England defeated New Zealand in their must-win clash on Tuesday and jumped to the second position in the table. On the other hand, New Zealand faced their first tournament loss.
Opting to bat first at the Gabba, England openers yielded a superb start sharing 81 runs for the first wicket. Hales was the first man to depart, scoring 52 runs. Skipper Jos Buttler dropped twice, took advantage, and notched up 74 runs with seven fours and a couple of biggies. England finished on 179/6 after the allotted 20 overs. Lockie Ferguson took two wickets; however, spinners did a fine job controlling the run flow.
England bowlers removed both openers cheaply and had a joyful start. Kane Williamson and Glenn Phillips then shared 91 runs for the third to put England under pressure. Ben Stokes removed Williamson for a sluggish 40; after that, English bowlers hold their nerves and restricted the Kiwis to 159, registering 20 run win. Phillips was the star for NZ, piling up 62 runs from 36 balls. Sam Curran and Chris Woakes grabbed a couple of wickets for the Three Lions.
England will face Sri Lanka in their last match, whereas NZ will battle against Ireland.
