England are currently second in Group 1 but know that qualification is in their hands after beating last year's runners-up New Zealand at The Gabba.
Their five-run defeat to Ireland last week meant there was very little room for error and pressure on their final two games intensified after their match against Australia was abandoned due to bad weather without a single ball being bowled.
How can England qualify for the semi-finals?
Only the top two teams in both Super 12 groups qualify for the last four of the T20 World Cup. These places are currently occupied by New Zealand, England, South Africa and India - but this could quickly change.
England's win over New Zealand has helped their cause immeasurably. They will qualify for the semi-finals from Group 1 if they beat Asian champions Sri Lanka on Saturday and Australia fail to win against already-eliminated Afghanistan - or win and fail to overturn England’s run-rate advantage - the day before in Brisbane.
This gives England a significant advantage as they will know exactly what they need to do when they take to the pitch on Saturday.
New Zealand, currently leading the group on five points with a solid run rate, will qualify for the last four should they beat Ireland in the earlier match on Friday.
Elsewhere, it’s a three-way scrap in Group 2 with South Africa leading the way a point ahead of India and Bangladesh who face each other in an Adelaide showdown on Wednesday.
What they said
Speaking after the win against New Zealand, England captain and man of the match Jos Buttler told the BBC: "I said at the toss you don't become a bad team overnight after their defeat against Ireland. We had a bad performance but we know we've got great players in our line-up so there was still lots of confidence in the group and we left it all out there tonight.
"It is a ruthless tournament. Last year we saw South Africa go out having won four out of five games, so it can be tough to get through.
"But now we know it's all in our hands and you expect to be under pressure in World Cup cricket, that's what it's all about."
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson added: "Credit to the way England played. They put us under pressure from the get-go with the bat and we struggled to get the breakthroughs to change the momentum.
"England played beautifully. We were in the game second half and we needed a few things to go our way but hats off to England, they were clinical."
Key matches
Friday 4 November Australia v Afghanistan, Adelaide Oval, 8am start
Saturday 5 NovemberSri Lanka v England, Sydney Cricket Ground, 8am start
