Rehan Ahmed starred with bat and ball on his T20 World Cup debut as England guaranteed top spot in their pool with a four-wicket win over New Zealand that leaves their opponents sweating on a semi-final place.
Leg-spinning all-rounder Ahmed bagged 2-28 as England earlier restricted the Black Caps to 159-7 and then smoked 19 not out off seven balls in an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 44 from 16 balls with Will Jacks (32no off 18) as Harry Brook’s team got home with three balls to spare in a Colombo thriller.
The batting side were 117-6 with three overs remaining but then became favourites as Ahmed and Jacks, who continues to make telling contributions, took a Glenn Phillips over for 22.
England, already through to the knockout stages after victories over Sri Lanka and Pakistan, saw Jos Buttler’s woes continue as he bagged a two-ball duck – his fifth single-figure score in a row.
Skipper Brook followed his 50-ball hundred against Pakistan last time out with a knock of 26 off 24 balls, including a stunning, nonchalant flick for six over the leg side off Matt Henry that broke the LED screen, before he holed out off Phillips, who then took a brilliant diving catch to remove Jacob Bethell (21).
Earlier, Ahmed took a wicket with his first ball and fellow tweakers Jacks (2-23) and Adil Rashid (2-28) also struck twice.
England’s third win from as many matches in round two means they will play in the second semi-final in Mumbai next Thursday, most likely against India or West Indies.
New Zealand will play in the first semi on Tuesday – unless Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by a big enough margin in Pallekele on Saturday to overhaul the Black Caps on net run-rate.
The chances are we will hear the Kiwis’ national anthem in Kolkata next week, one that was played at warp-speed ahead of their game with England, to much amusement.
More to follow…
Watch every game from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports Cricket, including the competition final on Sunday March 8. Get Sky Sports or stream contract-free with NOW. Cancel any time.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
