England gave their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals a huge boost, and at the same time, dented that of hosts Australia, as they beat New Zealand in front of a 22,547 strong crowd at the Gabba in Brisbane.
The result now means England, New Zealand and Australia all have 5 points with one game to play, but the hosts’ inferior net run rate, coupled with the fact that England play their game against Sri Lanka later and will know exactly what to do, puts them in a weak position ahead of the final round of games.
Last round of Group 1 fixtures (Super 12)
NZ vs Ireland & Australia vs Afghanistan (November 4)
England vs Sri Lanka (November 5)
The Gabba pitch seemed to assist spin more than pace, and it was reflected in the NZ bowling effort, where Mitch Santner and Ish Sodhi were both economical, but the rest (Boult, Southee, Ferguson) all went for over 10 an over.
Skipper Jos Buttler top scored for England with 73, with New Zealand dropping him twice (one a tough chance to Williamson and the other a more straightforward catch dropped by Daryl Mitchell). Alex Hales scored 52, and England eventually managed 179/6 in their 20 overs.
In reply, New Zealand lost openers Devon Conway and Finn Allen early, but stayed in the hunt thanks to 91 run third wicket stand between Williamson and Glenn Phillips. For a while, it looked like England (like Sri Lanka before them) would pay the price for giving Phillips a reprieve early in his innings (Moeen Ali dropped a sitter when he was on 15), but Sam Curran, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood kept their composure in the death overs, and England eventually prevailed by 20 runs.
