England are preparing to take on the USA in the Super Eight final of the T20 World Cup on Sunday. Sky Sports CricketWe’ll see what it takes to get to the semi-finals.
Plus, we’ll assess what’s going well for the tournament’s defending champions and what parts of their game they need to improve…
How can England reach the semi-finals?
The simplest route would be for England to beat the USA in Barbados on Sunday (from 3:30pm) and then leaders South Africa to beat the West Indies in Antigua on Monday. In that scenario, South Africa (6 points) and England (4 points) would advance, while the West Indies (2 points) and USA (0 points) would be eliminated.
How Super 8 Group 2 is approaching the final round
If England and the West Indies both win their final matches and finish level with South Africa on four points, the two spots in Super 8 Group 2 will depend on our old friends’ net run-rate.
West Indies are currently the strongest of the three teams, so a win against South Africa will see the hosts progress to the knockout stage, with the second spot decided by whether England or South Africa has the better net run rate.
England can still progress if they lose to the USA, but the West Indies would need a heavy defeat to South Africa to surpass the Caribbean side on net run rate.
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Highlights from England’s eight-wicket win over the West Indies. Phil Salt top-scores with 87 not out off 47 balls
If the USA beat England thoroughly they could progress to the semi-finals on net points percentage, but that would also require South Africa to beat the West Indies in a big way, so the outlook looks pretty bleak.
The aim for England is to win, and a good win.
What is going well for England?
The trump card is, Sky Sports Coach Nasser Hussain brought on leg-spinner Adil Rashid and fast bowler Jofra Archer.
Rashid took 1-21 in four overs in an eight-wicket win over the West Indies, before taking 1-20 in a seven-run defeat to South Africa. His seven wickets in the tournament were taken at an economy rate of 7.40.
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Rashid’s two runs in his 17th over against the West Indies played a crucial role in England winning that match, as did paceman Archer’s four runs off set batsman Nicholas Pooran earlier.
Archer is England’s leading wicket-taker with a strike of nine and an economy rate of 7.29. He was tapped out for 21 in his first over against South Africa but gave up just 19 in his next three innings.
His ability to toy with batsmen with his pace and toy with his slower ball is a key part of England’s arsenal.
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England and South Africa produced some impressive performances on the field in the Super 8 match in St Lucia.
I also applaud England’s defence, which was superb against South Africa. Buttler led by example with a brilliant one-handed catch and a direct hit run-out, while Harry Brook and Sam Curran also made some excellent diving catches.
However, there was one positive after the negative impact of England’s top-order defeat to the Proteas. Brook (53 off 37) and Liam Livingstone (33 off 17) put in a decent batting performance, scoring 78 off 42 balls after going from 61-4 while chasing 164 runs, and coming close to completing a heist before the South African death bowlers got going.
Brook also smashed 47 against Namibia in the final game of the first round and Livingstone, who has often not stood out battingly due to his lower middle order position, will likely be in top form if needed against the USA or in a knockout match that England will hopefully play.
Harry Brook top-scores with 53 off 37 balls in England’s defeat to South Africa
What needs to be improved?
Amusing and instructive as it may have been, Brook and Livingston’s disrespectful attitude can’t hide some issues, however minor, at the top of the lineup.
True, Phil Salt scored 87 off 47 balls against West Indies, including 30 in one over, but his other batting efforts have been little more than fleeting cameos and his opening partner Buttler is yet to really come into his own, failing to pass fifty.
Buttler, arguably the best white-ball batsman in the world when in form, blamed his team’s loss to South Africa on the powerplay, as the Proteas, largely through Quinton de Kock, cruised to a commanding 63-0 victory while England were restricted to 41-1.
The captain will want to focus more on opening in the match against the USA, whether it’s scoring or chasing runs, but England’s bowling in the first six overs is also an area that needs improvement.
Will England captain Jos Buttler play a remarkable innings against the USA on Sunday?
Apart from the match against Oman, in which England thrashed the associate nation to 25 for 4 in the powerplay, England have taken just two wickets in the first six overs in their other five matches – two of which were against Australia, after being bowled out for 70 runs in the first five overs.
Against Scotland, he should have got a powerplay wicket but Mark Wood was penalised for a no-ball after George Manjhi whipped the ball towards Buttler.
Wood’s overall form may be a concern for England. After a fine 3-12 against Oman, he was thrashed on the ground by Australia, West Indies and South Africa, conceding more than 10 runs an over in each match.
With England needing to beat the USA in the T20 World Cup on Sunday, will they replace the expensive Mark Wood?
Chris Jordan will probably be eyeing a return to his native Barbados on Sunday, but Tom Hartley is an option if England want more spin up front, and they could always recall Will Jacks, the hard-hitting part-time spinner who recently lost his place to left-arm seamer Curran.
Watch the T20 World Cup Super 8 match between England and USA live Sky Sports Cricket Sunday from 3pm (first ball 3.30pm).
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