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February 27, 2026
February 27, 2026
February 27, 2026
February 27, 2026
Will Jacks rode the confidence he has gleaned from a breakthrough global tournament, while Rehan Ahmed landed feet-first in the competition with crucial display of youthful bravado, as England found the gumption to outmuscle New Zealand in a gripping, spin-dominant encounter in Pallekele, to march into the semi-finals with their first real statement win of the campaign.
It was a dead rubber from England’s perspective, but it was anything but for New Zealand. They remain odds-on to reach the last four unless Pakistan can pull off a massive win over Sri Lanka in their own group finale on Saturday night.
But this was their chance to progress on their own terms, and when England had slumped to 117 for 6 at the end of the 17th over, with Jos Buttler’s crisis tournament hitting a new nadir, a target of 43 from 18 seemed outlandish to say the least.
The winning boundary came via Jacks’ grille with three balls to spare, and was greeted with a shrug of the shoulders as he prepared to claim his fourth Match award of the campaign, but the decisive onslaught had come two overs earlier, in Glenn Phillips’ fourth and final burst of a compelling all-round game.
Phillips had previously chipped in with the day’s most imposing knock, 39 from 28 in New Zealand’s hard-grafting innings of 159 for 7, and if his first-ball dismissal of a rampant Harry Brook hadn’t been the decisive blow of the chase, then his stunning diving catch at deep midwicket off Jacob Bethell, to leave England 58 for 4 in the ninth over, seemed to have wrecked any remaining hopes.
But, after Tom Banton’s 33 from 24 had kept England afloat through the middle overs, Jacks and Rehan combined to rampage through the finish line. Rehan, making his tournament debut in place of Jamie Overton, crashed Phillips over long-on for six before Jacks launched him over midwicket, then closed out a 22-run over with back-to-back fours.
Rehan then greeted Mitchell Santner, hitherto so frugal for New Zealand, with an exceptional reverse-sweep for four more, and when he charged down the track to his final ball with a gung-ho swing for a second six over long-off, the requirement had been obliterated to five from the final six. (ESPNcricinfo)
