Ahmed comes in from the cold to spark England win over New Zealand at T20 World Cup

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — England couldn’t guarantee Rehan Ahmed will make another appearance in the Twenty20 World Cup after an inspirational debut on Friday.

Ahmed played a starring role in his first World Cup match as England dented New Zealand hopes of reaching the semifinals after a thrilling comeback win by four wickets in the Super Eights.

Ahmed dismissed Rachin Ravindra and Cole McConchie to help restrict New Zealand to 159-7, then launched England's fightback with a stunning six off the second ball he faced, in the 18th over.

England was out of the match until Ahmed's six over long-on inspired partner Will Jacks, and they blasted an unbeaten 44 runs in 16 balls for England to win with three balls remaining.

Ahmed was 19 not out off seven balls and Jacks 32 not out off 18, and full of praise for his teammate who was batting for just the ninth time in a T20 for England.

“Rehan played a brilliant innings,” Jacks said. "Everyone who came out on that pitch struggled and it took time to get the pace of it, how slow it was, but that six he hit second ball off Glenn Phillips just upped the ante and put them on the back foot.

“I was then able to just play off him there. The game was laid out there for us with the field and the conditions so we tried to utilise that.”

England had used only 12 men in its six World Cup matches, playing the same XI for five straight games until Friday when Ahmed, a spin bowling allrounder, replaced Jamie Overton, a fast bowler. The change was dictated by a used, slow pitch.

The 21-year-old Ahmed has mainly been an understudy to Adil Rashid while making landmark appearances. He was the youngest man to debut for England in tests in 2022, and the same in ODIs and T20s the next year.

Asked whether Ahmed will stay in the XI for the semifinal next week, likely in Mumbai, captain Harry Brook said, "There's conversations to be had. We said from the start of the competition we're going to select on conditions. We thought today was the perfect opportunity to bring him in and he did an amazing job.

“We've seen what Rehan can do in the nets. He played beautifully and took the game away from them.”

Teammate Tom Banton was also impressed.

“I played with him last year at Trent Rockets. I've seen the journey he's come on,” Banton said. “He's not been playing which hasn't been easy but to make an impact like that ...”

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

England's Rehan Ahmed bowls a delivery during the T20 World Cup cricket match between England and New Zealand in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

England's Will Jacks, left, and Rehan Ahmed encourage each other as they bat during the T20 World Cup cricket match between England and New Zealand in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

England's Rehan Ahmed hits a six during the T20 World Cup cricket match between England and New Zealand in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

England's Rehan Ahmed plays a shot during the T20 World Cup cricket match between England and New Zealand in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.

Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.

Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.

Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.

Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.

Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."

Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.

Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."

Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”

Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.

The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.

Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)