England national cricket team vs New Zealand national cricket team match Live Scorecard: ENG 161-6 in 19.3 overs in 160 chase; Rehan Ahmed 18, Will Jacks 27

England seal a four-wicket victory over New Zealand, chasing down 160 with three balls to spare. After restricting New Zealand to 159/7 in their 20 overs, England pace their reply smartly to finish at 161/6 in 19.3 overs. Despite a few middle-order stumbles, they hold their nerve in the closing stages to complete the chase and secure the win.

In a match that could earn them the tickets for the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finals, New Zealand have won the toss and elected to bat first against England at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday.

Also Visit: NZ vs ENG Match Live Scorecard

New Zealand have a simple target when they face England cricket team in their final Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Friday: win and reach the semifinals.

England have already secured their place in the last four after winning both their Super 8 games, but New Zealand still need one more victory to be sure of qualification.

The Black Caps are coming into this match full of confidence after a strong 61-run win over Sri Lanka. They scored 168/7 despite a shaky start and then bowled tightly to restrict Sri Lanka to 107/8.

Their earlier match against Pakistan was washed out by rain, so they currently have three points from two games. If they beat England, they will move to five points and go through. If they lose, things get complicated. They would then need to rely on net run rate and hope Pakistan do not overtake them.

England recently beat Pakistan in a close game, thanks to a brilliant century from captain Harry Brook.

Although their openers have not been in great form, England still look strong and will aim to carry winning momentum into the semifinals. Historically, England also have the edge in T20 matches between the two sides.

ENG vs NZ Playing XIs

England (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w), Harry Brook(c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner(c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson

Get the latest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 updates, including the full schedule, teams, live scores, points table, and key series stats such as top run-scorers and wicket-takers.