England secured the first spot in the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finals by defeating the United States with a commanding 10-wicket victory in their final Super 8 match at Kensington Oval, Barbados on Sunday.
Jos Buttler and Phil Salt efficiently chased down the target of 116 runs in just 9.4 overs without losing a single wicket, showcasing a dominant performance against the USA bowlers.
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Buttler’s explosive innings of 83 runs off 38 balls, featuring six fours and seven sixes, including five consecutive maximums off Harmeet Singh in the ninth over, highlighted England’s aggressive intent.
Although England was the last team to secure a place in the Super 8, they swiftly became the first team to advance to the tournament’s semi-finals.
In the first innings, the English bowlers were equally effective, dismissing the entire USA team for a mere 115 runs in 18.5 overs. Chris Jordan’s exceptional performance stood out as he claimed four wickets in the 19th over, including a remarkable hat-trick, becoming only the second bowler, after Australia’s Pat Cummins, to achieve this feat in the T20 World Cup 2024.
Throughout the innings, the English bowlers maintained pressure on the USA batsmen, regularly taking wickets at crucial intervals.
For the USA, Nitish Kumar (30 off 24), Corey Anderson (29 off 28), and Harmeet Singh (21 off 17) made significant contributions with the bat, while skipper Aaron Jones managed only 10 runs from 16 balls.
Jordan finished with four wickets, supported by two each from Sam Curran and Adil Rashid, and one wicket apiece from Liam Livingstone and Reece Topley.
Earlier in the day, Jos Buttler won the toss and opted to bowl first. England made one change to their lineup, with Chris Jordan replacing Mark Wood, while the USA retained the same playing XI that faced West Indies in their previous match.
Playing XIs:
USA: 1 Steven Taylor, 2 Andries Gous (wk), 3 Nitish Kumar, 4 Aaron Jones (capt), 5 Corey Anderson, 6 Milind Kumar, 7 Harmeet Singh, 8 Nosthush Kenjinge, 9 Shadley van Schalkwyk, 10 Ali Khan, 11 Saurabh Netravalkar
England: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 3 Jonny Bairstow, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Reece Topley
