Colombo: England defeated New Zealand by 4 wickets in their final Super 8 match of the tournament. Chasing New Zealand’s target of 160, England reached the total with 6 wickets down on the third ball of the final over.
England’s win has revived Pakistan’s hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals. Pakistan now needs to beat host Sri Lanka in a manner that improves their net run rate over New Zealand. To advance to the semi-finals, Pakistan must either:
- Defeat Sri Lanka by a margin of at least 65 runs, or
- Chase Sri Lanka’s target in 13 overs or fewer.
While the required margin or chase rate is challenging, it is not impossible.
In today’s match in Colombo, New Zealand, batting first, scored 159/7 in their allotted overs. Notable contributions came from Phillips (39), Tim Seifert (35), and Allen (29).
For England, Adil Rashid, Rehan Ahmed, and Will Jacks each claimed 2 wickets.
During the run chase, England were in trouble at 117/6 after 17 overs. However, the seventh-wicket partnership between Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed turned the game with aggressive power-hitting. Jacks scored 32 off 18 balls, while Rehan Ahmed smashed 19 off just 7 balls. Their 44-run stand came off only 16 balls and steered England to victory.
