Browsing: England

England take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three series with Sri Lanka by recording a five-wicket victory in the first Test at Old Trafford.

England have chased down a target of 205 to record a five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test at Old Trafford.

Even in the absence of the injured Ben Stokes, England had been expected to make light work of a Sri Lanka side that does not possess the same star power as years gone by.

However, Kamindu Mendis‘s outstanding 113 left the hosts with plenty to think about on the fourth day, before Joe Root showcased his class to get England over the line with a day to spare.

Resuming on 204-6 with a lead of 82, Sri Lanka were aware of the size of the task in front of them if they were to remain competitive, yet Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal frustrated England during the morning session.

The pair survived the 135-minute session and took Sri Lanka past 300, only for Mendis to fall soon after lunch for 113 off the bowling of Gus Atkinson.

Mendis and Chandimal’s resilience was undone as the rest of the innings was wrapped up in just over four overs, Chandimal the last man to be dismissed for 79.

Matthew Potts came away with figures of 3-47 after a frustrating summer playing a waiting game, and it set England up with a target that they could chase down without the need of a fifth day.

“They’ve been donated a wicket right there” 😅

Ollie Pope is dismissed in bizarre fashion as Sri Lanka pick up their second wicket 👀 pic.twitter.com/SQQwlCFjYA

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 24, 2024

England survive nervy start

With Ben Duckett (11) and Ollie Pope (six) out by the 12.5-over mark, England found themselves in a game, and Dan Lawrence‘s dismissal for 34 left his team on 70-3.

By this point, Root was at the crease, yet he remained disciplined as Harry Brook put together 32 from 68 in a 49-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

Jamie Smith, after his century in the first innings, added 39 from 48 to put England to within touching distance, allowing Root to go at a pedestrian pace and make an unbeaten 62 from 128 balls that featured just two boundaries.

Stand-in skipper Pope was quick to laud Root as “a greedy Yorkshireman” after the game as he continued to chase down sixth spot in the all-time Test run scorers that is currently held by Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara, who is 269 runs ahead.

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Sports Mole previews the third Test match between England and the West Indies, scheduled to get underway on Friday at Edgbaston.

England will be looking to complete a clean sweep in the three-match series when they take on the West Indies in the final Test at Edgbaston, which gets underway on Friday morning.

The hosts have dominated the series so far, winning the first Test by 114 runs and an innings to spare, before wrapping up the second by 241 runs on day four of the match at Trent Bridge.

Match preview

© Reuters

It has now been two years since Jonny Bairstow‘s blistering century led England to an excellent run-chase victory against New Zealand and marked the birth of what has since been dubbed Bazball.

At the time, Ben Stokes and newly-appointed head coach Brendon McCullum were tasked with revitalising England Test cricket, having inherited a team that had won only one of its last 17 matches.

While many still question the effectiveness of the new-found approach, given the side have drawn with New Zealand and Australia and lost in India since then, major positive signs are emerging, with the victory at Trent Bridge marking England’s first full series win since December 2022.

That victory took Stokes to a win rate of 61% since assuming captaincy, which is the third-highest percentage in Test history among captains who have led their country in at least 25 games, only behind Australian legends Steve Waugh (72%) and Ricky Ponting (62%).

England also made history in the last match, scoring 400 runs for the first time ever in both innings of a Test match. Additionally, Joe Root became the highest run scorer in Test cricket among active players with his century in the second innings, and he is now just 60 runs away from completing 12,000 runs in red-ball cricket.

If Root manages to score those 60 runs in the third Test, which will be his 143rd game, he will be the seventh batsman in history to score 12,000 runs in the longest format and will become the fastest Englishman to reach this milestone, surpassing Alastair Cook, who achieved the feat in 161 matches.

© Reuters

While the first Test marked the end of an era, with James Anderson playing his final match for his country, new bowling stars have already begun to emerge in Gus Atkinson and Shoaib Bashir, the latter of whom became the first spin bowler since 2006 to take five wickets in a Test match at Trent Bridge.

The England off-spinner tore through the Windies’ middle order, which had performed brilliantly in the first innings, leaving Kavem Hodge and Alick Athanaze with distinctly different emotions in the second innings.

The pair of diminutive Dominicans gave the West Indies momentum, and a classy 82* from Joshua Da Silva propelled the team to a first-innings lead and their first 450+ score in a decade, but they had no answer for the 20-year-old Bashir in the final innings of the match.

Indeed, the second Test was made a much tighter affair by the Maroons but England still emerged victorious by 241 runs after bowling West Indies out for 143 in the second innings.

West Indies’ second-innings collapse highlighted England’s skill with the ball on home turf, but there were still many positives for Jason Holder‘s men as they aim to get on the series scoreboard in Birmingham.

Team News

© Reuters

While Root stole most of the headlines in the second Test, Harry Brook also turned in an excellent performance, scoring 109 off 132 balls in the second innings, marking his first Test century on home soil.

McCullum may also use this opportunity to experiment with his side’s post-Anderson bowling attack, which could see a change in their starting seamers, potentially opening the door for Matthew Potts or the uncapped Dillon Pennington to make the starting 11.

Given the improvement made in the second Test, the West Indies are likely to remain unchanged for this match, with Hodge and Athanaze looking to improve on their career-best figures from the last match.

The only squad change for this one will be the exclusion of fast bowler Jeremiah Louis due to an injury. The 28-year-old did not feature in the first two matches and will be replaced by Akeem Jordan for the final fixture of the series.

England squad: Ben Stokes, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Dillon Pennington, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

West Indies squad: Kraigg Brathwaite, Alick Athanaze, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Mikyle Louis, Zachary McCaskie, Kirk McKenzie, Gudakesh Motie, Akeem Jordan, Jayden Seales, Kevin Sinclair

Series so far

Test 1 of 3 – England won by an innings and 114 runs
West Indies – 121 & 136
England – 371

Test 2 of 3: England won by 241 runs
England – 416 & 425
West Indies – 457 & 143

© PA Photos

We say: England to win

Despite putting up a much better performance in the second Test, we feel the West Indies will struggle to avoid a series clean sweep.

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Shoaib Bashir takes a quick-fire five wickets as England record a 241-run victory over West Indies at Trent Bridge.

England have ruthlessly sealed a 241-run victory over West Indies in the second Test to complete a series win with a match to spare.

With West Indies leading by 41 runs after the first innings, England found themselves in a far tougher battle than they encountered in the opening Test at Lord’s.

However, resuming on 248-3 at the start of Sunday’s play, Stokes’s side were in a position of power, and Joe Root and Harry Brook both hit centuries to leave West Indies requiring 385 to win with four sessions remaining.

Instead of making steady progress until the close and keeping wickets intact, the tourists were blown away in just 36.1 overs, with Shoaib Bashir taking five wickets as West Indies only made 143.

ROOOOOOOOOT! 🗣

A 32nd Test match century for Joe Root, in trademark fashion 🤩 pic.twitter.com/2BDsxAsJEY

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 21, 2024

Root, Brook show class

When West Indies had England on 140-3, they would have felt very much in the game, but Root and Brook picked up where they had left off on Saturday night.

The pair would make 189 runs for the fourth wicket, Brook eventually departing for 109 from 132 balls, and Ben Stokes (8) and Jamie Smith (6) would quickly follow.

Nevertheless, Chris Woakes (12) and Gus Atkinson (21*) played valuable support roles as Root made his 32nd Test century, hitting 122 from 178 deliveries to help take England to 425 all out.

Shoaib Bashir is on FIRE. ðŸâ€Â¥

Figures of 3-8 from his three overs after this absolute peach to remove Alick Athanaze ðŸÂ‘ pic.twitter.com/8mDhXMbmmi

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 21, 2024

Bashir makes up for lost time

Having failed to bowl a single ball at Lord’s, Bashir has been itching to showcase his ability to a wide England audience, and he certainly did that on Sunday evening.

During a memorable spell, the 20-year-old took figures of 3-8 in 2.5 overs, before ending an entertaining knock of 37 from Jason Holder to leave West Indies one wicket away from defeat.

Bashir got his five-for by bowling Shamir Joseph to end with 5-41, while Woakes (2-28) and Atkinson (2-49) also made contributions. Kraigg Braithwaite (47) top-scored for the tourists, his runs having come inside the first 16 overs.

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Sports Mole previews the second Test match between England and the West Indies, scheduled to get underway on Thursday at Trent Bridge.

After cruising to victory in the opening Test at Lord’s, England will endeavour to wrap up the series when they face the West Indies in the second Test at Trent Bridge starting on Thursday.

The visitors, meanwhile, will attempt to bounce back and level the three-match series before heading into the final Test at Edgbaston scheduled for July 26 to July 30.

Match preview

© Reuters

There will have been many Test cricket lovers looking forward to a full five days of action between these two cricketing rivals in the first match, but England made light work of their West Indian counterparts as they won by innings and 114 runs, completing the rout barely an hour into the third day at Lord’s.

It was a particularly memorable series for seamers James Anderson and Gus Atkinson, with the former ended his legendary international career on a high as the latter made an immediate impact with a player-of-the-match display on his Three Lions’ debut.

Anderson, England’s all-time leading wicket-taker, took three second-innings wickets in his 188th and final Test to finish with a total of 704 – third on cricket’s all-time list behind Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Australia’s Shane Warne (708). The 41-year-old had the chance to take the winning wicket, but the fairytale moment went begging as he dropped a caught-and-bowled chance off Gudakesh Motie.

Atkinson, meanwhile, impressively claimed match figures of 12-106 – the best for an England debutant in 134 years. The 26-year-old Surrey seamer became the first England player since Alec Bedser back in 1946 to take 10 wickets on his home Test debut, with his 7-45 in the first innings followed up by 5-61 in the second.

While England’s bowlers stole the headlines, head coach Brendon McCullum will have taken positives from his side’s batting display. Although they once again failed to reach the desired 400-mark, the Three Lions were all out for 371 in their first and only innings, with five players scoring at least 50 runs – Zak Crawley the top scorer with 76 from 89 balls.

A similarly dominant display in the second Test will be the aim for England, who have only won two of their previous six Tests at Trent Bridge and just one of their last nine at the same ground against the West Indies – a nine-wicket win with more than a day to spare back in 2012.

© Reuters

Although there were occasional bright spells from the West Indies in the first Test – particularly with the ball as Jayden Seales took four wickets while debutant Mikyle Louis produced a stunning throw to run out Shoaib Bashir for a duck – there was a notable gulf between the two sides with the bat.

West Indies struggled to cope with the pace of England’s seamers and were bundled out for just 121 in the first innings, with only three players scoring more than 20 runs. Their batting display barely improved in the second innings as they were bowled out for 136, with Gudakesh Motie finishing as their top scorer with 31 runs from 35 balls, including five fours.

Head coach Andre Coley has suggested that his inexperienced side have learned from the heavy defeat, stating that the ‘process’ they went through was ‘a lot more powerful’ than the result itself, and there was plenty to take away from his team’s performance.

Coley has also encouraged his players to channel the resilience shown in their two-match series with Australia earlier this year, in which they claimed a famous victory by just eight runs at The Gabba to tie the series having previously been thrashed by 10 wickets in the first Test.

West Indies head into Thursday’s contest looking to win their first Test match in England since July 2020 when they won by four wickets at the Rose Bowl before going on to lose the three-match series 2-1.

Team News

© Reuters

England have confirmed that fast bowler Mark Wood has been added to their squad for the second Test. The 34-year-old missed the first Test after representing the Three Lions at the T20 World Cup in June.

Wood takes the place vacated by the retired Anderson and is one of three seamers along with Durham teammate Matthew Potts and Nottinghamshire’s uncapped Dillon Pennington battling for a spot in the first XI – the latter is eyeing up a debut on his home ground.

Jamie Smith is set to keep his place after notching up an impressive 70 runs as a lower middle-order batman on his Test debut in the first innings, as well as taking four catches behind the stumps, while fellow debutant Shoaib Bashir could also be given a second chance despite the 20-year-old off-spinner not bowling a single ball in the first Test.

As for the West Indies, they are set to make a late call on the fitness of fast bowler Shamar Joseph who suffered stiffness in his left hamstring during the first Test.

Mikyle Louis made his Test debut last time out, becoming the first man from St Kitts to play Test cricket for the West Indies, and after showing signs of promise with the bat – albeit scoring only 41 runs across two innings – he should continue as an opener along with captain Kraigg Brathwaite.

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Dillon Pennington, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

West Indies squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Alick Athanaze, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Jason Holder, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach (wk), Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Mikyle Louis, Jeremiah Louis, Zachary McCaskie, Kirk McKenzie, Gudakesh Motie, Jayden Seales, Kevin Sinclair

Series so far

First Test: England won by an innings and 114 runs
West Indies 121 all out (41.4 overs)
England 371 all out (90 overs)
West Indies 136 all out (47 overs)

© PA Photos

We say: England to win

The unpredictability of England means that West Indies cannot be ruled out of this contest entirely, but if the first Test is anything to go by, the Three Lions should once again have the strength, particularly in the bowling department, to secure a victory and wrap up the series.

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James Anderson ends his Test career with 704 wickets as England beat West Indies at Lord’s by an innings and 114 runs.

James Anderson has waved goodbye to Test cricket as England record victory over West Indies by an innings and 114 runs at Lord’s.

With West Indies resuming on 79-6, only bad weather would prevent Friday from being the 41-year-old’s final day as a Test player, and his 188th match was wrapped up within 65 minutes of day three.

The veteran paceman squandered a fitting moment to sign off from the five-day arena, dropping a caught-and-bowled attempt which would have sealed the win.

Nevertheless, there was a sense of a changing of the guard as Gus Atkinson – on debut – recorded a five-wicket haul and ended the game with remarkable figures of 12-106.

England will now move onto the remaining two matches in the series, but this occasion was all about Anderson, who bows out with 704 wickets in the long format of the game.

For the final time James Anderson walks out at Lord’s 🥺

A guard of honour from both sets of players 👠pic.twitter.com/mgqNu8Twez

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 12, 2024

Guard of honour commences final day

Before play got underway, both sides greeted Anderson with a deserved guard of honour, which was accompanied by a rapturous ovation, before he set about trying to end his Test career in style.

In his second over of the day, the Lancashire legend struck, Joshua Da Silva edging through to Jamie Smith for nine for what would prove to be Anderson’s final contribution.

Atkinson had his own ambitions to make the Lord’s honours board for the second time in the match, needing to take the final three wickets to achieve that target.

Alzarri Joseph (8) and Shamar Joseph (3) would follow in quick succession, leaving the younger and old guard to effectively go head to head for the final wicket.

Anderson, literally, had the opportunity to win that duel in his hand, only to agonisingly fumble a one-handed caught-and-bowled attempt much to the despair of the crowd.

DROPPED by James Anderson 😩ðŸÂ´ó Â§ó Â¢ó Â¥ó Â®ó Â§ó Â¿

Almost the perfect ending… pic.twitter.com/bBmjDprLhR

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 12, 2024

That would prove to be the England great’s final chance, and although Gudakesh Motie stood tall with an unbeaten 31, Jayden Seales holed out to Ben Duckett to gift Atkinson his fifth wicket of the innings and 12th of the match.

After an emotional exit from the pitch, Anderson will now take the plaudits that will inevitably come his way, but the focus of Ben Stokes will turn to trying to achieve England’s first Test series victory – aside from a one-off Test versus Ireland – since overcoming Pakistan at the back end of 2022.

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Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final between the India and England, scheduled to be played at the Providence Stadium on Thursday.

The penultimate match of what has been an engrossing T20 World Cup will see India taking on England at the Providence Stadium in the second semi-final on Thursday afternoon.

This edition has already delivered a little bit of everything, and it is somewhat fitting that the tournament favourites and defending champions cross paths to earn their spot in the grand final.

Match preview

© Imago

Aside from the host nations, India have undoubtedly had the biggest fan support of any nation at this year’s T20 World Cup, and thousands of blue shirts were in attendance to see their heroes romp into the semis by beating Australia on Monday afternoon.

Rohit Sharma scored a majestic 92 runs from just 41 balls at the top of the innings, taking his side to the tournament’s second-highest total of 205/5, only behind the West Indies’ 218/5 against Afghanistan in the final match of the first phase.

Despite losing David Warner early doors, the Aussies got off to a brisk start with Travis Head taking it to the Indian opening bowlers but the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel slowed the run rate significantly in the middle overs, which Mitchell Marsh‘s side were unable to recover from.

The Men in Blue are one of only two sides, along with South Africa, that have reached the last four without losing a game, with their only dropped points during the group stage coming as a result of their match against Canada being washed out without a ball bowled.

All else aside, if India could have chosen any of the remaining three teams to face in this match, it would likely be England, as it was the Three Lions that knocked them out in this very match in the 2022 T20 World Cup.

© Reuters

When these two met at the Adelaide Oval in the last edition of this tournament, Alex Hales and Jos Buttler led England to victory with what still stands as the highest any-wicket partnership in T20 World Cup history (170*).

That knock surpassed Rilee Rossouw and Quinton de Kock‘s 168 made earlier in the same competition and that was also the last time these T20 World Cup champions have faced each other in the shortest format of the game in any competition.

Buttler posted an unbeaten 80 that day as the Three Lions won without losing a wicket, and the skipper pulled off a similar feat in the last match at this World Cup, scoring 83* alongside his current opening partner Phil Salt to lead his side to a 10-wicket victory over the United States.

While England ultimately reached this stage of the competition by finishing two points ahead of the West Indies in the Super Eight, the significance of Buttler’s knock at the time was huge, as it came before the Windies’ match against South Africa, when the co-hosts had a significantly better net run-rate.

However, aside from their victory against the US, the Three Lions have been far from convincing, not just in this competition, but in the white-ball formats for last couple of years, during which they were dumped out of the ODI World Cup in the group stage and suffered T20 series defeats against New Zealand and the West Indies in the last six months.

Team News

© Imago

Arshdeep Singh caught the eye at the recently concluded Indian Premier League for the Punjab Kings and has continued his excellent form in this competition, now the tied leading wicket-taker on 15 alongside Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi.

After a couple of solid knocks, Virat Kohli was dismissed without troubling the scoring against Australia. With that, the two-time leading run-scorer of the T20 World Cup matched an unwanted feat, joining former India fast bowler Ashish Nehra to have bagged a brace of ducks in a single edition of the tournament.

Buttler’s knock of 83* in the last match has taken him to eighth in the leading run-scorer standings in the competition with 191, followed by Phil Salt in ninth on 183 and a strike rate of 166.36, which is the best of the top-10 on the same list.

Chris Jordan made a very strong case to be included in the starting 11 in the final, taking a blinding catch to dismiss Harmeet Singh in the last match before wrapping up the US innings with a hat-trick.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood

Series so far

India

Match One: India won by 8 wickets
Ireland – 96 (16)
India – 97/2 (12.2)

Match Two: India won by 6 runs
India – 119 (19)
Pakistan – 113/7 (20)

Match Three: India won by 7 wickets
USA – 110/8 (20)
India – 111/3 (18.2)

Match Four: No Result

Match Five: India won by 47 runs
India – 181/8
Afghanistan – 134 (20)

Match Six: India won by 50 runs
India – 196/5 (20)
Bangladesh – 146/8 (20)

Match Seven: India won by 24 runs
India – 205/5 (20)
Australia – 181/7 (20)

England

Match One: No Result

Match Two: England lost by 36 runs
Australia – 201/7 (20)
England – 165/6 (20)

Match Three: England won by eight wickets
Oman – 47 (13.2)
England – 50/2 (3.1)

Match Four: England won by 41 runs (DLS method)
England – 122/8 (10)
Namibia – 84/3 (10)

Match Five: England won by 8 wickets
West Indies – 180/4 (20)
England – 181/2 (17.3)

Match Six: England lost by 7 runs
South Africa – 163/6 (20)
England – 156/6 (20)

Match Seven: England won by 10 wickets
USA – 115 (18.5)
England – 117/0 (9.4)

© PA Photos

We say: India to win

Matches featuring these two cricket heavyweights seldom disappoint, and provided the weather plays its part, this should be no different.

However, India have firmly established themselves as the team to beat in this competition and we feel they will be the ones heading to Barbados this weekend.

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England – helped by a hat-trick from one of their bowlers – secure their place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals with a 10-wicket victory over USA in Barbados.

England have booked their place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals courtesy of thrashing USA by 10 wickets on Sunday.

The defending champions ruthlessly bowled out the tournament co-hosts for just 115, Chris Jordan completing the demolition with a hat-trick.

That left England knowing that qualification would be sealed if they could reach their target within 17.4 overs, a scenario that never looked in doubt.

Phil Salt largely watched on at the other end as Jos Buttler produced one of his most famous knocks, hitting five sixes in a row on the way to 83 from 38 balls.

One of India, Australia or Afghanistan will now await in the last four, with the semi-final lineup to be determined over the next 36 hours or so.

Jordan takes T20 World Cup hat-trick

Jordan’s previous three wickets in the tournament had gone for 87, but the veteran exceeded his total of dismissals in just five balls at the end of the innings.

After getting the crucial wicket of Corey Anderson (29), the 35-year-old ripped through the remainder of the order to put England on the brink.

CHRIS JORDAN. 🤯🤩

W O W W W pic.twitter.com/2CMVkTqZO7

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 23, 2024

The feat followed Pat Cummins incredibly taking hat-tricks in successive matches for Australia over the past week.

Earlier, Nitish Kumar had made 30 from 24, but his exit from the crease left USA on 67-4 after 10.4 overs, far adrift of where they needed to be in order to make the game competitive.

San Curran (2-23) and Adil Rashid (2-13) deserve mentions for their contributions, but it was Jordan who put the icing on the cake ahead of Buttler’s masterclass of power-hitting.

Buttler batters USA

There have been times when Buttler has come in for criticism of late, but this was an occasion when he was simply unplayable.

The skipper had already gone on a boundary barrage ahead of the five maximums that came at the back end of the match, with 66 of his 83 runs coming in boundaries.

Salt made a more pedestrian 25 from 21, it largely irrelevant given the manner in which Buttler went about his business, knowing that winning in just 9.4 overs gives England a chance of topping their Super 8s group.

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Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup match between the USA and England, scheduled to be played at the Kensington Oval on Sunday.

England have it all to do when they take on the United States in their final Super Eight T20 World Cup match at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Sunday afternoon.

It is still anybody’s ball game in Group 2, with all four teams still in the running to qualify for the knockout stage of the competition which gets underway on Thursday.

Match preview

© Imago

Few would have had the United States down as a team to reach the Super Eight, but they have been a joy to behold in this competition and their performance to this point suggests that they are one to watch in the coming years.

Indeed, the tournament co-hosts can still reach the final four, though it will require them to win this match by a huge margin, while also needing a massive slice of luck in the South Africa vs West Indies matchup.

After finishing second in their group, the US have found it difficult against the Test-playing nations in the second round. They conceded back-to-back defeats against South Africa and the West Indies in the last two games.

Still, if the US have shown anything in this competition, it has been character, and it would be foolish to think they will enter this contest with any other intention than to try and dispatch the English bowling attack to all parts.

Regardless of the outcome here, the hosts can be proud of their performance and will also look back fondly on their incredible super over victory against cricketing powerhouse Pakistan in their second match of the competition.

© Reuters

Meanwhile, England find themselves in almost the exact same position as they were in the first phase of the competition, staring elimination in the face, heading into their final match of the group.

England are currently level on two points with the Windies but are well behind on net run rate. England’s NRR is currently +0.412 while the West Indies are on +1.814 ahead of their final fixture.

That means England will need to win this match by a big margin to overtake the other host nation, alternatively, they will need the Proteas to do them a huge favour and beat the West Indies, thus making any victory in this match enough to qualify for the semi-final.

The Three Lions beat the West Indies in their first match of the Super Eight but came up seven runs short of the Proteas on Friday, despite Harry Brook scoring an impressive 53 off just 37 balls.

Despite the position they are in, you can never completely write off the defending champions, and Jos Buttler and co will enter this match with the objective of wrapping things up early before the nervous wait for the match between the group leaders on Monday starts.

Team News

US opener Andries Gous notched up another 29 runs against the West Indies last time out and is now up to second place in the leading run-scorer standings with 211. Only he and Nicholas Pooran have accumulated more than 200 runs in the competition to date.

Aaron Jones rounds out the top 10 run-scorers in the competition with 152 and also has the second-highest individual score of 94*. Harmeet Singh was the only player to take a wicket against the Windies and will be key the the USA’s chances of containing England in this match.

Phil Salt has carried his excellent Indian Premier League form into the T20 World Cup and is up to eighth place in the leading run-scorer standings, current on 158 in five innings, with a strike rate north of 170.

The major disappointment for England in this tournament has been the relatively poor performances of their bowling unit. Jofra Archer notched three wickets in the loss to South Africa, but the likes of Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali have struggled to find the same type of joy as some of their counterparts.

USA squad: Monank Patel (c), Aaron Jones, Andries Gous, Corey Anderson, Ali Khan, Harmeet Singh, Jessy Singh, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Nitish Kumar, Noshtush Kenjige, Saurabh Netravalkar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Steven Taylor, Shayan Jahangir

England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood

Series so far

United States

Match One: USA won by 7 wickets
Canada – 194/5 (20)
USA – 197/3 (17.4)

Match Two: USA won the super over by 5 runs
Pakistan – 159/7 & 13/1
USA – 159/3 & 18/1

Match Three: USA lost by 7 wickets
USA – 110/8 (20)
India – 111/3 (18.2)

Match Four: No Result

Match Five: USA lost by 18 runs
South Africa – 194/4 (20)
USA – 176/6 (20)

Match Six: United States lost by 9 wickets
USA – 128 (19.5)
West indies – 130/1 (10.5)

England

Match One: No Result

Match Two: England lost by 36 runs
Australia – 201/7 (20)
England – 165/6 (20)

Match Three: England won by eight wickets
Oman – 47 (13.2)
England – 50/2 (3.1)

Match Four: England won by 41 runs (DLS method)
England – 122/8 (10)
Namibia – 84/3 (10)

Match Five: England won by 8 wickets
West Indies – 180/4 (20)
England – 181/2 (17.3)

Match Six: England lost by 7 runs
South Africa – 163/6 (20)
England – 156/6 (20)

© PA Photos

We say: England to win

The USA have won the hearts of many neutrals in this competition and they will come out guns blazing here, as they can still mathematically qualify for the semi-final.

However, despite England’s uninspiring form at this tournament, they are still one of the best sides in the world and we feel they will secure a comfortable victory here before turning their attention to the crucial battle of the group leaders on Monday.

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Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup match between England and South Africa, scheduled to be played at the Beausejour Stadium on Friday.

Familiar foes England and South Africa will lock horns in their second match of the Super Eight phase at the 2024 T20 World Cup On Friday afternoon at the Beausejour Stadium.

Both sides come into this match off the back of impressive wins last time out, and another victory here will put them in a commanding position to reach the semi-final.

Match preview

© Reuters

After a shaky start to the tournament and squeaking through the group stage, England seem to have found top gear and will head into this encounter brimming with confidence following an eight-wicket victory over the West Indies just 24 hours ago.

Jos Buttler won the toss and sent the Windies in to bat, and there were concerns that it may have been the wrong decision, as the tournament co-hosts got off to an excellent start and posted a very defendable 180/4 in 20 overs.

In contrast to the group-stage matches, the pitches being used in the Super Eight matches have been much more batsmen-friendly, and the English bowling attack, particularly the pacemen, struggled to have much of an impact.

However, with the bat, the Three Lions flew out the traps, led by Phil Salt, who managed a tournament-high 87 runs in 47 balls, including seven fours and five sixes. He was supported well by Buttler and Jonny Bairstow, as England managed to chase down the total with 15 balls to spare.

That result would have done wonders for the side’s morale and they will also benefit from the fact that they will be playing on the same pitch in this match, while the South Africans played their last match up in Antigua and Barbuda.

© Reuters

Meanwhile, South Africa kept their perfect record in this competition intact by beating the United States in their opening match of the Super Eights at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

Batting first, the Proteas posted 194/4 in 20 overs, which was their highest total of the competition by some distance, with their previous best being 115/7 against Nepal in their final group-stage match.

After a dismal group stage in which he scored just 48 runs in four innings, wicket-keeper batsman Quinton de Kock finally broke the shackles, scoring an impressive 74 runs in 40 balls at the top of the innings, giving his side a solid platform to build on, which is something they have not had for the majority of the competition.

While the surface did not give the bowlers much assistance, Kagiso Rabada put in a solid spell, picking up his best figures in this year’s T20 World Cup of 3/18 in his four overs, helping to contain the US to 176/6.

The Proteas now face their sternest test of the competition but do have a slight psychological advantage over this opponent, having beaten them 2-1 in the most recent three-match series back in July 2022.

Team News

© Reuters

Phil Salt’s innings against the West Indies saw him move up to seventh in the leading run-scorer standings, currently on 147 in four innings at a strike rate of 181.48.

Aside from Jofra Archer, none of the English pace bowlers managed to pick up a wicket against the Windies, and Buttler may consider bringing Chris Jordan back into the starting 11, especially given the short turnaround time between games.

For Aiden Markram, the big call will be over whether to continue with two spinners in the side. Tabraiz Shamsi had an excellent outing against Nepal in the final group match but went for more than 12 runs an over against the US in the last match.

Should the Proteas’ skipper opt to go with one spinner, it would likely mean that Ottneil Baartman will return to the lineup after being left out for Shamsi in the last match.

England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood

South Africa squad: Aiden Markram (c), Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs

Series so far

England

Match One: No Result

Match Two: England lost by 36 runs
Australia – 201/7 (20)
England – 165/6 (20)

Match Three: England won by eight wickets
Oman – 47 (13.2)
England – 50/2 (3.1)

Match Four: England won by 41 runs (DLS method)
England – 122/8 (10)
Namibia – 84/3 (10)

Match Five: England won by 8 wickets
West Indies – 180/4 (20)
England – 181/2 (17.3)

South Africa

Match One: South Africa won by 6 wickets
Sri Lanka 77 (19.1)
South Africa – 80/4 (16.2)

Match Two: South Africa won by 4 wickets
Netherlands – 103/9 (20)
South Africa – 106/6 (18.5)

Match Three: South Africa won by 4 runs
South Africa – 113/6 (20)
Bangladesh – 109/7 (20)

Match Four: South Africa won by 1 run
South Africa – 115/7 (20)
Nepal – 114/7 (20)

Match Five: South Africa won by 18 runs
South Africa: 194/4 (20)
USA – 176/6 (20)

© PA Photos

We say: England to win

While South Africa have the better record in the competition, their top-order has been largely inconsistent despite having a significantly easier fixture list to this point.

England’s batsmen, on the other hand, seem to have adapted well to the conditions here in Saint Lucia and will benefit massively from having had time in the centre against the West Indies just a day earlier.

It is usually an excellent watch when these two powerhouses collide, but we feel the Three Lions have the better batting lineup to come out on top in this one.

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England continue their return to form at the T20 World Cup by posting an eight-wicket victory over West Indies in their first Super 8s fixture.

England opener Phil Salt battered a knock of 87 against West Indies on Wednesday evening to boost England’s hopes at the T20 World Cup.

Jos Buttler‘s side only scraped into the Super 8s through two wins over minnows Oman and Namibia, as well as Scotland narrowly losing to Australia on Saturday.

However, England were back to their magnificent best with the bat in St Lucia as they prevailed by eight wickets against one of the tournament hosts.

West Indies had posted an imposing 180-4, yet there was a feeling that it was more than attainable should England be able to make a fast start.

At the halfway stage, they were behind the run-rate, but a monstrous 30-run over from Salt ensured that England got home with 2.3 overs to spare.

England showcase their qualities in St Lucia

Although England elected to field first, they felt up against it to keep West Indies below 200 on a favourable batting surface, and they did not lost a wicket until the 12th over.

Brandon King had to retire with a side injury when well set on 23 from 13, but Johnson Charles (38), Nicholas Pooran (36) and Rovman Powell (36) hit seven sixes between them to keep West Indies on track.

Sherfane Rutherford‘s unbeaten 28 off 15 took his side to 180 as Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone all took a wicket apiece.

England defeat West Indies by eight wickets 🤩ðŸÂ´ó Â§ó Â¢ó Â¥ó Â®ó Â§ó Â¿ pic.twitter.com/Eommt5sb4D

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 20, 2024

In reply, Buttler was pedestrian by his own high standards, making just 25 from 22, and Moeen would depart after contributing just 13 off 10 higher up the order.

Nevertheless, Salt and Jonny Bairstow (48*) combined to pummel England to victory, the former hitting seven boundaries and five maximums including smashing 30 off a Romario Shepherd over.

Bairstow praises “mature” Salt

Speaking after the contest, Bairstow was full of praise for his batting partner at the end, crediting him for what he felt was a “mature” performance.

He said, as quoted by BBC Sport: “He’s a class player and has been for a really long time.

“You just keep backing class players. He hasn’t had many opportunities but today was a really impressive innings: a mature, senior player’s innings with a lot of power.

“He scored at a great lick when the game was in the balance.”

Having acquired a strong net-run-rate, England may just require one win from their final two Super 8s fixtures against South Africa and USA to book their place in the semi-finals.

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