England vs New Zealand LIVE: England spins their web, NZ only score 159/7 in a must-win game
Despite a strong start with Tim Seifert (35) and Finn Allen (29), the Kiwis faltered, finishing at 159/7. Adil Rashid (2/28), Will Jacks (2/23), and Rehan Ahmed (2/28), bowled well for England.
Last Updated: 08.54 PM, Feb 27, 2026
In their must-win match against two-time champions England, Mitchell Santner's New Zealand struggled to get going with the bat at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday. Adil Rashid, Will Jacks, and Rehan Ahmed spun their spin around the New Zealand batters as the Blackcaps could only score 159/7 in the first innings.
Kiwis had a flying start in the powerplay
After choosing to bat first, New Zealand looked to make the most out of the new ball and powerplay conditions as Tim Seifert and Finn Allen went after the English bowlers. Tim Seifert (35) and Finn Allen (29) were aggressive from the outset, taking a particular liking to the pace of Jofra Archer and the early overs of spin from Liam Dawson. Their start helped New Zealand finish the powerplay on 54/0 and looked to set a big score on the board.
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England spun their way back in the middle overs
The momentum of the first innings shifted dramatically in the 7th over when Adil Rashid produced a magical delivery to bring Seifert out of his crease with a dipping delivery, which resulted in a lightning-fast stumping from Jos Buttler.
New Zealand started losing momentum from there on.
Will Jacks, who picked up 2/23, was arguably the pick of the bowlers, using the bounce of the Colombo deck to send back Finn Allen before mopping up a well-set Glenn Phillips (39) with a delivery that spun sharply to ruffle the off-stump.
Adil Rashid (2/28) also doubled his tally of wickets by bamboozling Mark Chapman, again resulting in a Buttler stumping. On the other hand, Rehan Ahmed (2/28), who was playing his debut T20 World Cup match, dismissed Rachin Ravindra in his first ball to start the squeeze from the English spinners.
Timid finish from the Kiwis
At 125/4, after the 15th over, New Zealand were looking to somehow get going in the final slog overs, just like the match against Sri Lanka. But a tighter and disciplined English bowling lineup did not allow that. Daryl Mitchell could not get going, and the dismissal of Glenn Phillips did not help them either.
Eventually, they could only score 34 in the final five overs, which took their score to a below-par 159 in the first inning.
New Zealand will have to win this match to directly qualify for the semi-finals. If England wins, New Zealand will have to wait for the result of the Sri Lanka vs Pakistan match tomorrow.
How to watch the India vs West Indies, T20 World Cup 2026 match?
Although this match and the game tomorrow can give us the semi-finalists from Group 2, it is the India vs West Indies match on 1st March which will complete the list of final four teams. Cricket fans in India can watch the India vs West Indies, T20 World Cup 2026 match on JioHotstar, accessible via OTTplay Premium.