England, Pakistan advance to semifinals

England won their third straight Super Eight match today, defeating New Zealand by three wickets to eliminate the Kiwis from the International Cricket Council (ICC) 20/20 World Cup tournament.



The match was played at Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia.



All-rounder Tim Bresnan followed a strong bowling display with an unbeaten 23 off 11 balls as England reached a victory target of 153 for 7 with five balls to spare.



Earlier, Bresnan\'s one for 20 had helped limit New Zealand to 149 for 6 off 20 overs. Ross Taylor top scored for the Kiwis with 44 off 33 balls.



England ended top of Group ‘B’ with six points while Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa all ended on two points.



Pakistan, the defending champions, advanced to the semifinals along with England due to a better net run rate.



Pakistan had earlier beaten South Africa by 11-run to stay in contention for a semi-final spot.



Umar Akmal\'s blistering 51 off 33 balls led Pakistan to a total of 148-7 from their 20 overs.



South Africa stalled early in their run chase and could only manage 137 for 7 against the bowling of off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, who grabbed 4 for 26.



Only one other semi-final spot is up for grabs as Australia have already qualified from Zone ‘A’.



The last semi-final spot will be decided tomorrow following the final Super Eight games in the group.



Second place Sri Lanka and last place India will face off, while third place West Indies will play Australia.



Sri Lanka and West Indies are locked on two points each, with the Sri Lankans having a better run-rate.