Will Jacks has arguably been England’s breakout star of this T20 World Cup. Entrusted with the job of a finisher, he combined with Rehan Ahmed, playing the first game of this tournament, to combine audacity, clean-striking and an ice-cool approach to seal a nervy 4-wicket win with three balls to spare against New Zealand at Colombo on Friday.
In pursuit of New Zealand’s 159/7, England needed 44 from the last 16 balls, when Jacks 32* off 18b (4×4, 1×6) and Ahmed 19* off 7 balls ( 1×4, 2×6) unfurled a fearless match-winning act, threading gaps and launching into the arc and keeping the asking rate under control. It was a thrilling burst that crackled with intent and lifted the belief in England’s dressing room.
Together, they chiselled away at the deficit. Jacks walked away with his fourth Player-of-the-Match award, while England looked like a team peaking at the right time, dismantling Sri Lanka, England and New Zealand in the Super 8s to finish at the top of Group 2.
New Zealand, who had the game in control till the 17th over would be wondering how the game slipped from their grasp. Their semifinal qualification hangs by a thread. They now await the outcome of Saturday’s Super 8 clash between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at Pallekele.
Pakistan will need to beat Sri Lanka by 64 runs or chase the target in 13.1 overs to knock out New Zealand and stay in Colombo for the first semifinal. If New Zealand go through, they will play in Kolkata against South Africa. England, meanwhile, will travel to Mumbai and await the winner of the clash between India and West Indies on Sunday.
England’s chase of 160 never quite found the rhythm, jolted first by Matt Henry and then by Lockie Ferguson as Phil Salt and Jos Buttler departed in a blink.
At 2/2, the innings needed ballast, and Harry Brook’s 24-ball 26 tried to supply it with crisp drives before falling to Glenn Phillips. But it was the all-round brilliance of Rachin Ravindra, slicing through the middle order with three vital wickets, that kept the target looming large. Sam Curran’s 24 nudged England closer, yet at 117/6 in the 17th over, the equation still demanded nerve.
New Zealand’s innings promised more than it ultimately delivered, undone by the decisive squeeze applied from England’s spinners just as the platform was set.
After openers Tim Seifert and Finn Allenn powered the Black Caps to 66 in eight overs, England hit back through Jacks and Ahmed to stall the charge. Phillips and Mark Chapman then attempted to reassert control. Glenn Philips was the star of the New Zealand batting, with 39 off 28 balls (4×4, 1×6), but the late surge never really arrived.