ICC World T20 2016 Results: New Zealand vs. England Score, Updated Schedule

England became the first team to qualify for the final of the 2016 ICC World Twenty20, comprehensively beating New Zealand by seven wickets (with 17 balls remaining) on Wednesday.

Jason Roy stole the show with his maiden T20 international half-century, finishing with figures of 78 from 44 balls and playing a vital role in England's chase.

The Black Caps started their innings well but lost the plot in the middle overs, handing their opponents a target of just 154. England's batsmen took care of the rest, with only skipper Eoin Morgan failing to contribute.

Here's a look at the updated schedule for the rest of the tournament:

Match	Type	Date	Time (BST	Teams
Semi-final 2	Knockout	Thursday, Mar. 31	1:30 p.m.	India vs. West Indies
Final	Knockout	Sunday, Apr. 3	1:30 p.m.	England vs. TBD

England vs. New Zealand

England, 159 for 3 (17.1 overs, Roy 78, Sodhi 2 for 42) beat New Zealand, 153 for 8 (Munro 42, Stokes 3 for 26) by 7 wickets with 17 balls remaining

For the full scorecard click here. 

England won the toss and elected to bowl, handing Black Caps openers Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson the chance to build an early lead.

Per Cricbuzz, the two have fully established themselves as an elite pairing:

New Zealand scored 11 runs in the first over but quickly lost Guptill, who had hit 15 off 12 balls before he was caught by Jos Buttler. Munro picked up right where he left off, however, and the Black Caps cruised through the first overs.

At the halfway point, New Zealand were 89 for one and seemingly working toward a total of close to 200. The ICC's official Twitter account noted Munro (46 from 32) looked particularly sharp:

But things started to unravel in the middle overs. Moeen Ali removed Williamson (32 from 28) caught and bowled in the 11th over, one in which Ali gave up just three runs, and Munro followed his team-mate shortly after.

Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle noted the middle overs had been an issue for the Black Caps all tournament long:

Corey Anderson added 28 from 23 to the total, but at this point, momentum had shifted entirely to England's bowlers. Not a single batsman after him managed double figures.

England's strong run was illustrated by Ben Stokes' back-to-back wickets of Anderson and Luke Ronchi in the 18th over, to the surprise of ESPNCricinfo:

The Black Caps eventually finished on a total of 153, which seemed low given their strong start.

Stokes led the way for England's bowlers with three wickets, while Chris Jordan also looked excellent, with figures of one for 24 off his four overs.

Roy provided a spectacular start to England's chase with four fours in the first over, to the delight of TV personality Piers Morgan:

New Zealand opted to throw pace at the duo of Roy and Alex Hales early, and it clearly didn't work, as the two put up 60 runs in the first five overs.

Roy needed just 26 balls to record his first T20 international half-century, per England Cricket:

The Black Caps finally grabbed their first wicket in the ninth, as Mitchell Santner removed Hales, but it barely slowed down England's momentum. Roy continued his fine knock until he was finally bowled by Ish Sodhi, finishing with 78 from 44 balls.

Sodhi caught Eoin Morgan leg-before-wicket with his very next delivery, as the Black Caps' spinners finally made an impact. But with 30 needed from 30, England were still in control entering the final overs.

In-form Buttler (32 from 17) did most of the damage in those overs, including back-to-back sixes, and he provided the winning runs with yet another six—ably supported by the cool head of Joe Root.

Per ESPN Cricinfo, man of the match Roy praised the team's bowlers:

"

The bowling unit did really well, they are a hugely dangerous line-up. I tried to get the team off to a good start and it went quite well. It was a chance to get off to a great start on a decent wicket. I gave it a crack and it came off. I got a few boundaries early and kept going from there. It's the way a lot of us play, we have that opportunity to do what they want and be free with their skills. I just looked at the runs needed and knocked them off, if you let the occasion get to you it can be to your detriment.

"

With the exception of Morgan, who was bowled for a duck, all of England's batsmen finished with double figures and strike rates well over 100.00.

West Indies and India will contest the other semi-final, and after putting together their finest performance of the tournament, England should enter the final confident they can beat either side. The team showed excellent maturity to bounce back from a rough start with the ball, taking timely wickets in the middle overs.

More importantly, the batsmen looked nothing short of devastating against New Zealand's vaunted group of bowlers, and there's no reason to believe they can't repeat that performance against the Windies or the Men in Blue.

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