Colombo, February 27 Already qualified for the semifinals, England defeated New Zealand by four wickets to maintain a perfect record in the Super Eights stage and keep Pakistan's hopes alive in the T20 World Cup here on Friday.
England have registered three wins in as many matches in the Super Eights. New Zealand are in second place in Group 2 with three points.
Pakistan are in third place with one point, and they need to win convincingly against already-eliminated Sri Lanka on Saturday to dislodge New Zealand from second place and qualify for the semifinals.
Earlier, England restricted New Zealand to 159 for seven after the Kiwis chose to bat.
New Zealand batters got starts but couldn't convert them into big scores.
Glenn Phillips (39), Tim Seifert (35), Finn Allen (29), and Mark Chapman (15) all got starts but failed to extend their innings.
For England, Will Jacks (2/23), Adil Rashid (2/28), and Rehan Ahmed (2/28) were the main wicket-takers, while Liam Dawson (1/32) also contributed with a wicket.
Chasing, England started shakily before some useful contributions from Tom Banton (33), Will Jacks (32 not out), captain Harry Brook (26), Sam Curran (24), and Rehan Ahmed (19 not out) guided them to victory in 19.3 overs.
For New Zealand, Rachin Ravindra (3/19) was the most successful bowler.
Brief Scores:
New Zealand: 159/7 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 39, Tim Seifert 35; Will Jacks 2/23)
England: 161/6 in 19.3 overs (Will Jacks 32 not out; Rachin Ravindra 3/19)
