2026 ICC T20 World Cup: England put New Zealand on verge of elimination with victory in Colombo

by Devesh Jaganath

image 2026 ICC T20 World Cup: England put New Zealand on verge of elimination with victory in Colombo
England have stormed into the semi-final of the 2026 T20 World Cup with a perfect record in the Super 8 after defeating New Zealand by four wickets in Colombo on Friday. The Poms will face the runner-up from Group 1 in the semis, while the Black Caps’ hopes of progressing are now out of their hands.

Will Jacks spearheads stunning England comeback against NZ

England confirmed our 2026 T20 World Cup predictions on Friday evening, when they pulled off a stunning comeback to defeat New Zealand by four wickets and with three balls to spare at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, the Black Caps made an impressive start, with Tim Seifert and Finn Allen putting on a 64-run stand for the first wicket before the former was dismissed for 35 runs off 25 deliveries immediately after the powerplay. 

At that point, it looked as though the Kiwis were likely to go on to score over 200 in their innings, but England’s spin trio of Will Jacks, Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed did impeccably well to slow down the run rate and contain their opponents to 159/7 in their four overs. 

Jacks was the pick of the bowlers, picking up 2/23 in his four overs at a miserly 5.75 economy rate. Rashid and Ahmed also notched up a couple of wickets each, while Liam Dawson dismissed the dangerous Daryl Mitchell for just three runs in the 17th over. 

England, on the other hand, got off to a dismal start, with Phil Salt and Jos Buttler sent back to the pavilion with the side on 2/2. Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell and Sam Curren helped the team to 100/5, but they still needed 60 runs from the last five overs. 

Cue Jacks and Ahmed. Jacks smashed an impressive 32 (18), while Ahmed - who was making his T20 World Cup debut - blasted an unbeaten 19 off just seven deliveries, including two 6s and a four to get the side over the line with three balls to spare. 

The victory means that England ended the Super 8 stage with three wins and at the top of the Group 2 standings. If Pakistan win their final match against Sri Lanka, New Zealand will be knocked out. If Pakistan lose, the second place will be decided by net run rate. 

Super 8: Group 2 standings ahead of Pakistan vs. Sri Lanka 

PosTeamPldWLNRPtsNRR
1England (Q)330061.096
2New Zealand311131.39
3Pakistan20111−0.461
4Sri Lanka (H, E)20200−2.800