England were on the verge of being eliminated from this T20 World Cup.
When Australia required 89 in seven overs in their match against Scotland in St Lucia on Sunday, in a match their Ashes rivals would have to win to be eliminated, things looked bleak for England.
But any illusions that Australia were plotting to beat England were dashed as a series of boundaries and key drops from Scotland’s Chris Soule gave the 2021 champions victory and ensured that the 2022 champions would join the Super 8s.
Jos Buttler’s England and Australia have made somewhat weak and at times sloppy starts to their defence of the trophy but are once again looking like favourites and it now feels like there is a real chance the teams could meet in the knockout stages.
Their stunning victory over the West Indies proved that.
England restricted the West Indies to 180 for four thanks to Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer giving up just sixes in the 16th and 17th overs, while Phil Salt made 30 in the 16th over of the chase, holding Romario Shepherd’s deliveries for fours and sixes.
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Salt hit six boundaries in his 30-run over as England began their T20 World Cup Super 8 campaign with a win.
Salt’s onslaught and Jonny Bairstow’s blistering 48 runs from 26 balls saw England head home with over two overs to spare, boosting their net run-rate and confidence they could become the first team to win the tournament twice in a row.
Nothing can be taken for granted in T20 but with Super 8 matches coming up against South Africa – who have won all five of their matches but have barely managed to win most of them so far – and the USA, England will be feeling confident of progressing to the semi-finals.
So Australia, the favourites along with India to advance from the other Super 8 pool, might really be wishing they had kicked India out…
England take early lead in T20 World Cup Super 8 Group 2
The story of the 16-over
The 16th over of the West Indies and England innings could not have been more contrasting – arguably the over that decided the match.
West Indies managed just four runs, losing set batsman Nicholas Pooran, who could have done all the damage in the closing stages. Archer repeatedly hit the left-hander with sharp balls full and wide outside the off stump, before Pooran cut the bat with the final ball, which was passed to Buttler.
England’s Jofra Archer bowled the crucial 16th over, fanning just four and dismissing Nicholas Pooran.
Thanks to some excellent performances from Archer and Rashid – the latter conceding just two runs from his 17 – the home team conceded just 43 runs in the final five innings and England didn’t waste the final two and a half to win comfortably at Gros Islet.
The 16th over was also decisive, as Salt (87 off 47 balls) drove, lofted, ramped and pulled for six boundaries (three fours and three sixes) in succession to reduce the achievable but not easy requirement of 40 off 30 balls to the standard 24 off 10 balls. The match was over.
“That was when I pulled the trigger,” Salt, who scored consecutive hundreds against West Indies in the pre-Christmas series in the Caribbean and currently averages 68.28 against West Indies in T20 internationals, said after the match.
“I had that idea in the back of my mind, but I never said it to Johnny. [Bairstow] I didn’t want him to say “no.” [I thought I could take] It was one of those seamers, a well-thrown calculated risk and when I first got the hint I just had to take that opportunity.”
Salt hit three sixes and as many fours in the 16th over of England’s successful run-chase.
He added: “It feels great to come here and play like that in front of our home crowd, against a really strong team who are on a roll in their own condition.”
“It’s been a stop-and-start tournament for us. We stumbled against Australia and then had our game against Scotland rained out, making it a really rocky start. But in tournaments you need confidence and momentum at the right time and our win against the hosts has taken the first step in that direction.”
Bairstow becomes a star again after being questioned
England’s innings had stagnated somewhat after the opening 67-run stand between Salt and Buttler but Bairstow brought fresh momentum.
When England’s requirement was 70 off the last 42 balls, West Indies would have felt they were back in the match but Bairstow smashed Alzarri Joseph’s 14th over midwicket and over the ramp for six, past wicketkeeper Pooran for four.
Three successive boundaries against Akeel Hosin in the next over got Salt back on track, but then Salt watched from the other end as Shepherd was thrashed all over the field.
Bairstow’s final act was to pull Joseph over midwicket for a match-deciding single to send his team to victory with 15 balls to spare, completing his stand with Salt on 97 for no loss off 44 balls.
Jonny Bairstow gives England a boost in scoring.
After a shaky performance of just seven off 13 balls in the first-innings defeat to Australia, Bairstow’s place in the batting order, and even in the batting XI, had been called into question.
But he stuck to his place and, as Will Jacks making way for Sam Curran, repaid the faith with a commanding 31 off 18 balls against Namibia and then a crucial cameo against the West Indies.
The reaction was unsurprising, as Bairstow is known for quickly dismissing players if he feels they are being questioned. There were no doubts in the dressing room, but Buttler said of his teammate: “He’s a first-class player and has been for a really long time. You just keep rooting for first-class players.”
“He hasn’t been given many chances so far but it was a really impressive innings today. A strong innings from a mature veteran player. He scored with some great batting when the game was in the balance.”
Rashid: ‘England’s most important player’
While Salt and Bairstow will be the focus of attention, Archer will rightly receive the praise for his economy and wicket-taking in the 16th over.
But Buttler was quick to insist that leg-spinner Rashid remains England’s key man: “I’ve said it many times before, he is our most important player and has been for a really long time. He’s got the variety, he’s got the threat, he’s not just a wickets taker but he’s also a run-keeper.”
England leg-spinner Adil Rashid took figures of 1-21 from four overs in St Lucia.
Although Rashid failed to take a wicket against West Indies – his only casualty was Andre Russell, who was taken for two in the 17th over – his economy rate was 5.25, with 10 dot balls from 24 balls, just one of which was for a boundary.
As they have so many times before, England are grateful for his magic and with Rashid and many other players in good form, their once faltering title defence has been revived – and revived in a big way.
Sky Sports will show live coverage of every T20 World Cup match, including the final in Barbados on Saturday 29 June.
What’s next?
England They will be in St Lucia before taking on South Africa on Friday (3.30pm in the UK and Ireland). West Indies They will travel to Barbados on Saturday (1:30 a.m.) to face the United States.