New Zealand Wins Toss, Chooses to Bat First Against England

New Zealand vs England – (Web Desk) – After winning the toss, New Zealand chose to bat first against England in their Super Eight clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday.

England’s lineup featured Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Harry Brook (captain), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, and Adil Rashid. Meanwhile, New Zealand fielded Tim Seifert (wicketkeeper), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (captain), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, and Lockie Ferguson.

In men’s T20I history, these two teams have met 27 times, with England holding the upper hand with 16 wins, while New Zealand has claimed 10 victories.

The Three Lions also boast an upper hand in the T20 World Cup head-to-head record against New Zealand with four victories in seven matches.

Their last meeting in the tournament came in the 2022 edition, which England won by 20 runs.

• Matches: 27
• England: 16
• New Zealand: 10
• No Result: 1

England and New Zealand enter the fixture with similar momentum, as both sides have just one defeat in their last five T20Is.

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The upcoming fixture is a must-win for New Zealand to qualify for the semi-finals, whereas England are already guaranteed a spot in the final four following their victory over Pakistan.

England: W, W, W, W, L (most recent first)

New Zealand: W, NR, W, L, W