England beat New Zealand to keep T20 World Cup hopes alive

England kept their T20 World Cup hopes alive with a complete performance with bat and ball to beat New Zealand in Brisbane.Captain Jos Buttler led the way with the bat after electing to field first, clubbing 73 off 47 balls, as his team ultimately prevailed by 20 runs.Fellow opener Alex Hales’ 52 off 40 deliveries helped lay a strong platform before Liam Livingstone’s (20) characteristic late-order hitting fired England up to 179.Chris Woakes and Sam Curran then took over with the ball with the key wicket of the big-hitting Glenn Phillips, after a brilliant 62 from 36, all but sealing a huge victory in the context of the Super 12 stage.Buttler’s side next face Sri Lanka on Saturday knowing victory will almost certainly secure a spot in the semi-finals.More follows…Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalismBy registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalistsAlready have an account? sign inRegistration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalismBy registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalistsAlready have an account? sign inEngland kept their T20 World Cup hopes alive with a hard-won victory in Brisbane Getty Images