England pulled off another close victory to finish the Super Eights unbeaten as they defeated New Zealand by four wickets at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday.
With 43 runs needed in the last three overs and Will Jacks struggling to connect, Rehan Ahmed came to the crease after the dismissal of Tom Banton.
Kiwi skipper Mitchell Santner gave the 18th over to Glenn Phillips, who started well with a single. But, Ahmed hit a six on the second delivery and took a single on the next. Will Jacks hit three boundaries in the next three deliveries to end the over with 22 runs.
Now, 21 runs were needed, and Santner came to bowl. Jacks and Ahmed managed to extract 16 runs in the over with the help of two boundaries.
Only five runs were needed in the last over, and Jacks hit the winning runs to help his team win once again in this tournament.
He was named Player of the Match for his knock, his fourth in the tournament. He has joined Shane Watson (2012 edition) for the joint-most POTM awards in a T20 World Cup.
Chasing a modest target of 160 runs on a slow surface, England lost their first two wickets by the second over as Phil Salt (2 off 4 balls) and Jos Buttler (0) failed to perform.
Harry Brook came to bat at number three again and made 26 off 24 balls with the help of three fours and a six. Jacob Bethell also contributed with 21 runs. Tom Banton was the highest scorer for England with 33 runs off 24 balls, but it was Ahmed (19 off seven balls) and Jacks in the end who pulled off a dramatic victory in the end.
Rachin Ravindra took three wickets while conceding 19 runs, while Phillips, Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry shared one wicket each among them.
After this win, Pakistan stayed alive in the race for the semi-final spot. Pakistan need to win their Saturday’s Super Eights fixture against Sri Lanka with a big margin to qualify for the semi-final. The Men in Green need to win their next match either by more than 64 runs or chase the target in 13.1 overs.
Earlier, New Zealand posted a fighting total of 159 after opting to bat first in the must-win match. The Black Caps recovered from a mid-innings slump after a brisk start by openers Finn Allen and Tim Seifert.
While the Black Caps looked set for a bigger score at one stage, England’s bowlers, led by Adil Rashid and Will Jacks, struck at regular intervals to pull things back and restrict the visitors to a manageable total.
New Zealand started cautiously, scoring eight runs after the end of the second over. However, openers Finn Allen and Tim Seifert shifted their gears and took the Black Caps to 54/0 after the end of the sixth over.
During the last ball of the seventh over, leg-spinner Adil Rashid broke the 64-run partnership for the opening wicket. He dismissed Tim Seifert, who made 35 off 25 balls, with three fours and two sixes. In the following over, all-rounder Will Jacks removed Finn Allen for 29 off 19 balls, with three sixes. After the end of the 10th over, New Zealand scored 84/2.
During the first ball of the 12th over, Rehan Ahmed took the wicket of Rachin Ravindra, who made 11 off 13 deliveries, with one four. After the end of the 13th over, the Kiwis made 116/3. During the 15th over, Adil Rashid took the wicket of Mark Chapman, who made 15 off nine deliveries, with two fours.
Liam Dawson then removed Daryl Mitchell for just three runs during the 17th over. In the next over, Will Jacks clean bowled Glenn Phillips for 29 runs as Black Caps slumped to 142/6. Towards the end, Cole McConchie (14 off 12 balls, with two fours) took the Black Caps to a fighting score of 159/7 in 20 overs.
For England, Liam Dawson (1/32), Adil Rashid (2/28), Will Jacks (2/23), and Rehan Ahmed (2/28) were among the wicket-takers.
Brief Score: New Zealand 159/7 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 39, Tim Seifert 35; Will Jacks 23/2) vs England 161/6 in 19.3 overs (Tom Banton 33, Will Jacks 32; Rachin Ravindra 19/3). (ANI)
