How Jacks and Rehan helped England beat New Zealand in T20 World Cup?

When New Zealand needed to defend 42 runs off the last three overs on Friday against England on the lopsided ground dimensions at the R. Premadasa Stadium, giving Glenn Phillips the 18th over was not an audacious call.

The intrinsic urge to weigh in the match-ups in T20 cricket had been dispelled by that point in time.

Rachin Ravindra, a left-arm orthodox, had nabbed two left-handed batters in Jacob Bethell and Sam Curran, both looking to dispatch on-sided heaves with the turn. But the expanse on their on-side was too vast to clear. It was long to the extent that even boundary riders had to be stationed a few yards inside the rope.

Then there was Phillips, who had not put a foot wrong on the day. He chipped in with crucial runs in the first innings and had made a tough catch look regulation at deep midwicket to dismiss Bethell. Phillips, too, had defied the conventional match-up by removing the right-handed Harry Brook with his off-spin.

“Yeah, the end that me and Rachin bowled from, the short boundary was the leg side. It was going to be a tougher option to close out for maybe another spinner or a seamer. Will Jacks bowled a good over for them, the 19th or 18th, from the other end,” captain Mitchell Santner said, explaining his decision to go with Phillips.

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For the two right-handed batters, Jacks and Rehan Ahmed, the longer boundary was towards their favourable leg side, and that was Phillips’ cushion.

This is where New Zealand was lulled into a false sense of security. In front of pure will, ground dimensions are insignificant, and match-ups are nondescript, best left to the footnotes.

Rehan Ahmed, playing his first match of this World Cup, charged at Phillips and trusted his full-bladed bat swing to clear long on. He picked a single on the next ball, leaving the stage for Jacks.

The England all-rounder is riding the crest of a wave this World Cup. He already had three Player of the Match awards before, but on Friday, he hit a crescendo. He took on the deep midwicket boundary on the fourth ball – the longest part of the ground. As the ball landed beyond Cole McConchie’s leap, Jacks could not help but savour a polite fist pump. It was fitting too for the first maximum hit through that part of the ground on the night.

Jacks thumped the next two deliveries for two boundaries, picking a full toss wide of long on and pulled a rank half volley through square leg.

“Will Jacks has shown he’s an all-time finisher now. I know he hasn’t done it for a long time, but he’s pretty good at it. He is in great form at the moment. We know how good Rehan is at playing spin. I think even to come out and strike it from ball one on a tough wicket, credit to Rehan, that knock was good,” Santner said.

After 22 runs from Phillips’ over, the equation was down to 21 runs off 12 balls. Santner, seeing the match slipping away from New Zealand’s grasp, inserted himself in. His turn away was supposed to be difficult to take on for the right-handers. Santner stuck to the outside-off line, forcing him to play to the longer off-side.

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Instead, Rehan unfurled a reverse sweep to clear the short third man fielder on the first ball. The match was in England’s pocket with his heave over long off on the final delivery

“I think as soon as Rehan came in, we needed 14 an over. So we knew we had to put some impetus into the game. Even though there was a big side, we knew off-spin to us was a good matchup, and we had to take a risk there, knowing Santner was probably going to bowl the next over, and it might be harder. And then that 19th over, the second-to-last ball, I said to him, ‘I’ll get a single here, and you have a free hit’. And that six, obviously, needing five off the last over. It pretty much won us the game,” Jacks said at the post-match media conference.

Jacks fittingly took England home by glancing a rib crusher from Matt Henry through fine leg. He was again the perfect role-player for England with his unbeaten 32 off 18 and two wickets for just 23 runs earlier on the night.

He also earned his fourth Player of the Match. But as much as it was for his performance, it was also for not getting bogged down by match-ups or the long and short of ground dimensions.

T20 cricket is supposed to reward risk-taking, and through their three-over burst on Friday, Jacks and Rehan dared enough to take the plaudits.

Published on Feb 28, 2026