New Zealand Fails to Capitalize on Early Momentum as England Holds On

England edged out New Zealand by 4 wickets in a thrilling T20 World Cup match, keeping Pakistan's semifinal hopes alive. Will Jacks starred with an unbeaten 32 off 18 balls, guiding England to victory with Rehan Ahmed's crucial 19 off 7 balls. New Zealand's Glenn Phillips scored 39, but England's spinners, particularly Jacks and Adil Rashid, restricted them to 159/7. Pakistan now needs to beat Sri Lanka convincingly to qualify for the semifinals. New Zealand's match against England was far from a dead rubber, as they had everything to play for in their quest to reach the semifinals. England, on the other hand, had already secured their spot in the last four. The Kiwis were looking to progress on their own terms, but it wasn't to be as England pulled off a thrilling 4-wicket win, thanks to a late surge from Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed. Jos Buttler's struggles continued, as he was dismissed for a duck, adding to his crisis tournament. England's spinners played a crucial role, restricting New Zealand to 159/7, with Adil Rashid and Will Jacks taking key wickets. New Zealand's fate now hangs in the balance, with Pakistan's match against Sri Lanka on Saturday night holding the key to their semifinal hopes. Will Jacks' winning boundary was a relief, but Glenn Phillips' all-round performance was the real highlight. His 39 off 28 balls and crucial catches, including the stunner at deep midwicket, shifted the game in New Zealand's favor initially. England's lower order bailed them out in the end. Tom Banton's 33 off 24 balls kept England in the game, but it was Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed's explosive partnership that sealed the win. Rehan's six over long-on and Jacks' subsequent boundaries turned the game in England's favor, with them needing 43 off 18 balls earlier. Jacks' unbeaten 32 off 18 balls, including four fours and a six, was crucial in England's 4-wicket win over New Zealand. Rehan then greeted Mitchell Santner, hitherto so frugal for New Zealand, with an exceptional reverse-sweep for four more, and when he charged down the track to his final ball with a gung-ho swing for a second six over long-off, the requirement had been obliterated to five from the final six. England's latest power failure was evident as they struggled against New Zealand, but a late surge from Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed turned the game around. Matt Henry, who was involved in the winning hit, will be leaving for paternity leave, and he's going to be a big loss for New Zealand's bowling lineup. He's had great success against England's batsmen, particularly Zak Crawley, but couldn't quite seal the win for the Kiwis. Phil Salt had no answer to Henry's each-way movement from a full, zippy length: a big first-ball inducker induced the nervy poke that got him off the mark through deep third, and set up the knockout punch. A wonderful bat's-width seamer, shaping in on off and zipping away, to snick the edge through to Seifert. England 161 for 6 (Banton 33, Jacks 32*, Ravindra 3-19) beat New Zealand 159 for 7 (Phillips 39, Seifert 35, Jacks 2-23) by four wickets