2022 T20 World Cup: England reach semi-finals; Australia ousted
What's the story
England prevailed against Sri Lanka by four wickets to book a semi-final berth in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup. Alex Hales' valiant 47 set the mood for the 142-run chase at SCG. England underwent a collapse in the middle-overs but got the job done. Earlier, Pathum Nissanka (67) bagged the headlines with his ferocious play. Meanwhile, Australia are now evicted from the tournament.
Match
How did the match pan out?
Opting to bat, SL rallied to 54/1 in the powerplay. However, they lost the heat in the middle and death overs. Southpaw Bhanuka Rajapaksa (22) couldn't do much damage either. Wood's stunning comeback restricted SL under 145. Spinner Adil Rashid (1/16) deserves an equal bit of praise. Later, Ben Stokes (42*) showcased his clutch gene in what turned out to be a tricky chase.
Powerplay
English openers run riot in the powerplay
England hammered their way to 70/0 in the powerplay. As per Cricbuzz, it's the highest score by a side in the first six overs in the 2022 T20 WC. England pipped the likes of New Zealand (65/1 vs Australia), Ireland (64/0 vs Ireland), and 63/1 South Africa (vs Bangladesh). It's the fifth-highest total overall in T20 WCs, ranking behind India's 82/2 (vs Scotland, 2021).
Death-overs
English bowlers ace the death-over proceedings
England have been a class act in the death-overs (16-20) in the T20 WC underway. As per Cricbuzz, they have pocketed a staggering 21 wickets in this interval, the most by a team in Super 12. Their match-wise tallies: 23/6 vs Afghanistan, 30/7 vs Ireland, 36/3 vs New Zealand, and 25/5 vs Sri Lanka.
Rashid
Rashid winds up with economical numbers
Leg-spinner Rashid wound up with the best economy among the English bowlers (4.00). He uprooted a well-set Nissanka and conceded only 16 runs in his allotted four overs. The effort saw him steer to 90 T20I scalps at 25.95, equaling fellow countryman Chris Jordan. Versus SL, Rashid now owns 10 wickets at 15.20. As for T20 WCs, he holds 18 wickets at 28.11.
T20Is
Ninth T20I fifty for Nissanka
Nissanka put the Three Lions under the cosh throughout his stay. He raced to a 32-ball fifty, his ninth in T20Is. The right-hander clocked his fifth half-century in T20 World Cup, second-most by a Lankan after Mahela Jayawardene (7). He equaled the likes of AB de Villiers and Shane Watson (five 50s each). Nissanka (1,015) breached the 1,000-run mark, surpassing Pakistan's Kamran Akmal (987).
Hasaranga
Hasaranga steers past Chahal in T20I wickets tally
Hasaranga made the chase a bit frustrating for the Englishmen. The spin maestro claimed 2/23 in four overs, uprooting Jos Buttler and Hales. The sensational effort saw him steer to 86 wickets in 52 matches, averaging 14.48. He surpassed India's Yuzvendra Chahal (85) among the leading wicket-takers in T20Is. As for T20 WCs, Hasaranga has now claimed 31 scalps in 16 outings at 11.45.
Wood
Wood registers career-best figures vs SL
Despite conceding 21 runs in his first two overs, Wood wound up with two wickets besides a run-out in the final over of the inning. He now owns 44 scalps while averaging an impressionable 18.34. Versus SL, Wood now has six wickets in three appearances. Notably, the right-armer has mustered 18 wickets in eight T20Is since his international return against Pakistan in September.
Hales
Hales inching close to 2,000-run mark in T20Is
Hales, who was caught and bowled by Hasaranga, fetched a 33-ball 47. His knock saw him race to 1,987 runs in the format, averaging 30.10. He is 13 short of attaining 2,000 T20I runs. He will be only the third Englishman to reach the milestone, after Buttler (2,496) and Eoin Morgan (2,458).
Semi-Finals
England join New Zealand in the semi-finals
England have now joined table-toppers New Zealand in the semi-finals from Group 1. The Three Lions picked three wins (vs Afghanistan, NZ, and SL), besides a loss and no-result against Ireland and Australia, respectively. The 2010 T20 WC winners pipped Australia (W3 L1 NR1) in terms of the Net Run Rate (NRR). While England's read +0.473, the Aussies concluded with an NRR of -0.173.
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