ENGLAND’S T20 World Cup dream is still alive after a nail-biting win over New Zealand.
Jos Buttler plundered 73 off 47 but a late collapse saw his side finish on 179-6 from their 20 overs.
Sam Curran and Chris Woakes removed New Zealand openers Finn Allen and Devon Conway early but Kane Williamson and Glenn Phillips led the fightback for the Black Caps – helped by some poor fielding.
But New Zealand were always behind their nine-per-over run rate required.
And some clutch death bowling, especially by Curran, limited the opposition to 159-6 and ensured a much-needed England win in Brisbane ahead of Saturday’s crunch clash with Sri Lanka.
The Surrey star said: “I think it was a really important game, we knew it was going to be close because New Zealand are a really good side.
“We chose to bat first and I think the guys batted beautifully. Jos and Hales at the top and then the other guys chipped in.
“It felt like we hadn’t played in a while because of all the rain and travel – but what a great win against a New Zealand playing well.
“Now we travel to Sydney for another must-win game against Sri Lanka.”
Curran added: “It was a weird game at the start because we haven’t played in so long but once we got into it, the fans were amazing and all that stuff gets you going again. Now we’ll be really confident for Saturday.
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“Tonight was a pitch that maybe suited the spinners a bit more and I felt my variations could come in handy.
“We used the dimensions really well, particularly when Glenn Phillips was going really well.
“We knew it was going to be close, to win by 20 runs is great and helps the net run rate, which we know is going to be a factor.”
Skipper and man of the match Buttler, who overtook Eoin Morgan’s T20 run tally for England, added: “I said at the toss you don’t become a bad team overnight.
“We had a bad performance [against Ireland] but we know we’ve got great players in our line-up so there was still lots of confidence in the group and we left it all out there tonight.
“Now we know it’s all in our hands and you expect to be under pressure in World Cup cricket, that’s what it’s all about.
“We’ve had a lot of success batting first, it’s something we want to be brave with and take that option sometimes. It’s definitely an aggressive option and it was the right one today.
“It’s a nice feeling, it’s always nice to look at your individual performances but I’m just trying to do my job on the day and do my best for the team.”
