Rehan Ahmed became the youngest man to play Test cricket for England when he featured against Pakistan aged 18 in 2022. England will consider bringing in leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed for the T20 World Cup Super 8s match against New Zealand in Colombo. England, who are already through to the semi-finals, will wait for another look at the pitch on Friday before naming their XI.

The match will be played on the same surface as New Zealand beat Sri Lanka on Wednesday, when 10 of the 15 wickets fell to spin, and England are keen to cover all options. Bowling coach Tim Southee said he expects a "pretty scrappy" wicket. "We've seen spin play such a big part here," Southee said. "It's such a big ground. That doesn't mean seamers can't still have an impact - like Matt Henry last night."

Ahmed, 21, has been a regular around England squads but has not played a T20 since the tour of Ireland last September, nor has he featured at a World Cup. He played in the three one-day internationals against Sri Lanka last month, also held on this ground, and twice filled in as an opener.

The leg-spinner would likely replace a pace bowler if he is selected - possibly Jamie Overton. New Zealand picked only two pace bowlers in their win over Sri Lanka, in which 30 of the 40 overs were bowled by spinners. England would still have Jofra Archer and Sam Curran as pace bowlers, plus Adil Rashid, Liam Dawson, and Will Jacks. Jacob Bethell is yet to bowl in the tournament because of a cut on his finger. His availability to bowl would also impact England's thinking.

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Southee backed out-of-form opener Jos Buttler, who is on a run of four single-figure scores in succession. "Jos Buttler has played enough cricket to know he would have been through various tough times throughout his career and I'm sure he'll bounce back at any stage," Southee said.

The Black Caps could be pipped to a semi-final place by Pakistan if they lose but England confirmed their progression with victory over Pakistan on Tuesday. The run to the last four comes after the dismal Ashes defeat, which brought the future of coach Brendon McCullum into question.

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Southee said McCullum, who he played alongside 170 times for New Zealand, has not changed amid the scrutiny. "One thing with Brendon is he is the most consistent guy I have ever come across," Southee told BBC Sport. "Nothing really changes from him. He believes in what he believes in. And we've seen in this tournament, we've won in different ways. "Baz is just Baz. He just wants guys to do well, wants the team to do well and that hasn't changed when he was a player and as a coach as well."

Southee also spoke of his disappointment at not being able to remain as bowling coach during the Ashes. He was with the squad in the build-up and the first Test in Perth but then left to fulfil a playing contract in the ILT20.

"I had a two-year existing deal with the ILT20 which I had to fill, obviously the dates got moved from January to December which clashed with the Ashes," Southee said. "It was disappointing. I'd have loved to have been there for all five [Tests]."

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