ICC T20 World Cup 2026: England's win keeps Pakistan's hopes alive; how will Pakistan reach semi-finals?
ICC T20 World Cup 2026: England defeated New Zealand by 4 wickets in the Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup. This victory kept alive Pakistan's hopes of reaching the semi-finals. New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday.
The Kiwis scored 159 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs. In reply, England achieved the target for 6 wickets in 19.3 overs. Will Jacks was named Player of the Match. He played an unbeaten inning of 32 runs off 18 balls.
How will Pakistan reach the semi-finals?
Pakistan must win against Sri Lanka on February 28 to reach the semi-finals. This will leave Pakistan and New Zealand tied on 3 points each. In this situation, it will come down to net run rate. Therefore, they need a win by a large margin against Sri Lanka.
If Pakistan bats first, they must defeat Sri Lanka by at least 65 runs.
If Pakistan bats second, they must chase Sri Lanka's target in 13 overs or less.
If this does not happen, New Zealand will qualify for the semi-finals with a better net run rate.