England registered a third successive win in WC 2021 after an eight-wicket thrashing of Australia at Dubai International Stadium on Saturday. Chris Jordan, Chris Woakes, and Tymal Mills picked up seven wickets between them, while Jos Buttler’s scintillating 71* saw the 2010 WC winners finish off the run chase with 50 balls to spare. Jordan clinched a three-wicket haul, while Woakes grabbed the prize wickets of David Warner and Glenn Maxwell.
Aaron Finch and Ashton Agar were the only players who offered any resistance against England. The captain struck 44 and put together a 47-run stand with Agar for the sixth wicket. The left-arm spinner impressed with the ball too. He dismissed Dawid Malan and conceded 15 runs off his 2.4 overs. However, the Aussie pace trio was put to the sword by Buttler. Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Pat Cummins failed to pick up a wicket and combined leaked 69 runs in six overs.
Pacers wreak havoc
England bowlers ripped apart the Australia top-order as they removed Warner, Steve Smith, and Maxwell in the powerplay. Warner nicked the ball to Buttler behind the stumps. Meanwhile, Woakes took a stunning one-handed catch to dismiss Smith, and he trapped Maxwell in front of the stumps. The three experienced batters scored just eight runs between them. Marcus Stoinis, too, didn’t trouble the scorers. Adil Rashid had the 32-year-old plumb in front in the first ball after the powerplay.
Finch held the fort with Matthew Wade, but the England bowlers put a lid on the scoring rate. Liam Livingstone, who bagged two wickets against Bangladesh, broke the partnership. Wade holed out to Jason Roy at long-on for 18, leaving Australia 51/5 after 12 overs. The men in yellow switched to attacking mode. Finch struck successive fours off Mills, and Agar hammered back-to-back sixes in the last over of Woakes. Agar fell two short of Australia’s three-figure mark, but new man Cummins clobbered two sixes off Mills.
Jordan sent Finch and Cummins back to the dressing room in successive deliveries in the penultimate over. However, a brisk knock from Starc helped Australia cross 120. The fast bowler, who scored a six-ball 13, was dismissed in the final ball as Australia folded for 125.
Boom Boom Buttler
England openers seemed to be in a hurry as Buttler and Roy added 66 runs in the powerplay. Buttler hit two big sixes off Starc in the sixth over. Meanwhile, Roy welcomed Hazlewood with a boundary and took Cummins to the cleaners. Adam Zampa grabbed the opening breakthrough immediately after the powerplay. Roy missed a reverse sweep, and Zampa appealed for an lbw. The on-field umpire Nitin Menon was unmoved. Finch reviewed it, and the third umpire overturned the decision.
Buttler continued his onslaught, scoring consecutive fours off Starc. He brought up his half-century in style with a six. England cruised to 97/1 in just nine overs. Though they lost another wicket, Zampa’s 20-run over left them just seven runs away from a victory. Bairstow, who smashed Zampa for two sixes, hit the winning run in the fourth ball of the 12th over.
With six points from three games, England, who will meet Sri Lanka on Monday, is one win away from sealing a semi-final berth. Australia will be keen to pick up maximum points against Bangladesh on Thursday. They are level on points with South Africa but are placed third in the points table due to inferior net run rate.
Player of the Match – Jos Buttler
Buttler made a mockery of one of the best pace bowling attacks in international cricket. The hard-hitting wicketkeeper-batter thrashed the Australian fast bowlers to all parts of the ground. The spinners, too, couldn’t find a way to keep the opener quiet. He made 39 off 19 balls in the powerplay and brought up his 15th T20I half-century in just 25 balls. Buttler managed to hit five sixes and as many fours on his way to a 32-ball 71*.
Top Fantasy Points scorers
The most picked fantasy player didn’t let down the fantasy cricket fans. Buttler was the top scorer with 122 points courtesy of 71 runs, two catches, and a run-out. Jordan finished, who was selected only by 20% in their playing 11, amassed 83 points and finished second in the chart. Woakes and Mills continued to impress as the duo registered yet another 50-plus score in the tournament. Agar and Finch were the only Australian players to cross the half-century mark.
The Top Fantasy XI: J Buttler – 122 pts, C Jordan – 83 pts, C Woakes – 64 pts, A Agar – 55 pts, A Finch – 52 pts, T Mills – 52 pts, L Livingstone – 43 pts, J Roy – 37 pts, A Rashid – 33 pts, M Wade – 32 pts, J Bairstow – 32 pts
Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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