Colombo, February 27 – After a close four-wicket defeat against England in the Super 8s of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner reflected on the fine margins that decided the match in Colombo.
"It was a good match, a tight contest. The way England paced their chase, and then the finishing touches from Will Jacks and Rehan, it was excellent batting," Santner said after the loss at the R. Premadasa Stadium.
Chasing 160, England recovered from early setbacks to win with three balls to spare, largely thanks to a late surge from Rehan Ahmed and Will Jacks. Santner admitted that New Zealand had moments where they could have played better.
"We made it easy for ourselves if we had won, but we still played a good game. There were moments, both with the bat and the ball, that might have turned the game in our favour, but England played exceptionally well," Santner said.
New Zealand had earlier posted 159/7 after being asked to bat. They scored 54 without loss in the Powerplay, putting pressure on England's bowlers. However, wickets in the middle overs hampered their momentum.
"We set up a good platform to target the last few overs, but we lost some wickets there, and we only managed to score 160. We could have easily reached 170, and then, in the final three overs, we needed 40, and the way they took down the off-spinner was excellent," Santner reflected.
On their batting approach, he added: "In the previous innings, we lost wickets throughout, but we managed to score a decent total in the last four overs. Today, we set a good platform and reached the second timeout in a good position, but we faced some tough choices after that. We were aiming for a score of 170-175."
Santner praised Ahmed's performance. "Rehan has been a great player with the bat in recent years. He is very good at playing spin. He didn't seem affected by the conditions. His partnership with Jacks, along with the contributions from Banton and Curran after some early wickets, was impressive."
Earlier in the chase, New Zealand had taken two wickets in the first eight balls through Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson, reducing England to 2/2. However, England captain Harry Brook felt that his middle order played a crucial role.
"(On the partnership between Rehan and Jacks) We have seen what Rehan can do in practice, and he has performed exceptionally well. Jacksy also played brilliantly, and he has won his fourth Man of the Match award," Brook said.
Brook said Ahmed's inclusion was a tactical decision. "There were discussions about the team selection based on the conditions. We thought that today was the perfect opportunity to bring him in, and he did an amazing job."
On facing an unbeaten New Zealand side, Brook added: "Well, we know that they (NZ) are a strong team. I think they have been unbeaten so far. We played against them before Christmas, and we knew how strong they were. They excel at small details. They have excellent batting power and skilled bowlers."
He also supported Jos Buttler amid concerns about his form. "Well, I think there has been a lot of talk about Jos. I said the other day that he has played 150 games for England, and people need to take that into consideration. He is one of the best white-ball players ever. He is currently going through a difficult period, but that is something that everyone experiences. We know what he can produce in the next few games. He knows what he is capable of. He has an average of 34 and a strike rate of 145 in 150 games. He is a phenomenal player, and I have no doubts about that."
On Jacks' role in the lineup, Brook was emphatic: "He is a proper batter. He performed exceptionally well against the West Indies earlier. He is a professional player. He has played Test cricket, and as we have seen tonight, he has immense power."
As for a preferred opponent in the semi-final in Mumbai, Brook made England's stance clear: "We are not concerned about who we play. We just want to go out there and…"
