England beat New Zealand — Pakistan’s semifinal hopes still alive
Pakistan Back in the Race After England’s Victory
By Sports Desk • Feb 28, 2026
In a crucial clash of the tournament, England cricket team defeated the New Zealand cricket team by 4 wickets with 3 balls to spare, a result that has reopened the semifinal race and kept Pakistan cricket team in contention.
England beat New Zealand — Pakistan’s semifinal hopes still alive
The England cricket team kept the tournament interesting after defeating the New Zealand cricket team by 4 wickets with 3 balls remaining. This result has given the Pakistan cricket team a lifeline in the race for the semifinals.
New Zealand start well but lose momentum
New Zealand openers Finn Allen and Tim Seifert batted brilliantly at the start and looked set for a big total. But after their wickets, the batting collapsed and New Zealand were restricted to 159 runs, giving England a target of 160.
England recover after early wickets
England’s chase began badly as Jos Buttler and Phil Salt got out early. Harry Brook scored 24 but couldn’t finish the game.
The middle order then stepped up. Sam Curran and Tom Banton played sensible innings to bring England back into the match. In the end, Rehan Ahmed and Will Jacks finished the chase calmly and secured victory.
Pakistan’s qualification situation
Now everything depends on Pakistan’s match against the Sri Lanka cricket team.
New Zealand NRR: +1.390
Pakistan NRR: –0.461
Pakistan must beat Sri Lanka with a big margin to improve their Net Run Rate and move ahead of New Zealand for the semifinal spot.
The big question
Pakistan still have a chance, but they need a dominant performance with both bat and ball. Fans will be eagerly waiting to see if Pakistan can deliver and book a place in the semifinals.