Ahmed plays down hope of semi-final place - can he fit in England XI?

ByMatthew Henry

BBC Sport journalist in Colombo

England all-rounder Rehan Ahmed played down his hopes of selection for the T20 World Cup semi-finals despite his crucial role in Friday's win over New Zealand.

Making his World Cup debut, Ahmed, 21, took a wicket with his first ball and then scored a crucial 19 not out to secure victory in England's chase in partnership with Will Jacks.

As a spinner, he was brought into the XI for the turning conditions in Colombo but England's semi-final is likely to be on a truer surface in Mumbai on Thursday.

"I'm not too bothered about my place in the team," said Ahmed, who became England's youngest men's Test cricketer in 2022.

"Baz [coach Brendon McCullum] and Brooky [captain Harry Brook] will definitely put out the best team they think is going to win, as they did [against New Zealand].

"It's not a personal thing for me - it's a World Cup, it's my first World Cup to be in.

"I'll just keep enjoying the ride, if I get the nod I'll play and if not then I'll give water to the boys."

Against New Zealand, Ahmed ignited a chase that was struggling in the final overs by hitting his second ball for six.

He also struck Mitchell Santner for four with a fine reverse sweep and clubbed the left-arm spinner over long-off for another six.

It meant England were able to win with three balls to spare and progress through the Super 8s phase unbeaten.

The performance has also led to some calls for Ahmed to keep his place on Thursday - a match likely to be against co-hosts India or West Indies - but fitting the youngster into England's team would be difficult.

The returns of pace bowlers and spinners have been far more balanced at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, compared with Colombo where spin has dominated.

Without seamer Jamie Overton returning, England could be exposed with Jofra Archer and Sam Curran as their only pace options.

Ahmed's success with the bat against the Black Caps raises the possibility of him batting in the top seven - but again that is not straightforward.

A switch with out-of-form opener Jos Buttler may seem obvious but Ahmed has only batted as an opener once in his T20 career - for Leicestershire against Northamptonshire in 2023.

He has batted most regularly at number three - a position currently filled by captain Harry Brook - and after that most of his experience has been at seven or eight.

Pushing Tom Banton or Jacob Bethell up to open and slotting Ahmed into the middle order would be a huge gamble backed up by little evidence.

And while Ahmed's bowling performance was good - he took 2-28 including the wickets of Rachin Ravindra and Cole McConchie - the deeper analysis compares less favourably to fellow leg-spinner Adil Rashid.

According to data from analysts CricViz, nine of Rashid's deliveries were missed or edged compared to two of Ahmed's. Rashid also had a significantly better control of length.

That makes it unlikely England would pick Ahmed over Liam Dawson, who has offered control to Brook throughout.

Ahmed made his Test debut as an 18-year-old and has been a regular member of England white-ball squads since, but his opportunities have been limited by first-choice leg-spinner Rashid.

He has played only 13 of England's 53 T20s since his debut - but this was his best performance to date.

"I just want to make an impression whenever I do get the chance," Ahmed said.

"I know the team balance right now is great and that's why we are where we are.

"I'm very easy. I was very, very happy when I did get the chance to try and win a game for England, not for me personally, just to win a game."