IND vs ENG, SF2, Review: Buttler and Hales guide England to final
England registered a big ten-wicket wicket against India in the second semi-final clash of the T20 World Cup 2022 on Thursday (November 10). India posted a moderate total 168/6 total while batting first with Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli smashing half-centuries. But bowlers failed to make any impact as English openers Jos Buttler and Ales Hales slammed big knocks to guide England to the final.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma lost the toss and was forced to bat first at Adelaide Oval. KL Rahul, who entered this match with two back-to-back fifties, was dismissed by Chris Woakes on just five runs in the second over. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli then put a crucial 47-run partnership for the second wicket to keep India on ack for a big total. England bowlers dominated the middle overs with the wickets of Rohit and Suryakumar but Kohli managed to score his fourth half-century in the tournament with 50 runs off 40 balls before getting out on Jordan’s delivery in the 18th over.
Hardik showed his finishing skills as he smashed three fours and two sixes in the last two overs to guide India to a challenging 168/6 total. Hardik scored 63 runs off just 33 balls while Chris Jordan proved the best bowler for England with three wickets while conceding 43 runs from his four-over spell.
Jos Buttler gave England a quick start with three fours in Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s first over. Hales started cautiously but geared up with big shots after the powerplay overs. Both English batters gave Indian bowlers no chance to make any comeback and looked confident to finish the game with a dominant display.
Buttler paced up as England were closing on the target and blasted some big shots to end the game comfortably. He finished the game with a big six on Mohammad Shami’s last delivery in the 16th over to deny India any success with wickets. Buttler scored 80 runs off 49 balls and Alex Hales smashed 86 runs off 47 balls with the help of four fours and seven sixes to win the player of the match award.
Top performers of the match:
Alex Hales: The in-form English opener started slowly to play a second-fiddle role to Jos Buttler in the early overs. But he soon changed gear and smashed 86 runs off 47 balls with the help of four fours and seven sixes.
Jos Buttler: English captain avoided Indian bowlers a good start and kept his team ahead in the chase from the start. He controlled himself from hitting unnecessary big shots in the middle overs but finished the game with some big hits. He scored 80 runs off 49 balls at a strike rate of 163.26.
What’s next for both teams?
England next face Pakistan in the final of the tournament at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, November 13 while India travel to New Zealand for a white-ball series starting from November 18.
