England were dominant with both bat and ball. After dismissing a struggling USA batting line-up for a meager 115, via a Chris Jordan hat-trick, the defending champions chased down the target in less than 10 overs. Jos Buttler led the charge, blasting the USA bowlers all over the park to score an 83 off just 63 balls. The victory took England to the T20 World Cup semi-finals.
The United States’ top-order began with aggressive intent, and despite losing a couple of wickets, they had a promising Powerplay. Andries Gous flicked a delivery off his pads from Reece Topley in the first over, but attempting to replicate the shot two balls later, he was caught out. Steven Taylor and Nitish Kumar managed to see off an over each from Jofra Archer and Topley before Nitish opened up his game.
The USA scored 48/2 in the Powerplay, but England tightened their grip with spin. Harmeet Singh hit a few boundaries, but the USA collapsed spectacularly, thanks to Jordan. He took a brilliant catch to dismiss Harmeet and then claimed four wickets in five balls, including a hat-trick, causing the USA to plummet from 115/5 to 115 all out.
Jordan’s middle-over spell was lethal as he bowled with a clear strategy; fast, full, and straight, targeting the stumps. Sam Curran and Adil Rashid took two wickets each, while Liam Livingstone and Topley claimed a wicket apiece.
Chasing 116, Buttler was unstoppable. The highlight of his innings was five sixes in a single over from Harmeet, including four consecutive ones. England needed to win within 18.4 overs to advance to the semi-finals, but Buttler aimed to finish the game quickly, leaving the USA with no answers. Depending on the outcome of the West Indies-South Africa match, England could still top the group, showcasing how impressive this victory has been that significantly boosted their net run-rate.