England beat New Zealand in the T20 World Cup 2026 in Colombo on Friday (February 27), keeping Pakistan's hopes alive in the tournament.
Pakistan were hoping for England to maintain their unbeaten record in the tournament and beat New Zealand in Colombo, as that result would keep them in the hunt for the second semi-finals place in group two. That is exactly what happened, with England riding on Will Jacks’ brilliant all-round showing and winning by four wickets.
The all-rounder first picked up two wickets with the ball before scoring 32 off 18 to rescue England from a precarious position in the chase and take them home with three balls to spare. Rehan Ahmed, playing his first game of the tournament, also took two wickets and scored a crucial 19 runs off seven deliveries to close out the game.
T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eights Group 2 points table after England beat New Zealand
With the win, England confirmed their top spot in the group with six points. New Zealand remained at second with three points and a net run rate of +1.390. Pakistan have just one point after their game against New Zealand was washed out, and they lost to England, with an NRR of -0.461.
Remaining fixture: February 28, 7pm local time - Sri Lanka v Pakistan, Pallekele
| Rank | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Points | NRR |
| 1 | England (Q) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | +1.100 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | +1.390 |
| 3 | Pakistan | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -0.461 |
| 4 | Sri Lanka (E) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2.800 |
T20 World Cup 2026: What do Pakistan need to qualify for the semi-finals?
For Pakistan to qualify for the semi-finals, they will need to beat Sri Lanka handsomely, which would take them to three points, the same as New Zealand. But to overtake the Kiwis on the NRR column, they will have to fulfil certain permutations.
If Pakistan bat first, they will need to beat Sri Lanka by around 65-70 runs to overtake New Zealand. If they bat second, Salman Agha’s team will have to chase down the total in between 12 and 14 overs, depending on the total they would be chasing.
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