Jacks to the Rescue as England Survive Colombo Scare


Jacks to the Rescue as England Survive Colombo Scare

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England's nerves held just long enough to seal a nail-biting four-wicket victory over New Zealand in a Super 8 thriller at the T20 World Cup in Colombo.

With the required rate climbing and the lower order exposed, England were tottering at 117 for 6 in the 17th over, seemingly destined for an agonising defeat. Step forward Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed. The pair refused to panic, calmly picking off the runs they needed before sealing the chase with three balls to spare. Jacks was the architect, crashing 32 off just 18 balls in an innings that mixed clean hitting with clear-headed nous, while the 19-year-old Ahmed punched above his weight with a composed 19 from 11. Their unbroken stand of 44 proved the difference.

New Zealand had set what looked a competitive 160, but it might have been fewer had England's top order not stuttered so badly. Tom Banton's bright 33 and a tidy 26 from Harry Brook steadied the ship after early losses, though Rachin Ravindra was a constant thorn in England's side, turning in a miserly spell of 3 for 19 to keep the Kiwis very much in the contest.

Jacks collected the Player of the Match award for a genuine all-round display — he had also chipped in with 2 for 23 with the ball — though he would be the first to admit this one went to the wire.

The win keeps England's semi-final ambitions firmly alive. New Zealand, meanwhile, are left watching the scoreboards, their fate now in other teams' hands.

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