T20 World Cup 2026: New Zealand win toss, elect to bat first against England
In T20 cricket, England lead New Zealand head-to-head with 16 victories
February 27, 2026
New Zealand elected to bat first after winning the toss against England in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026's Super Eight encounter at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, on Friday.
Playing XIs
England: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (w), Harry Brook (c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid.
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi and Lockie Ferguson.
Head-to-head
Historically, England and New Zealand have come face-to-face 27 times in men's T20Is, with the former holding a dominant head-to-head record of 16 victories, compared to the Blackcaps' 10.
The Three Lions also boast an upper hand in the T20 World Cup head-to-head record against New Zealand with four victories in seven matches.
Their last meeting in the tournament came in the 2022 edition, which England won by 20 runs.
- Matches: 27
- England: 16
- New Zealand: 10
- No Result: 1
Form Guide
England and New Zealand enter the fixture with similar momentum, as both sides have just one defeat in their last five T20Is.
The upcoming fixture is a must-win for New Zealand to qualify for the semi-finals, whereas England are already guaranteed a spot in the final four following their victory over Pakistan.
England: W, W, W, W, L (most recent first)
New Zealand: W, NR, W, L, W
