England 117 for 0 (Buttler 83*) batting UNITED STATES 115 (Nitish 30, Jordan 4-10, Rashid 2-13) by ten wickets
The target of 116 needed to be reached in 18.4 overs to ensure England’s NRR would leapfrog South Africa’s and ensure they had a firm grip on second place in the group. But Buttler aimed higher.
After a quiet start, Buttler reached 44 off 26 deliveries at the end of the powerplay – in which England scored 60 – which included cracking a solar panel with the first of two consecutive sixes off Saurabh Netravalkar.
He saved his most brutal assault for Harmeet Singh’s second over – the ninth – getting the strike for the second ball and hitting five sixes. The first took him to his first half-century of the tournament, coming off 32 deliveries. A little later, Buttler’s late cut took England over the line with 62 balls to spare.
This means England will finish top of the group if West Indies beat South Africa in the final Group 2 match by a margin of less than 52 runs. A victory for South Africa, which would take them to six points, would see England finish second.
Jordan has his moment
Chris Jordan didn’t expect to be at this World Cup. A back injury to Jamie Overton has given him what is likely one last chance on the biggest stage. Today in Barbados, he grabbed it with both hands with that hat-trick and overall figures of 4 for 10 that took him to 105 T20I wickets.
The crescendo of the hat-trick was full of emotion. Jordan isn’t exactly the biggest celebrator, but who could blame him this moment? The Bajan-born cricketer grew up watching a lot of cricket at Kensington Oval before moving to the UK on a scholarship to Dulwich College. The locals in the stadium hailed him as one of their own.
Jordan was actually at home in Barbados when he learned of his call-up to the provisional squad at the end of April. Later in the day, he was practicing in the nets with Jofra Archer, who first put the session live on Instagram before removing it.
After starting in the XI in the draw against Scotland and the defeat against Australia – both in Bridgetown – Jordan returned for the final Group B match against Namibia before returning to the bench for the start of the Super Eights.
Even after this display, he could find himself sidelined once again if Buttler opts for Mark Wood’s extra pace, depending on England’s opponents and the venue of the semi-final. Either way, Jordan’s place in history is assured.
Rashid is wrong, so right
Like Lionel Messi moving onto his left foot and Steph Curry coming up from distance, everyone knows Adil Rashid has a google. The problem with all three is getting something done.
Aaron Jones and Nitish Kumar were both felled by the legspinner’s delivery going the other way. The first tried to fight him with his trusty sweep. The latter chose to ignite and benefit from additional coverage. Both had their stumps rearranged.
That now accounts for five of Rashid’s nine wickets coming from Google in this World Cup. Their threat is masked by full-length and off-stump lines, similar to where he looks to land his legs.
Rashid has been England’s standout white-ball bowler for some time and, aged 36, has been at his best throughout this tournament despite starting the summer with little competitive cricket.
Here in Bridgetown he was unplayable, conceding just 10 runs from his four no-bound overs. It was hard not to feel sorry for the U.S. batting lineup as he had them tied up in knots. If it’s any comfort, more experienced batters, with much more exposure to Rashid, have been rendered just as clueless.
Corey Anderson disappointing
It is as much a credit to the rest of the team that their most high-profile cricketer entering this tournament has been a footnote on a valiant campaign.
Anderson had an average of 13 before this last game. With six overs to go, he looked relatively determined on 24, especially after breaking a run of 34 no-bound deliveries in the previous over by lifting Liam Livingstone for six over gully with a reverse sweep. Now it was time to show why he was once one of the most sought-after all-around players on the tour.
Although there was some rush, it came at the other end as Harmeet Singh hit 21 in a 27-run stand between them, with a couple of fours and a six from his side.
Singh would go down late in the 18th, leaving Anderson on strike for the penultimate. Jordan threw a full throw and Anderson swung for the hills. Alas, he was only able to find Harry Brook, who didn’t have to move an inch from his position a good ten meters in front of the long-term sponge.
He walked for 29, his highest score of the competition, taking his total to 66 from 72 deliveries. A tournament to remember for the United States may be a tournament to remember for Anderson.
Is Buttler peaking at the right time for England?
A 28-ball 42 in the defeat against Australia and a 24 from eight deliveries in the bombardment of Oman were tempered by a duck against Namibia. In the opening Super Eight matches against the West Indies and South Africa, he only managed 42 off as many balls.
Having started the month in a bad mood, tired of having to deal with the disaster of 50 more people in India last winter, Buttler seems much more at ease. And why not: after a few pitfalls, this title defense remains on the right track.
Vithushan Ehantharajah is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo