Colombo, Feb 27 (V7N) — Two cricket heavyweights, England and New Zealand, are set to face off today in a high-voltage Super Eights match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. The match will begin at 7:30 pm at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

Semi-final equation

England have already confirmed their place in the semi-finals with four points from two matches. Meanwhile, New Zealand, whose opening match was washed out by rain, are aiming for a victory to finish as group leaders and secure their last-four spot.

If New Zealand lose, however, Pakistan cricket team will remain alive in the race for the semi-finals. In that scenario, Pakistan would need a big win against Sri Lanka cricket team to boost their net run rate significantly.

Net run rate battle

Pakistan currently have a net run rate of −0.46, while New Zealand stand at 3.05 — a gap of 3.51. In terms of overall runs, Pakistan trail the Kiwis by around 70 runs.

If England bat first and beat New Zealand by 30 runs, Pakistan would need to win by at least 40 runs (assuming similar totals) to close the gap. That would require captain Babar Azam to guide his side to a massive margin across matches.

On the other hand, if New Zealand post 150 and England chase it down in 17 overs, Pakistan would need to reach the same target in about 14.4 overs to surpass New Zealand on net run rate.

The match is expected to play a decisive role in shaping the final semi-final lineup of the tournament.

END/SMA/AJ