England vs New Zealand Pitch Report: England will face New Zealand in the 49th T20I of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. Let's take a look at the pitch report for today's ENG vs NZ Super 8 match.
England vs New Zealand (ENG vs NZ) Match Details:
- League: ICC Mens T20 World Cup 2026
- Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
- Date: February 27, 2026
- Start Time: 7:00 PM IST
- Teams: England vs New Zealand
ENG vs NZ Match Previews
England performed brilliantly in their previous match, defeating Pakistan by two wickets. Chasing a target of 165, England achieved the total in just 19.1 overs. Captain Harry Brook scored a brilliant century to lead his team to victory. In the bowling department, Liam Dawson performed brilliantly, taking three wickets for 24 runs in his four-over spell.
New Zealand secured a resounding 61-run victory over Sri Lanka in their previous game. Batting first, New Zealand set a difficult total of 168 and restricted Sri Lanka to 108. Mitchell Santner and Cole McConchie played valuable innings of 47 and 31 runs, respectively. Rachin Ravindra played a crucial role with the ball, taking four crucial wickets for 27 runs in his four overs.
ENG vs NZ, R. Premadasa Stadium Pitch Report
NZ vs ENG Match Pitch Report: The R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo is offering a balanced but slow-turning surface for the England vs. New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 match, and spinners are expected to dominate as the game progresses.
- The black soil track is initially flat, offering good bounce and carry for the batsmen, so a score around 170 is considered a likely match.
- As the match progresses, the pitch slows down, grips more, and offers turn and sometimes variable bounce, making the middle overs particularly difficult for batsmen.
- Spinners are favored later in the innings, and overall, in T20 World Cup matches at this venue, spinners have taken over 56% of wickets.
- The average first innings score here in recent T20 World Cup matches has been around 172–173, with chasing teams losing 5 out of 7 games, so batting first is usually preferred.
R. Premadasa Stadium Records and Stats In T20
| Total matches: | 65 |
| Batting first won: | 28 |
| Bowling first won: | 36 |
| 1st inn avg score: | 145 |
| 2nd inn avg score: | 129 |
| Highest Total: | 215/5 |
| Lowest Total: | 80/10 |
| Highest Chased: | 215/5 |
| Lowest Defended: | 115/6 |
ENG vs NZ Match Playing 11
England (ENG) Possible Playing 11: 1. Jos Buttler(WK), 2. Philip Salt(WK), 3. Harry Brook(C), 4. Jacob Bethell, 5. Tom Banton, 6. Sam Curran, 7. Will Jacks, 8. Jamie Overton, 9. Jofra Archer, 10. Liam Dawson, 11. Adil Rashid
New Zealand (NZ) Possible Playing 11: 1. Tim Seifert(WK), 2. Finn Allen(WK), 3. Rachin Ravindra, 4. Glenn Phillips, 5. Daryl Mitchell, 6. Mark Chapman, 7. Mitchell Santner(C), 8. Cole McConchie, 9. Matt Henry, 10. Ish Sodhi, 11. Lockie Ferguson
