Home / Latest Cricket News T20 World Cup: England v New Zealand Preview, Where to Watch, Team News and Prediction England are already through but New Zealand have work to do. Written by Nicholas McGee Last Update: February 26, 2026 09:52:28 pm GMT 4 min read England bowling coach Tim Southee is encouraged that they head into their T20 World Cup Super 8s finale against New Zealand in the luxurious position of having already qualified despite failing to produce a complete performance. Harry Brooks magnificent century secured Englands place in the last four as they beat Pakistan by two wickets. Despite the captains heroics, it was another largely unconvincing display from an England team that squeezed through the group stage.Yet New Zealand legend Southee believes it is a positive that England go into their game with his home country still searching for their best cricket.I think everyone wants to go out and do well. I think its a great sign on this side, Southee said. Weve only dropped one game in the last however many games, and weve won in different ways. We havent played the perfect game or played a complete performance across all three formats, but weve still found ways to win. If it does come off and we do have the perfect game, then it should be a great one to witness.Its been brilliant how weve been able to win in different ways and different guys stepping up. A lot of the time, probably the guys that arent as well known for being the dangerous players Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, guys like that who have come in and had big impacts, [Liam] Dawson. To sit here being already qualified with a game to go is only a good thing.New Zealand need to win to be sure of qualification for the semi-finals. Should they prevail, they will finish top of Group B.Pakistan are the only team in the group who can catch New Zealand, though it would take a significant swing in net run rate.But Black Caps head coach Rob Walter is keen for his side to avoid a scenario in which they are reliant on the result of Pakistans Super 8s finale with Sri Lanka.Weve sort of tried to place an emphasis on every game, Walter said. I think thats probably a clich that all teams use. Its not doom were not dead if we dont win but certainly we leave it up to external factors then, and out of our own hands. So we certainly dont want to be in that position. But its really taking care of the ball-by-ball process, and hopefully that takes care of the result.3DW1WYF Englands captain Harry Brook plays a shot during the T20 World Cup cricket match between England and Pakistan in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)Table of Contents1 Team News for England v New Zealand2 Predicted line-ups for England v New Zealand3 Where to watch England v New Zealand4 Prediction for England v New ZealandTeam News for England v New ZealandEngland are likely to make it a sixth successive game with the same XI, despite Jos Buttlers continued struggle for form.New Zealand could bring in Jimmy Neesham if they believe they need another seamer, but they will otherwise be expected to go with the same team that cruised past Sri Lanka.Predicted line-ups for England v New ZealandEngland: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson.Where to watch England v New ZealandSouth Africa versus the West Indies starts at 1.30pm on Friday for UK viewers. The T20 World Cup will be shown exclusively live in the UK on Sky Sports. You can stream it on the Sky Go app.For coverage elsewhere in the world, clickHEREfor details of your local rights holder.Prediction for England v New ZealandNew Zealand need to win to be sure of qualification for the semi-finals and have been the more consistent side in this tournament. For as much as Englands results in the Super 8s have been impressive, it is tough to trust them to beat the Black Caps here. New Zealand will take advantage of the volatility of this England side and take top spot in the group. Topics: England men's national cricket team Men's T20 World Cup New Zealand men's national cricket team Follow us: Nicholas McGee Nicholas is a freelance sports journalist with significant experience covering a wide variety of sports. He has previously worked for Stats Perform and was most recently employed as San Francisco 49ers beat writer for A to Z Sports. He regularly contributes to Gridiron magazine and has also had NFL work featured in The Times and The Mirror. Read more from Nicholas McGee
