England openers smash records to set up blockbuster final
A CLINICAL performance from England has seen it advance to the ICC T20 World Cup after defeating India by 10 wickets at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night, in one of the most one-sided matches of the tournament.
Behind a record-breaking partnership from its openers in Alex Hales and Jos Buttler, England managed to chase down the required total with ease, reaching the mark with four overs in hand, to set up a deciding matchup against Pakistan at the MCG on Sunday night.
Hales and Buttler’s unbeaten 170-run partnership is the most in Men’s T20 World Cup tournament, as the pair absolutely dominated on the big stage. Buttler finished with 80 not out off 49 balls, while Hales topped that with 86 not out off 47 balls in a masterful display of batting.
After India looked down and out early, all-rounder Hardik Pandya breathed some life into the side, with a memorable cameo in the middle order. He finished with 63 off 33 balls and gave his side a fighting chance at the end of the innings, and performed strongly despite the final result.
India (6/168) def. by England (0/170)
England won the toss and opted to bowl first, liking their chances of chasing down given the condition of the pitch. It was a move that began to pay dividends very quickly, as Chris Woakes drew an edge from KL Rahul, which was swiftly taken by Buttler. Virat Kohli was threatening to build another match-winning innings after patiently making his way to 50 from 40 balls, but played a poor shot that was taken by Adil Rashid, who was also impressive with ball in hand, as the leg-spinner took 1/20 from four overs. 168 was potentially enough to defend thanks to Pandya’s performance, only if their bowlers could perform.
Things looked dire for India almost instantly, as the duo of Hales and Buttler smacked 63 off the power play alone. Hales was punishing the opposition bowling attack with sweep shots, that frequently found their way over the rope at square leg. It was beyond an aggressive innings from England, as the duo punished every error made by the Indian bowlers. From the first few overs, it was obvious that the English attack would prove too good, as they cruised home to a dominant victory.
The result sets up a mouth-watering clash against Pakistan on Sunday to decide the winner of the 2022 tournament.
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