New Zealand national cricket team captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and chose to bat first against England cricket team in a Super 8 Group 2 match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday, February 27, 2026. Santner said batting first was the preferred option on a surface that showed signs of turn earlier in the tournament. New Zealand named an unchanged lineup.
England captain Harry Brook said he also would have opted to bat first after observing spin in the earlier match at the venue. He described New Zealand as an outstanding side and said England would relish the opportunity to beat them and potentially end their campaign. He confirmed he would continue batting at No. 3 and said Rehan Ahmed replaced Jamie Overton in the playing XI.
England have already secured a place in the semifinals after winning both of their Super Eight matches. New Zealand, however, need a victory to keep their fate in their own hands. A loss would leave their semifinal hopes dependent on the result of the Sri Lanka vs. Pakistan match scheduled for Saturday.
Playing XIs
England’s playing XI: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.
New Zealand’s playing XI: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson.
