England have done a favor to Pakistan with their victory over New Zealand in the penultimate Super 8 clash of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the R. Premadasa Cricket Stadium in Colombo. For the lion’s share of the innings, England were behind the eighth ball in the chase of 160 runs as the spin department of the Kiwi side got the better of their batters. 

The New Zealand side posted 159 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their allotted 20 overs as their middle-order batter, Glenn Phillips, smashed 39 runs in 28 balls while their opening batter, Tim Seifert, clubbed 35 runs in 25 balls at a strike rate of 140, shouldering on three boundaries and a couple of over boundaries.

See Also: Watch: Glenn Phillips' outrageous catch dismisses Jacob Bethell for 21 in ENG vs NZ T20 World Cup 2026

Meanwhile, England kept losing wickets at the start of the innings before their middle order and lower order batters stood up on their feet and bailed them out of trouble. Rachin Ravindra finished his full quota of four overs for a fine bowling spell of 3/19 in four overs at an economy rate of 4.80.

How can Pakistan qualify for T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal? 

The qualification scenario for the Pakistan side, who will be up against a depleted Sri Lanka side in the final Super 8 clash of the group at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, will have a stiff job on their hand. The first job for them will be to beat the opponents.

🚨 Here's the NRR situation for Pakistan following NZ's loss to England

Who do you think will qualify? 🤔#ENGvsNZ #T20WorldCup2026 pic.twitter.com/Ab6ybXDZEd

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) February 27, 2026

Now, if they bat first in that clash, then they will have to win the game by at least 55 to 70 runs. For example, if they bat first and post a strong score of 170, then they will have to restrict the Sri Lanka side to under 115.

On the other hand, they will have to chase the target superbly quickly, at least with five to seven overs in hand. For example, if they are chasing 150 runs, they will have to complete the chase by 13 overs to get to the third stage of the tournament.

The last Super 8 clash between England and New Zealand at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo in the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 was vital for the latter’s qualification to the semifinal of the event. On a slow surface, the Kiwis batted first and posted a decent score on the board, and put the England side under tremendous pressure with their spin bowling.

But the outrageous fielding and catching from Glenn Phillips went viral, which injected some different energy among the New Zealand players. On the fourth delivery of the ninth over, Rachin Ravindra went for a slow and short delivery against Jacob Bethell, who went on the backfoot and punched the ball in the air, but he didn’t get the elevation.

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It was a flat good length delivery on the stump. Phillips rushed in and dived forward to roll his body after taking the catch, which was key as he ensured that the ball had no chance of coming out of his grasp. It was possible only because of the hours of practice that they did.

Glenn Phillips; stunning catch from ENG vs NZ T20 WC 2026 goes viral 

New Zealand batted first to post a strong score of 159 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Phillips himself smashed 39 runs in 28 balls with the help of four boundaries and a six at a strike rate of nearly 140, while Tim Seifert clubbed 35 runs in 25 balls at a strike rate of 140.

Watch the video here: 

It’s that man again! 🤯

Glenn Phillips pulls off an insane catch to send Jacob Bethell back to the pavilion. 🔥

ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup, SUPER 8, #ENGvNZ | LIVE NOW ➡️ https://t.co/ueqfaabxcO pic.twitter.com/af1n7G5DIb

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 27, 2026

England’s spinners were excellent as their debutant of the T20 WC, Rehan Ahmed, finished with figures of 2/28 in three overs. Meanwhile, Will Jacks returned with 2/23 in four overs, while Adil Rashid picked up two vital wickets for an economy rate of seven in four overs.

England kept losing wickets regularly in the chase as things didn’t go their way. Rachin Ravindra was excellent to finish with figures of 3/19 in his four overs, while Santner gave away only 13 runs in three overs. The two pacers’ combined figures were 2/27 in four overs.

Brief Scores: England 161/6 (Will Jacks 32*, Rachin Ravindra 3/19) beat New Zealand 159/7 (Glenn Phillips 39, Will Jacks 2/23) by four-wickets. 

For England, the encounter against New Zealand in their last Super 8 clash of the T20 World Cup 2026 was a mere fixture. However, for the Kiwis, it was a do-or-die situation. If they don’t win the fixture, then they won’t have their luck in their hand, with just one win in three clashes, and hope that Pakistan will lose their last game to clear their path for the semifinals.

The clash took place between the two finalists of the 2019 ODI World Cup at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, where batting hasn’t been an easy task, especially in the second innings, which saw the Kiwis winning the toss, opting to bat first as they saw how Sri Lanka crumbled the other evening.

Let’s take a look at the three key factors that will decide the ENG vs NZ Match 49

1.New Zealand’s middle overs’ batting 

In the previous clash against Sri Lanka, the Kiwis went off to a decent start with 44 runs on the board for the loss of two wickets. Rachin Ravindra batted well at number three for his 32 runs in 22 balls with the help of 145.45. But their middle order couldn’t contribute at all with the bat as they fell like a pack of cards.

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Glenn Phillips was dismissed for 18 runs while Dayle Mitchell fell cheaply for only three runs, before Mark Chapman went back to the pavilion for the two-ball duck. It was only Mitchell Santner who dislodged the opposition bowling attack to carry them to a strong score of nearly 170 runs, which proved to be 61 runs extra. 

2. New Zealand’s spin bowling

On a slow surface, where the Kiwis would defend the score, their spin unit will be under pressure to perform and dry up the runs in the middle overs, besides picking up wickets. Ish Sodhi didn’t complete his full quota of four overs and returned with figures of 0/13 in two overs in the previous clash, while their left-arm spinner, Rachin Ravindra, bagged four wickets for 27 runs in four overs at an economy rate of 6.75.

Santner mixed his pace of the deliveries beautifully, besides using outrageous field placements along with the variations to end with figures of 1/19 in four overs. However, under pressure, he will be up against some of the greatest spin hitters of the England side, which will be a challenge and a critical factor in the game.

3. In-form Harry Brook’s form with bat

Harry Brook was batting in the middle order towards the beginning of the campaign before he, after a suggestion from coach Brendon McCullum, decided to bat at number three. Brook blasted a fine knock of 100 runs in 51 balls with the help of 10 boundaries and four sixes at a strike rate of 196.08. He was excellent in running between the wickets, besides taking on the Pakistan bowlers.

His role will remain the same to counter the New Zealand bowling attack. Their camp will also get to see their veteran wicket-keeper opening batter, Jos Buttler, return in form after a horrible campaign. If they do, they will head to India with confidence and unbeaten by winning all the games before the semifinal.

According to reports, the opener of this year’s ICC mega event will feature England, the defending champions, taking on the World Cup’s losing finalists. The World Cup opener between the two teams is expected to take place on October 5 in Ahmedabad. The World Cup final is also scheduled for November 19 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

As per sources, India, the hosts, will face Australia in Chennai, where they will begin their campaign. In the meantime, the source confirmed that Pakistan, India’s arch-rival, has agreed to travel to the host nation for the global tournament, despite their ongoing disagreement over the Asia Cup plans for later this year.

While the World Cup opener and final are booked to occur in Ahmedabad, neighbours Pakistan are not keen at playing their games at the Narendra Modi Stadium, mentioning a difference in settings for their gathering apparatuses. Be that as it may, they have consented to play the final in Ahmedabad, assuming their team fits the bill for the highest point conflict. The Men in Green are likely to play their games in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru, according to a tentative schedule.

The tentative list of World Cup venues does not include Mohali or Nagpur

Twelve cities are scheduled to host the matches of the quadrennial event. Other destinations include Kolkata, Delhi, Indore, Dharamsala, Guwahati, Rajkot, Raipur, and Mumbai. Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium is likely to host one of the semifinals, despite the obvious omissions of Mohali and Nagpur from the list.

After the conclusion of the current 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), an official announcement is anticipated to be made by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The peak cricket body is supposed to have the last say in the planning of the apparatuses and the settings. Ten teams will compete in the tournament, including the hosts, India. South Africa is the most recent team to earn direct qualification.