England vs New Zealand: Will Jacks & Rehan Ahmed take England home to hand Pakistan a glimmer of hope
A record-breaking 40-run partnership between Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed, who scored 32 and 19 respectively took England home which gave Pakistan a glimmer of hope to have a spot in the semi-finals.
Last Updated: 10.57 PM, Feb 27, 2026
In a must-win contest for New Zealand that swung like a pendulum at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, England secured an up-shredding four-wicket victory over the Kiwis to solidify their standing in the Super 8s before heading into the semi-finals. While the first innings of the match was defined by England spinners knitting their spin magic around the Kiwi hitters, the second half belonged to a record-breaking lower-order partnership between Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed, who rescued England from the jaws of defeat.
NZ were all over England in the power play
Following our earlier report on the first innings, where New Zealand were restricted to 159 for 7, thanks to the brilliance of Adil Rashid and Will Jacks, along with young Rehan Ahmed, who was playing his maiden T20 World Cup match. However, under the lights, New Zealand pacers also brought out the best during the second innings.
Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson produced two early wickets for New Zealand by removing Phil Salt (2) and Jos Buttler (0) within the first 8 balls of the innings. At 2 for 2, England was tearing down the barrel of a collapse, just like in previous games of Super 8.
Read also: T20 World Cup 2026: Equation for India to qualify for the semis after the win against Zimbabwe.
Brook and Bethell rescued England a bit before Ravindra ran havoc
After the early struggle, Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell steadied the ship and initiated a recovery for England. But the introduction of Rachin Ravindra turned the game back in New Zealand's favour.
Ravindra, who was influential in New Zealand's win over Sri Lanka, with a career-based 4/27, was nearly unplayable on a surface which had grip and turn. He finished with a spectacular bowling figure of 3-4-19 as he dismissed a well-set Tom Benton and Sam Curran in quick succession as England slumped to 117-6.
Read also: T20 World Cup 2026: Does India need an anchor like Virat Kohli? Or do they need something else?
Historic partnership from Jacks and Ahmed
With 43 runs needed off the final 19 deliveries and only the tail for company, the odds shifted heavily toward a New Zealand victory - but Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed had some other plans in their minds.
Jacks, who was already a hero with a ball with 2/23 in his four overs, found an unlikely but composed ally in 21-year-old Rehan Ahmed.
The pair took the game deep, combining calculated aggression with some crazy running between the wickets. Jacks guided the chase with a solid 32 of 18 balls, while it was Rehan Ahmed's fearless 19 off 7 balls that helped England go over the line.
Their 40-run unbeaten partnership is now England's highest ever for the 7th wicket in Men's T20 World Cup history, surpassing the previous record of 35 set by Jamie Overton and Will Jacks.
Qualification scenario
For New Zealand, it was a must-win game for them to directly qualify for the semi-finals of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. However, after this defeat, New Zealand will have to wait for the result of the Sri Lanka vs Pakistan match tomorrow.
If Pakistan win by 65 or more runs while batting first, or chases down the total within 12.5 hours while batting second, they will qualify for the semi-finals.
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.