A determined England came back strong in the ongoing T20 World Cup as they demolished Oman inside 20 overs for a huge win. England’s bowlers ran riot by bowling Oman out for just 47 in 13.2 overs before taking not more than 19 balls to gun down the paltry total.
Where was the game won?
As early as in the powerplay. Oman made a poor start with Jofra Archer and Mark Wood breathing fire in the powerplay. The two gun pacers picked a couple of wickets each in the powerplay to leave Oman reeling at 25/4. From thereon, England just didn’t look back as Adil Rashid wrecked the lower order to finish with a four-wicket haul.
Oman
Powerplay: Pacers dominate
Phase score: 25/4 (RR: 4.16; 4s/6s: 2/1)
After a quiet first over, Pratik Athavale gave Jofra Archer the charge to fetch a boundary but the pacer struck the very next ball. Archer then was up to the task again, this time with a slower leg cutter that the batter guided straight to gully. The pacer could have easily had a third wicket in the powerplay had Moeen Ali not dropped an easy chance. Oman’s hopes of getting through the powerplay with no further damage took a huge hit when Mark Wood came into the attack. He struck first ball as Zeeshan Maqsood got a leading edge first ball. Wood’s pace was too much for Kashyap Prajapati as he played a tame shot with no timing at all to give Wood his second wicket.
Middle overs: The Adil Rashid show
Phase score: 22/6 (RR: 3.00, 4s/6s – 2/0)
If Oman thought they could breathe easy after that initial burst, they were in for a rude shock. Adil Rashid fetched a wicket first ball when Khalid Kail was stumped. Wood rearranged the stumps in the next over to pin Oman further down and from thereon, they simply couldn’t stage a comeback. Rashid just kept it simple against the tail enders as he ran through the lineup before Archer hit the final nail in the coffin.
England
Powerplay – Game. Set. Match
Phase score: 50/2 (RR: 15.78, 4s/6s – 7/3)
It was over before you could even realise it. That’s how quick the game ended. In total, England took only 16.3 overs to finish the game, which is less than an entire innings. Phil Salt took full toll of this opportunity to boost the NRR big time as he smashed Bilal Khan for two sixes off the first two balls of the run chase. While Bilal did get his revenge off the third delivery, the wicket didn’t deter England who also lost Will Jacks in the second over. While Jonny Bairstow fetched a four first ball, Buttler decided to waste little time as he smashed four boundaries and a six off Bilal. Bairstow then completed the formalities with another boundary to put Oman out of their misery.
Brief scores: Oman 47 in 13.2 overs (Adil Rashid 4/11, Jofra Archer 3/12) lost to England 50/2 in 3.1 overs (Jos Buttler 24*) by 8 wickets
What’s next?
It took England one game to go past Scotland’s NRR. Now England are suddenly the favourites to go through again if Australia edge past Scotland on expected lines. An upset in that game will deny England a spot in the Super 8 but their focus will be on what’s under their control. They will face Namibia in their final group game
