New Zealand pace bowler Lockie Ferguson admits they will need to combat England’s firepower when they meet at the Brisbane Cricket Ground in the T20 World Cup on Tuesday.

The Black Caps became the first team to book their place in the T20 World Cup semi-final after they defeated Australia and Sri Lanka, while their game against Afghanistan was washed out.

A win in Brisbane will see New Zealand cement their place at the top of the Group 1 table and do Australia a favour by eliminating England from the competition.

However, Ferguson admits that he and fellow bowlers Trent Boult and Tim Southee will have to be at their best to beat England at the Gabba on Tuesday night.

“What you always expect from England is that they come out very hot,” said Ferguson. “They pride themselves probably on that aggressive nature and bat very deep.

“Tim and Trent have had a blinder in these first two games.

“When the ball’s swinging, there’s not much better in the world. So I think from that point of view, nothing needs to change too much, and we just need to adjust to the conditions on the day.

“England are going to have a lot of firepower and we need to combat that.”

He added: “Clearly, there’s a long way to go for us. We need to make sure we take it game by game.

“It’s very much one game at a time. Tomorrow is a big focus for us, after that we’ll cross the next bridge when it comes.”

Photo by EPA/DEAN LEWINS