England have beaten New Zealand by 20 runs at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to give themselves a huge chance of qualifying for the semi finals. Alex Hales and Jos Buttler top scored with the bat whilst Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, and ben Stokes all starred with the ball England won the toss in Brisbane and decided to bat first in the crucial clash, and they set about getting runs on the board quickly. Both Jos Buttler and Alex Hales passed the 50 mark- captain Buttler top scored with 73 from 47 balls. England’s middle order failed to chip in to support their openers, with Liam Livinghstone’s 20 being the only other score to reach double figures. Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi contributed with wickets and a good economy. A hurried three off the last ball left England on 179-6, leaving New Zealand with a competitive total to chase down. It was down to the English bowlers to get the job done. New Zealand started slowly and lost both Finn Allen and Devon Conway cheaply, however Kane Williamson and Glenn Phillips steadied the ship. The pair put on 98 runs to push New Zealand towards their target. England fought back, however, and Ben Stokes and Mark Wood picked up the important wickets of Kane Williamson and Jimmy Neesham. The onslaught from New Zealand failed to materialise and further wickets from Chirs Woakes and Ben Stokes made sure they fell short of the 180 target. England face Sri Lanka on Saturday knowing a win could seal top spot in the group, whilst New Zealand face Ireland knowing a win would see them finish top of the pile.