'Ultra-Positive' England Keep Super 8 Hopes Alive After Thrashing Oman In T20 World Cup 2024
England chased down the target in just 3.1 overs to boost their net run rate (NRR) ahead of Scotland.
After beating Oman by eight wickets in the T20 World Cup 2024 match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, England skipper Jos Buttler credited his bowlers for setting the tone of the game. England restricted Oman to just 47 runs and chased down the target in only 3.1 overs, displaying one of the most dominating performances in the tournament so far. Speaking after the match, he showered praise on the bowlers, adding there was some extra bounce at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Buttler played an unbeaten knock of 24 runs from 8 balls at a strike rate of 300.00 and helped England clinch a crucial win over Oman after their game against Scotland was abandoned and losing against Australia.
"The tone was set very well by the bowlers by picking up those early wickets and restricting them to that total. We've got another big game in two days. I thought they bowled brilliantly. There was some extra bounce, thought they bowled really good lines and lengths. There was some spin, don't think any of us expected the surface to play like it did," Buttler said.
The wicketkeeper-batter hailed Adil Rashid for his four-wicket haul and said he bowled "exceptionally well."
"Adil bowled exceptionally well. The message was to be ultra-positive. We spoke of taking our chances to boost our NRR. We know what's going in the dressing room, there's huge confidence," he added.
Recapping the match, after winning the toss England sent Oman to bat first. The opening partnership only stood for six runs after both openers; Pratik Athavale (5 runs from 3 balls, 1 four) and Kashyap Prajapati (9 runs from 16 balls, 1 six) departed. Star pacer Jofra Archer made the first breakthrough of the match by removing Athavale from the crease.
Shoaib Khan (11 runs from 23 balls, 1 four) was the top-scorer for Oman, even as the team managed a meager total of 47 runs. The Three Lions bowlers ended Oman's inning by the end of the 14th over.
Adil Rashid led the English bowling attack, bagging four wickets by giving just 11 runs in his four-over spell at an economy rate of 2.80.
While chasing, the England openers showed clear domination and chased down the target in a mere 3.1 overs with their stupendous batting.
Philip Salt (12 runs from 3 balls, 2 sixes) was dismissed by Bilal Khan. Will Jacks (5 off 7) was dismissed by Kaleemullah.
But, Jos Buttler (24* runs from 8 balls, 4 fours, and 1 six) stayed unbeaten till the end, along with Jonny Bairstow (8* runs from 2 balls, 2 fours) helping the Three Lions win the match.
Bilal Khan and Kaleemullah were the only wicket-takers for Oman in the game.
Adil Rashid was named the 'Player of the Match'.
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Adil Rashid
Jonny Bairstow
Jos Buttler
England Cricket Team
Oman