T20 World Cup 2026: New Zealand win toss, elect to bat first against England
England dominate head-to-head record against New Zealand in T20Is with 16 victories
COLOMBO: New Zealand have won the toss and opted to bat first against England in the 49th match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 here at the R Premadasa Stadium 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
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