ENGLAND WIN BY 20 RUNS
New Zealand 159/6 England 179/6
20th over - NZ need 26 to win off the final over. Curran to bowl it. Sodhi swings and misses the first ball, before a single off the next. Curran bowls a wide before Sodhi hits him for a couple down the ground. Curran responds with back-to-back dot balls, before Santner can manage a single off the last delivery. England win!
19th over - Woakes to bowl his last over. Santner and Sodhi struggling to pick the pace of the balls and can only manage a few singles. Santer hits it over the top, but only for a couple more. Wood bowls a wide, and Santner punishes the extra ball for a six down the ground.
18th over - Curran returns for a bowl. Phillips smokes him through the covers but Brook does extremely well to keep it from reaching the rope for just three runs. Phillips looks to launch Curran but can only find you guessed it - Jordan again in the deep! Was the slower ball that caught Phillips out. Sodhi the new batter starts with three runs courtesty of a top edge.
17th over - Woakes is back into the attack. England's fielders piling the pressure on with some quick work in the outfield and force Mitchell to hurry back in the run for two. Woakes bowls a slower one and Phillips can only bat it down back to him. Mitchell looks to clear the boundary rope over the bowler's head but Jordan is there waiting and takes the catch.
16th over - Wood returns. Phillips gives himself plenty of room and pulls it legside for a single. Neesham finds plenty of space for a couple more. Neesham looks to pull Wood over the legside but can only find Curran in the deep and he departs for just six. Mitchell new batter in.
15th over - Stokes to bowl his first over. Williamson greets him with a single. Stokes bowls too straight and Phillips helps it on its way towards fine leg for four. Williamson looks to pick the gap but can only find third-man and he has to depart. Neesham wastes no time and pulls Stokes through the legside for four runs.
14th over - Rashid to bowl his final over. Williamson rocks back and whips him for a single on the legside. Phillips gets back in his crease, picks the wrong-un, and smokes Rashid over the legsdie for six. And again! This time off the front foot, but same result. Phillips brings up his 50 with a quick single.
13th over - Curran returns after a very good first over. He's bowling very straight, before a wide sees Buttler fumble and allow the Kiwi batters to run an extra single. Phillips whips it legside for a couple, before playing and missing a pull shot. Phillips ends over with back-to-back twos.
12th over - Wood comes back. Phillips starts with a couple, before smoking him over the top on the legside for a 94m six, what a shot. Phillips drops it short and quickly completes the single, he's so fast between the wickets. Williamson ends the over with a single.
11th over - Livingstone back again after drinks. Starts with a low full toss and Williamson hits him for a couple through midwicket. Livingstone finds Phillips' edge and it beats the fielder for four runs. Williamson finds the top edge for a couple more.
10th over - Rashid continues with his legspin. Phillips can only find the fielder for no run, before whipping it legside for a single. Phillips looks to go over the top but slices it straight to Ali who drops the easiest of catches you are ever likely to see. Didn't even get close.
9th over - Livingstone to continue. Williamson happy to knock it about for singles, his strikerate is just under 100 however. Phillips happy to do the same, before Williamson smokes the final ball through covers for four runs with Brook unable to hold on.
8th over - Rashid replaces Wood. Williamson looks to pick him up and finds space for a single. Phillips also cuts, but this time, for a couple of runs. Looks to nudge it on the offside, and edges it for a single. Williamson ends the over with a couple.
7th over - Livingstone to bowl a bit of spin. Williamsons nudges him for a single, before Phillips edges it again, but this time short of third man for a single. Phillips cuts and places it perfectly for four runs to end the over.
6th over - Wood replaces Woakes. Williamsons finds a bit of space for a couple, before Wood bowls a wide down the legside. Wood bowling at serious pace, but that allows Williamson to make the smallest of contacts and find the boundary rope for four. New batter Phillips inside edges the final delivery of the over behind for four runs.
5th over - Curran replaces Rashid. Allen pulls through square leg for a single. Williamson looks to pull but the ball keeps low and beats him. Williamson does make contact to rotate the strike, before a Curran yorker evades Allen. He looks to pull the very next ball but can't get hold of it and finds Stokes in the field. Both NZ's openers gone.
4th over - Woakes to continue. Williamson hits the first ball for a single, before Allen atacks the legside boundary and just manages to evade the fielder for six. Woakes comes back well with a couple of dots, before bowling a straight one to Williamson and he helps it on its way for four.
3rd over - Rashid replaces Ali. Allen defends it on the offisde for a single, before Williamson returns the strike, allowing him to reverse sweep for three. Rashid looks to go quicker and extra bounce, but Williamson happy to block it back.
2nd over - Woakes to bowl from the other end. Conway rocks back and hits it through the legside for a couple, before a legbye to get Allen on strike. Allen flicks it through midwicket for a single. Conway looks to pull hard, but can only edge it behind and the first wicket falls.
1st over - Ali to open for England. Allen starts with a couple, before giving the strike to Conway with a single. Ali floats a wide-ish ball, Conway pokes, misses and could be stumped! Umpire having a look, and he's safe, but only JUST. Conway struggling against the spin but survives.
INNINGS BREAK
20th over - Ferguson to bowl the last over. Stokes launches it over the legside for a couple runs, before inside edging it for a single. Ferguson looks to cramp Curran up, before he follows it and smokes it over the leg side for six runs! Oh no - Ferguson bowls a no-ball and that'll be a free-hit...but Stokes can only hit it for a couple. Ferguson bowls a yorker, Stokes misses and he traps him LBW! Great fightback from Ferguson. New batter Malan to face the final ball, and he hits it through the legside for three runs - excellent running. NZ need 180 to win.
19th over - Southee to bowl his last over. Brook the batter in, and he launches it for six, before hitting it straight up in the air over the bowler's head and Allen makes no mistake with the catch. Stokes next in, and hits it for a couple off his first delivery. Stokes powers it straight to Williamson, Buttler is out of his crease and the skipper fires it to Southee to complete the runout. Great work from the pair of them.
18th over - Ferguson returns and starts with a yorker for a single. Livingstone looks to pull and pull big, but can't connect. He makes contact the next ball with a scoop and finds the boundary for four runs. He tries the exact same shot, but this time, Ferguson cleans him up!
17th over - Boult returns for his last over. Livingstone looks for a quick single, Williamson's quick to, fires it to Boult but the batter is safe - only just. Buttler smokes the next ball over long-off for another six. Livingstone hits it over cover for a couple to end the over.
16th over - Southee replaces Sodhi. Buttler flicks it through backward square for a couple, before nudging it for a single. Livingstone looks to charge Southee but misses. However, makes no mistake the next ball and smacks it for 98m for a six over midwicket.
15th over - Boult replaces Ferguson. Buttler crunches it through long-on for four, before helping the ball on its way through backward square for another boundary. Livingstone this time tries to heave it and JUST manages to evade cover for a couple.
14th over - Sodhi continues, Ali looks to hit him over the ropes, but can only find Boult at wide long-on, who JUST manages to hold on to the catch to remove him. Livingstone the new batter, as he blocks the first one. Sodhi keeping it very tight, conceding just two runs for the over, as Buttler brings up his half-century on the final delivery.
13th over - Ferguson returns for some pace. Buttler sits back and finds the rope for four runs. Very next ball Buttler pulls, but straight to Mitchell on the boundary and he drops it! NZ have already put a couple down today. Buttler making NZ pay, as he smokes it down the ground for another for four runs, before a glorious drive for another boundary.
12th over - Sodhi again and Buttler hits him through midwicket for a couple before he again reverse sweeps him over short third for four runs. Buter finds cover for a single, before Ali hits it towards long-on for a couple more runs.
11th over - Santner continues and Hales edges him first ball for four runs to bring up his half-century. Santer tosses a wide, slow one - Hales comes down the wicket and misses it entirely and Conway does the rest to stump him. Ali the new batter in.
10th over - Sodhi continues after a great first over. Buttler hits the first one for a couple, before reverse sweeping Sodhi over the offside fielders for four runs. Butter and Hales happy to nudge Sodhi around for a few singles to end the over.
9th over - Spin from both ends now as Santner replaces Ferguson. Hales hits the first ball for a couple before he's beaten by Santner. Santner tries a slower ball and almost catches Hales, with the ball landing safely on the offside for a single. Hales ends the over with another two.
8th over - Sodhi to replace Santer. The spinner starts with a dot before Hales and Buttler find space in the field for a couple of singles. Buttler tries the reverse sweep but can only find the fielder for another dot. Sodhi almost catches Buttler on the pads to end the over.
7th over - Ferguson replaces Southee, as Butler nudges him on the offside for a single. Buttler shuffles across his stumps and paddles it over the keeper's head for six runs. Buttler and Hales exchange singles to end another good over for England.
6th over - Santner continues and Hales rocks back to smack him over mid-on for four runs. Hales nudges it for a single, before Buttler looks to clear cover, Williamson leaps and looks to have caught it, but loses it as he comes down.
5th over - Southee returns and Hales welcomes him first ball with a huge shot over his head for the game's first six. He misses the next before clearing the front leg and smoking it on the offside for four more runs. And again - same shot, same result.
4th over - Santner replaces Southee for a bit of early spin. Buttler hits a single off the first, before bowling three straight dots to Hales - terrific bowling. Hales finally makes contact for a single, before Buttler finds space on the legside for a couple.
3rd over - Boult beats Buttler with the first two balls before the opener finally makes contact for a single. Much tighter this over from Boult as he bowls another two dot balls, but to Hales this time. Hales gets one in the slot and whacks it over Boult's head for four runs.
2nd over - Southee to open from the other end. Buttler starts with a single before to gives Hales the strike. He sees off two dot balls before rocking back and pulling for four runs. Hales finds space for three more runs before Southee beats him with the final delivery.
1st over - Boult to open for New Zealand. He starts with two inswingers and Buttler almost finds the boundary but for good fielding from Mitchell. Hales to face now and he bats one back, before inside edging for four runs. Expensive but unlucky from Boult.
8:57pm - Time for the anthems now. Just minutes away from starting. England's Jos Buttler and Alex Hales will open.
8:45pm - Both teams are unchanged from their last matches. England need to win, whereas NZ can book their spot in the final four with victory tonight. Weather is also perfect.
8:42pm - News from the middle is England have won the toss and will bat first against the Blackcaps. Kane Williamson says he would've have a bat as well.
8:35pm - Thank you for joining us! The players are warming up on the field and we're about 10 minutes away from the toss.
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Kia ora, good evening and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the T20 World Cup pool clash between New Zealand and England at the Gabba in Brisbane.
The Blackcaps are looking to solidify their position atop Group One in the Super 12 stage, after a resounding 65-run win over Sri Lanka in their last outing.
New Zealand have yet to be really tested in the tournament, with a huge victory over Australia in their opening match and a match abandoned against Afghanistan, due to rain.
A win tonight would guarantee Gary Stead's men a spot in the semi-finals and given their net run rate, most likely top position too.
If New Zealand were to lose, they would still fancy their chances of progressing to the final four, with their final fixture against Ireland.
Meanwhile, England are staring at elimination. They could still advance with a loss tonight, but would have to rely on other results going their way, after Ireland shocked them with a five-run win at Melbourne on Wednesday.
Join us at 8:30pm for the toss.
TAB odds: New Zealand $2.18, England $1.63
New Zealand: 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway (wk), 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Glenn Phillips, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 James Neesham, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Ish Sodhi, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Lockie Ferguson
England: 1 Jos Buttler (capt, wk), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Liam Livingstone, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Adil Rashid
Blackcaps banking on Trent Boult-Tim Southee tandem with semi-final spot in reach
by Alex Powell
If the Blackcaps are to seal their spot in the Twenty20 World Cup semi-finals, the performance of bowling axis Trent Boult and Tim Southee will have a huge say in New their fate.
After three games, the Blackcaps are currently atop Group One of the Super 12 stage, with two wins and one washout under their belt. Provided they can win at least one of their remaining two games, they will advance to the final four.
Next up, New Zealand face England at Brisbane's Gabba on Tuesday night, as a replay of the 2021 tournament semi-final that saw New Zealand take a five-wicket win at Abu Dhabi.
Boult and Southee will be key to their fortunes, after having a huge say in New Zealand's success so far.
Boult has taken six wickets at an average of just 6.16 runs, including career-best figures of 4/13 in the win over Sri Lanka on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Southee has taken four wickets at an average of only 4.50 and an economy rate of 2.91 runs per over, with his 3/6 shining as the Blackcaps thrashed Australia in their tournament opener.
For fellow bowler Lockie Ferguson, the standard set by the senior pair will be key when they meet England.
"Tim and Trent have had a blinder in these first two games," said Ferguson. "When the ball's swinging, there's not much better in the world - certainly from my point of view.
"[It's] nice to follow them as well. The way the boys have kept the plans very simple for us and stuck to what they've done extremely well for a long period of time, it's exciting to see them have success early in the comp.
"Clearly, there's a long way to go for us. We need to make sure we take it game by game.
"England's going to have a lot of firepower we need to combat in this next game.
"I'm sure the boys will be up for this next challenge."
Despite the semi-finals being so close, Ferguson also insists the team's focus is solely on what's immediately in front of them - rather than two games down the track.
"It's very much one game at a time. Tomorrow is a big focus for us and after that, we'll cross the next bridge when it comes.
"Certainly, it's been fantastic to see the level of T20 cricket over here.
"Every team, two points doesn't matter - the same pressures are on.
"That's what's so great about the World Cup - you get these one-off games in conditions at grounds you're not used to playing the other teams at.
"It's certainly fantastic to be part of it."
