England produced a dramatic late show to win the match against New Zealand by four wickets in the 49th T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eights (Group 2) match played at Colombo on February 27, 2026. NZ chose to take the first strike, but their openers started well, reaching the 50-run mark without losing a wicket. Tim Seifert and Finn Allen put up a good partnership, adding 50 runs in just 32 balls. Seifert, who had a close call with a review, continued to play fluent cricket with the help of good strokes. NZ went past the 100-run mark in 11.4 overs. The Black Caps were looking good to post a massive score. However, England came back strongly with good bowling. NZ, who were at 123/3 after 14 overs, slowed their scoring rate. In the last powerplay, the Black Caps lost wickets regularly. Despite Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman's late resistance, NZ were restricted to 159/7. This could be considered a good score, but it was still 15-20 runs short.
England’s response started slowly, but they reached 47 for 2 after six overs, with Harry Brook being in touch early on, while Sam Curran and Tom Banton tried to steady the ship, which had suffered a mini-collapse. At 97 for 4 after 14 overs, the match was on a knife’s edge, and the asking rate was rising rapidly.
And then came the turning point.
With 43 runs to get off the last three overs and four wickets to spare, England’s chances looked precarious, but Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed rose to the occasion, launching a series of boundaries to change the complexion of the game dramatically. Jacks, meanwhile, kept his calm in the eye of the storm, striking vital blows to keep England’s run rate ahead.
England finished on 161 for 6 off 19.3 overs, securing a win with three balls to spare, as this contest concluded in one of the tournament’s most thrilling finishes.
Will Jacks was awarded Player of the Match for his unbeated 32 off 18 balls and his incisive 2 for 23, which came at a time when England needed a breakthrough to stay on top of the game.