The Super 8 fixture of T20 World Cup 2026 between England and New Zealand finally begins. For the Blackcaps, Finn Allen and Tim Seifert have opened the proceedings. The duo is looking for a solid opening stand, in order to provide New Zealand with some early momentum. On the other hand, Jofra Archer will be bowling the first over for England. 

Players of both the teams are out on the field for their respective national anthems. The Super 8, T20 World Cup 2026 match between England and New Zealand shall begin shortly. Stay tuned with us. 

"Same pitch as two nights ago. 75 meters down the ground, 75 meters on one side, 62 meters on the other. It looks exactly the same as it did the other night. It's so dry, lots of bare patches," Nasser Hussain and Aaron Finch.

England (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w), Harry Brook(c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner(c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson.

"Would've won the toss and batted as well. Watched the game the other night and there was spin here. They're an amazing side. If we can beat them and try and knock them out, that'll be great. I think we fielded amazing throughout the competition. There was mis-execution in the previous game. I think I'll be sticking at number three. Jamie Overton is out, Rehan Ahmed is in," said Harry Brook. 

"We're going to have a bat first. You have to win games if you want to win a WC. Nice to have a run on this wicket the other night. We know what it's going to do. Does look the same. Looked good last game and spun more than we thought. If it's flatter, have to adjust accordingly. You try and use the dimensions in your favour. Same team," said Mitchell Santner. 

New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner wins the toss, opts to bat against England in the T20 World Cup 2026, Super 8 match on Friday in Colombo. 

New Zealand pacer Matt Henry will leave for home Friday night following the team's T20 World Cup Super Eights match against England to be with his wife for the birth of their second child. Depending on the team's semi-final qualification, Henry might return to the tournament, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said. Head coach Rob Walter was supportive of Henry's departure.

A blockbuster clash awaits!
Will New Zealand win & book their place in the semi-finals? Or will England continue their dominant run in the Super 8?
ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup #ENGvNZ | Super 8 | FRI, 27 Feb | 6 PM pic.twitter.com/L2vRIF9yeX

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 27, 2026

"You're always confident going into these fixtures, especially when we know what the surface is going to be like, but I think it'd be silly to underestimate England at any point. They're obviously such a quality unit, and they've shown this in bowling, and how well they've been bowling. I mean, they've got world class batters throughout their order. So it's nothing necessarily like that," said Black Caps all-rounder Rachin Ravindra after his match-winning performance against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

Harry Brook is in good form, as demonstrated by his match-winning hundred against Pakistan, and the team would expect veteran Jos Buttler to up his game after having a quiet tournament so far. A good start by Buttler will put England in a strong position. 

While Harry Brook and Will Jacks have both been comfortable against the likes of Saim Ayub, Mohammed Nawaz and Shadab Khan, New Zealanders Mitchell Santner, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Cole McConchie could prove to be more handy on a slightly tackier Premadasa track compared to Pallekele.

Pakistan has every reason to cheer up, as early weather reports predict little to no rain in Colombo on Friday. According to AccuWeather.com, there will be a cloud cover of 21 per cent and only four per cent of precipitation. The temperature will be around 24 degrees Celsius. 

All of Pakistan's eyes will be on the England vs New Zealand T20 World Cup Super 8 Group 2 clash in Colombo on Friday. Rain has affected several T20 World Cup matches in Sri Lanka, and Pakistan would hope nothing of that sort happens today.

Pakistan, after their defeat to England, have a net run-rate of -0.461 and would not only need New Zealand to lose badly but also have to beat Sri Lanka by a heavy margin to eclipse the Black Caps' NRR.

The match is of greater significance to the Black Caps as they bid to seal a semi-final spot while England are already through to the last four stage after logging two consecutive wins. The huge 61-run win over Sri Lanka has elevated New Zealand's net run-rate to +3.050 and to ensure that they progress, the Kiwis have to just avoid a heavy defeat.

New Zealand spinners, led by their mercurial skipper Mitchell Santner, will pose some difficult questions to an English line-up spearheaded by the marauding Harry Brook when the two sides clash in a Super Eight game. 

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the T20 World Cup 2026, Super 8 match between England and New Zealand, straight from the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. Stay tuned for all the live updates.