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The historic R. Premadasa Stadium (RPS) in Colombo bore witness to a high-octane cricketing spectacle on Friday, as England and New Zealand locked horns in the 49th Match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. This Super Eights, Group 2 encounter was more than just a game; it was a survival battle where individual brilliance met collective grit. While the scoreboard reflects a win for England, the highlight reel from the night belongs to one man: Glenn Phillips.
Glenn Phillips’ airborne stunner sends Jacob Bethell packing in Super 8 thriller
In a tournament defined by athletic excellence, Phillips produced a moment that will be etched in T20 World Cup folklore. During the 9th over of the England chase, New Zealand was desperate to break a brewing partnership. Rachin Ravindra tossed up a delivery to the set Jacob Bethell (21 off 16). Bethell connected with a violent pull shot that seemed destined for the midwicket boundary.
What followed was pure gravity-defying theater. Phillips, stationed at deep midwicket, tracked the ball’s trajectory with predatory focus. Sprinting in from the ropes at full tilt, he launched himself into a horizontal dive, snatching the ball inches from the turf. It wasn’t just the catch; it was the sheer difficulty of judging a ball coming directly at him while moving forward at high speed.
The dismissal of Bethell at 58/4 left England reeling, and the Phillips Special momentarily shifted the momentum back to the Black Caps. The sheer audacity of the take—harder than a sideways dive because of the risk of a facial impact—highlighted why Phillips is considered one of the world’s premier outfielders.
Here’s the video:
Will Jacks heroics deny surety of semifinal berth to New Zealand
Despite the fielding masterclass from New Zealand, England managed to clinch a nail-biting 4-wicket victory with just 3 balls to spare. Chasing a target of 160, England’s innings was a roller-coaster. After a disastrous start that saw stalwarts Phil Salt and Jos Buttler depart with only 2 runs on the board, the middle order had to rebuild under immense pressure.
Rachin Ravindra was the chief destroyer for the Kiwis, returning exceptional figures of 3/19 in 4 overs. He accounted for Bethell, Tom Banton (33), and Sam Curran (24), putting England in a precarious position at 117/6. However, Will Jacks proved to be the difference-maker. Earning the Player of the Match honours, Jacks remained unbeaten on 32 off 18 balls, striking at a rate of 177.77. His calm demeanor in the final overs, supported by a frantic 19 off 7 balls from Rehan Ahmed, guided England to 161/6 in 19.3 overs.
Earlier in the day, New Zealand’s innings of 159/7 was built on solid starts from Tim Seifert (35) and Phillips (39), but they lacked the finishing kick. England’s spin duo of Adil Rashid and Jacks strangled the run flow, both picking up two wickets apiece. Jacks’ all-round impact—2/23 with the ball and 32 with the bat—ultimately broke New Zealand hearts, officially ending their hopes for a semifinal spot in this edition of the World Cup.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: crickettimes.com
