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England kept Pakistan's T20 World Cup 2026 hopes alive with a win over New Zealand in their final Group 2 Super 8 clash at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday. Chasing New Zealand's 159/7, England were nowhere in the chase until the 18th over when Will Jacks smashed Glenn Phillips for 22 runs to turn the match on their head.
With five runs to win, a four off Jacks' helmet sealed England's four wicket win. With this win, England finished the Super 8 stage on top of Group 2 with three wins and six points. New Zealand are placed second with three points from four games. Pakistan are third in the group with just a point from two games. Sri Lanka stand last in the group and are already eliminated.
In the process, England will play the semifinal two at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 5. The Harry Brook-led side will play either India or West Indies, who fight in a virtual quarterfinal on March 1 in Kolkata.
T20 world Cup 2026 Group 2 updated points table
What Pakistan need to do for semis qualification?
With just a point, Pakistan can still qualify for the semifinal, provided they win big against Sri Lanka on February 28 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. A win for Salman Ali Agha's side will take them to three points from four points, the same as New Zealand. In that case, the net run rate (NRR) will come into play.
In case Pakistan bat first, they need to beat Sri Lanka by 65 runs or more to go past New Zealand in NRR. Provided Pakistan chase, they need to win the game within 13 overs to qualify for the semifinal. At the moment, New Zealand have a NRR of +1.390 while Pakistan have -0.461.
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