi-finals with a hat-trick of wins.
Head-to-head record between England and New Zealand in T20Is
Total Matches Played: 30
England won: 17
New Zealand won: 10
No Result: 3
Performance of both teams in their last 5 matches
England: L, W, W, W, W
New Zealand: W, L, W, Ab, W
When: Friday, 26 February, Time 7:00 PM IST
Where: R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Where to Watch: Star Sports Network for Live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming.
Squads:
England: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook(c), Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Ben Duckett, Luke Wood, Josh Tongue, Rehan Ahmed
New Zealand Squad: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, James Neesham, Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson, Devon Conway
(IANS)
