England won a match in a dominant fashion against New Zealand in the Super 8 stage of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. The match was a competitive contest until the last overs when Rehan Ahmed played a short but crucial inning that changed the course of the match.
England found it hard in their chase of 160 when they faced the 17th over. They had to score 43 in 19 balls after the dismissal of Tom Banton. The match was at a stage when either of the teams could win. Rehan Ahmed contributed 19 out of 7 for England and helped his team win. Will Jacks was another contributor as he made 32 out of 18.
The team led by Harry Brook won all their matches in the Super 8 stage.
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McCullum's Message Made the Difference
Rehan Ahmed had shared a piece of information after the match. He had stated that he had received a message from head coach Brendon McCullum. The message had been sent from the dressing room when McCullum asked Rehan Ahmed to bat like Sehwag.
Rehan Ahmed said:
“Baz actually sent one of the walkie-talkie messages downstairs, saying ‘tell Reh to bat like Sehwag.”
The message had been clear. McCullum had asked Rehan Ahmed to bat like Sehwag. Sehwag had always been known for his fearlessness on the field. Rehan Ahmed had started his attack early, which helped him maintain the run rate.
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Adding Balance to the Side
Rehan Ahmed was England’s No.8 batsman, which helped the team improve their batting line-up. Playing on the Sri Lankan soil, an extra batsman makes a huge difference. England and Co. chose Rehan Ahmed over Jamie Overton, and the move seems to have paid off.
The role of Rehan Ahmed was already made clear by the team management before the game. That helped him get ready in the right mindset.
Rehman Added:
“Yesterday in training on a similar wicket, I was trying to play that certain way. I was trying to hit sixes straight because the role I’ll be in the team will be similar to the way I’ve trained for that.”
The 21-year-old batter is yet to score 100 runs in T20Is but his strike rate is 142.30. England would hope Rehan Ahmed continues to play such crucial innings in the matches to come.
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