England secured their place in the semifinal of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 with an emphatic 10-wicket victory over the United States of America in Bridgetown on Sunday, June 23. The victory, marked by a spectacular display of batting from Jos Buttler, who smashed an unbeaten 83 off just 38 balls, saw the Three Lions chase down a modest 116-run target in a mere 58 balls.
Despite a shaky start to their campaign, where the defending champions failed to win their opening two games, England orchestrated a compelling comeback to become the first team to reach the semifinals. The match showcased England’s robust all-around performance, highlighted by Chris Jordan’s historic hat-trick and Buttler’s explosive batting, including hammering five sixes in a single over.
The race for the second semifinal berth from Group 2 intensifies as South Africa and West Indies prepare to clash on Monday morning in North Sound. South Africa remains unbeaten in this tournament and needs just a point to secure a semifinal spot, while West Indies must win the match to join England in the final four.
England’s decision to bowl first, after winning the toss, proved to be fruitful. Chris Jordan, who replaced speedster Mark Wood in the playing eleven, and Reece Topley set the tone early. Topley struck in the very first over, dismissing Andries Gous, but USA regained some stability during the powerplay with Nitish Kumar and Steven Taylor putting together a 34-run partnership for the second wicket.
Veteran spinner Adil Rashid then stepped up, taking two crucial wickets in the middle overs and becoming England’s all-time leading wicket-taker in T20 World Cup history, with a tally of 31 wickets. Rashid’s efforts helped maintain England’s grip on the game. Chris Jordan, justifying his inclusion, took four wickets in the 19th over, cementing his place in England’s T20I history by becoming the first player from England to claim a hat-trick in T20 internationals.
. Nitish Kumar emerged as the top scorer for the USA with 30 runs, while Jordan stood out as the star bowler with figures of four wickets for just 10 runs.
Chasing a target of 116 runs, England’s openers, Phil Salt and Buttler, started cautiously, managing only six runs off the first two overs. However, Buttler shifted gears quickly, producing a stunning display of power hitting in the third over, which set the tone for the remainder of their innings. The match reached its climax in the tenth over when Buttler unleashed a barrage of sixes off Harmeet Singh, hitting five in a row to effectively seal the game.
Finishing in style, Buttler hit a four off Shadley van Schalkwyk to conclude the run chase. Phil Salt played a secondary role but remained unbeaten on 25 runs. Buttler, the undisputed star of the match, ended with 83 not out off 38 balls, including six fours and seven sixes.
Adil Rashid, for his exceptional performance with the ball, beating both Buttler and Jordan for the accolade, was awarded the Player of the Match for his figures of two wickets for 13 runs.
Following is a summary of the playing elevens for both teams in this crucial encounter:
United States Playing XI: Steven Taylor, Andries Gous (wk), Nitish Kumar, Aaron Jones (c), Corey Anderson, Milind Kumar, Harmeet Singh, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Nosthush Kenjige, Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar.
England Playing XI: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley.
This win propels England into the semifinals as they look to retain their title, while the fate of other contenders hangs in the balance with critical matches yet to be played in the tournament.
