Rehan Ahmed produced a remarkable all-round display on his T20 World Cup debut as England beat New Zealand by four wickets in Colombo to secure top spot in their Super 8s pool.
After choosing to bowl, England limited the Black Caps to 159 for 7. Leg-spinner Ahmed finished with 2 for 28, while Will Jacks (2 for 23) and Adil Rashid (2 for 28) also picked up two wickets apiece and Liam Dawson returned 1 for 32. England relied heavily on spin — 16 overs of it — alongside three overs from Jofra Archer and a single spell from Sam Curran. New Zealand were steadied by Glenn Phillips (39 off 28) and Tim Seifert (35 off 25) after a fast start; Finn Allen added 29. Ahmed removed a batter with his first delivery, helping blunt New Zealand’s recovery.
England’s chase saw early wobble with Phil Salt out for 2 and Jos Buttler dismissed first ball — his fifth successive single-figure score — raising concerns about his form heading into the knockouts. Tom Banton top-scored with 33 from 24 balls, Harry Brook made 26, and Jacob Bethell contributed 21 before Phillips took a brilliant diving catch at deep midwicket.
Needing 42 from the last three overs, the game turned when Ahmed and Will Jacks launched into Glenn Phillips’ 18th over for 22 runs. Ahmed then seized control of Mitchell Santner’s 19th, drilling 16 off the over, including a towering six and a reverse-sweep four. With England requiring only a few off the final over, Jacks hit the winning runs off Matt Henry to finish an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 44 from 16 balls; England reached 161 for 6 with three balls to spare. Ahmed finished unbeaten on 19 from seven balls, while Jacks ended 32 not out off 18. Sam Curran contributed 24 off 22 earlier in the chase.
Rachin Ravindra was New Zealand’s most successful bowler in the chase, returning 3 for 19.
New Zealand’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals now depend on Pakistan defeating Sri Lanka by a sufficient margin in Pallekele to overhaul them on net run rate. The Kiwis had an awkward pre-match moment when their anthem was played at warp speed in Kolkata, but they still look likely to feature in the first semi-final next week.
England, assured of a semi-final spot, are likely to appear in the second semi in Mumbai next Thursday, probably against India or the West Indies.