‘There’ll be some nerves...’: Mitchell Santner on NZ’s T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final hopes

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said his team will be feeling nervous as they will be watching Pakistan’s final Super 8 match against Sri Lanka, since their tournament fate now depends on the result. New Zealand missed their own chance to secure a semi-final spot after England beat them by four wickets in Colombo, finishing at the top of Group 2 without losing a match. The Black Caps currently have three points from three matches and a good net run rate of +1.390. Pakistan, with one point from two matches, still have a slim but possible chance to qualify.

Speaking after the match, Santner admitted that their faith is no longer in their hands and can only wait and see what happens next. He further added that it would have been much easier if they had won their final match, but now they will be anxiously watching the next match.

“Pretty nervous. There'll be some nerves watching tomorrow, just to see what happens. But it's out of our control, we can't really do much,” Santner told reporters during the post-match press conference.

“We are just going to wait and see, and either get on a plane to India or New Zealand. We would have made things a lot easier if we won tonight,” he added.

With England already through to the semi-finals, attention now turns to Pakistan’s match against Sri Lanka in Pallekele, which will decide who joins them in the last four.

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How New Zealand lost their chance

New Zealand knew a win against England would guarantee them a semi-final spot, however, they could not handle the pressure and England limited them to 159 runs. Will Jacks played an important role, taking two wickets for 23 runs and later scoring an unbeaten 32 from 18 balls to help England chase the target. Because of this defeat, New Zealand must now depend on Pakistan’s result.

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Santner said the team performed well in many areas during the tournament but admitted they made small mistakes at important moments, whether in bowling, batting or fielding.

“It’s always those little moments at the end or throughout an innings where you can be a little bit sharper whether it's execution or in the field,” he said.

Semi-final spot on the line in Pallekele

Pakistan still have a chance, but it will not be easy. They must beat Sri Lanka by a big margin to move ahead of New Zealand on net run rate. A win by around 65 runs, or chasing the target within 13 overs, could be enough.

There is no rain expected in Pallekele and Sri Lanka have already lost three matches in a row. This gives Pakistan a real chance to fight for a semi-final place. For New Zealand, all they can do now is wait. Their place in the semi-finals depends on how Pakistan perform in their final match.