The inaugural 20-team T20 World Cup has been full of intriguing matchups, and the clash between the United States and England in Bridgetown, Barbados was no exception. While the US team has exceeded expectations so far in the tournament, facing the defending champions England – who were looking to seal a semi-final berth – was always going to be a tough challenge.
England won the toss and opted to bowl first, and their bowlers quickly got to work. Sam Curran struck with a clever back-of-the-hand slower ball to claim his 50th T20I wicket, while Adil Rashid spun a web with his wily googlies. The leg-spinner was particularly impressive, forcing Barbados-born Aaron Jones and the technically sound Nitish Kumar into ill-advised shots.
With the spinners strangling the scoring, England’s pacers were able to hit the surface hard with their cutters, forcing the US batters to take risks. The pressure ultimately told, as the lower order crumbled – with Chris Jordan running through the tail to complete a memorable hat-trick.
Chasing a modest target of 116, England openers Jos Buttler and Phil Salt wasted little time, with Buttler in particular going on the offensive. The wicket-keeper batsman smashed five consecutive sixes off Harmeet Singh, finishing unbeaten on 83 off just 38 balls to guide England to a comprehensive 10-wicket victory.
The result has left South Africa and West Indies to fight it out for the other semi-final spot from Group 2, as England booked their place in the knockouts in style.
