Hosting the tournament, England guaranteed their semi-final appearance on Wednesday by crushing New Zealand by 119 runs. The victory was anchored by Jonny Bairstow, who delivered his second hundred in a row. This marks the team's first trip to the semi-finals since 1992, when they were runners-up for the third time. England started aggressively, reaching 194-1 within 30 overs, though they struggled to accelerate in the final stretch, adding 111 runs against a New Zealand side missing Lockie Ferguson. Nevertheless, Bairstow's 106 ensured a formidable total of 305-8 at Chester-le-Street.
New Zealand struggled in their chase, posting only 186 runs. This result extends a losing streak to three games, with the Black Caps also falling to Pakistan and the current champions, Australia, who previously defeated them in the 2015 final.
The only silver lining for New Zealand is that they are likely to progress to the semi-finals with India, England, and Australia. Pakistan would need a massive improvement in their net run-rate to overtake them, even if Sarfaraz Ahmed's team manages a win against Bangladesh this Friday at Lord's.
Reflecting on the win, man-of-the-match Jonny Bairstow expressed his satisfaction, noting that the team viewed their last two matches as critical wins to ensure their path to the semi-finals.