England fought back to restrict New Zealand to 159 in Friday’s T20 World Cup encounter.
The Black Caps won the toss and opted to bat first in their crucial game at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Openers Tim Seifert and Finn Allen came out all guns blazing, with the duo smashing 54 in the powerplay.
Adil Rashid broke the partnership by removing Seifert. He made 35 with the help of three boundaries and two sixes.
Allen quickly followed the 31-year-old, chipping Will Jacks’ ball straight to Jacob Bethell.
Rehan Ahmed crowned his World Cup debut by dismissing Rachin Ravindra with his first ball.
Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman didn’t let the run rate drop by rotating the strike and hitting the odd boundary.
The momentum shifted after Rashid’s magical delivery led to Chapman getting stumped by Jos Buttler.
England checked the flow of runs, and Phillips lost his wicket attempting to accelerate.
The Harry Brook-led side eventually managed to restrict their opponents to 159, which looks like an achievable total.
A victory for New Zealand will guarantee their passage to the World Cup semi-final.
A defeat could result in Pakistan joining England in the final four, provided they beat Sri Lanka by a good margin in their final Super Eight fixture.
England are already through to the semi-final after winning their matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
