Quickest run chase ever puts England back on Super Eight road

NORTH SOUND, Antigua (CMC):

ENGLAND NEEDED less than 100 balls to ruthlessly get their ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup defence back on track yesterday when their bowlers, led by Adil Rashid, tore through the batting of Oman and set the foundation for an easy eight-wicket win in Antigua.

Rashid ended with four for 11 from his allotted four overs, as the English routed the Omanis for 47 in 13.2 overs, after putting them into bat in their crucial Group B match at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.

Jofra Archer grabbed three for 12 from 3.2 overs and fellow tearaway fast bowler Mark Wood finished with three for 12, also from three overs, to complete the dismantling of the Oman batting, with only Shoaib Khan reaching double figures, scoring 11.

“I thought we bowled exceptionally well, nice to bowl them out for 47,” Rashid said.

“Always nice when you see your first one spin.

“When you get a wicket first ball, it sets the tone. Some pitches are flatter, but I try to adjust in the first over. It was spinning quite a bit, going wider with the wrong ’un, sliders, set them up that way.

“We’re very happy. It’s one game at a time. We’ve got Namibia next, our job is to go out there and do our thing.”

England captain Jos Buttler then led a turbo-charged run chase with 24 not out off just eight balls, and the defending champions needed only 19 balls to complete the quickest chase in a T20 World Cup match, to finish on 50 for two.

The win gave a significant boost to England’s net run rate, moving it into the positive range, and enhanced their chances of progressing to the Super Eight stage.

It meant England – now third in the group on three points – will qualify for the Super Eight if they beat Namibia on Saturday, and Scotland – second in the group on five – lose to double crown world champions Australia later that day.

EARLY WICKETS

“I thought the tone was set by the bowlers, take early wickets and restrict them,” Buttler said. “They got the job done, but there’s another game in two days’ time.

“I thought they bowled a good line and length. I don’t think anyone expected the [pitch] to play like it did. It looked a really good surface.”

The defeat was the fourth on the trot for Oman, and they are officially the first team to be eliminated from the tournament.

“Nothing much to say, it was a big collapse,” Oman captain Aqib Ilyas said. “It was big exposure, but still there are positives.

“With associate teams, we don’t get to play bowlers who bowl at 140kph. At the back of the mind, expecting a lot of pace, it’s difficult.

“Some areas, the ball was there to hit, but they had fielders up in the ring. Our batters didn’t look uncomfortable, but bad shot selection [cost us].”