T20 World Cup: From Ireland heartbreak to win over New Zealand, England’s road to semi-finals

Ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, Jos Buttler-led England were considered strong favourites to win the title, which they had last won in 2010. And now, five group matches later, England find themselves in the semi-finals of the showpiece tournament, with their qualification as group 1 runners-up, eventually eliminating defending champions Australia.

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England finished the Super 12 stage in second place, with seven points (Three wins, one no-result). Group 1 of the Super 12 stage in this year’s T20 World Cup was fiercely contested, with New Zealand, England, and Australia all having finished on seven points. And yet, the Aussies missed out, owing to an inferior Net Run Rate (NRR) compared to the Kiwis and England.

England’s next major challenge will be up against India, when the two teams meet in the second semi-final at Adelaide Oval on Thursday (10 November).

So, how did England get to the semi-finals? Let’s take a look at Jos Buttler and Co’s road to the semi-finals:

England vs Afghanistan (ENG win by five wickets)

England opened their account in the T20 World Cup, with a five-wicket win over Afghanistan.

In the first half of the contest, almost everything went perfectly. England won the toss, opted to field, and restricted the Afghans to a total of 112. Ibrahim Zadran (32) and Usman Ghani (30) performed with the bat in an otherwise uninspiring batting lineup. Sam Curran ran through the Afghan lineup to collect his first five-wicket haul in T20Is. Ben Stokes (two wickets), Chris Woakes (one), and Mark Wood (two) were the other wicket-takers.

In reply, England’s batters got starts but were unable to convert them into big knocks. After a 35-run stand between Jos Buttler and Alex Hales, the former departed for 18, and Malan could only manage another 18.

England lost Ben Stokes in the 11^th over with the score reading 65/3, but then came Liam Livingstone, whose unbeaten 21-ball 29 eventually helped England cross the finish line, with five wickets and 11 balls to spare.

Ireland vs England (IRE won by five runs via DLS method)

After the win over Afghanistan in their opener, a heartbreak followed for England as their losing tradition against continental rivals Ireland continued.

England once again won the toss, and asked Ireland to bat first. Andrew Balbirnie played a captain’s knock to guide Ireland to 157 inside 19.2 overs.

Joshua Little was Ireland’s man of the moment in the contest. He had a dream start in England’s chase, removing England skipper Jos Buttler in the very first over, for a duck. That was indeed Little’s big moment, and just two overs later, Little struck again to dismiss Alex Hales.

England were reeling at 86/5 in the 14^th over when Dawid Malan was dismissed, and that was yet another setback for them. Liam Livingstone then joined Moeen Ali to revive England, but their plans soon went for a toss, with rain playing spoilsport at the halfway mark of the 15^th over.

Earlier, there was a delay in start of play due to rain, and the weather gods showed no mercy again as it came pouring down in Melbourne. To England’s dismay, they were five runs short of the DLS par score (110), and just minutes later, players were seen shaking hands with each other, signalling the conclusion of the game. Ireland had the last laugh.

England vs Australia (Match abandoned due to rain)

England vs Australia was one of the most-anticipated fixture in the T20 World Cup. The venue was once again the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the marquee contest, but rain had the final say. The match was supposed to start at 7 pm local time, but relentless rain meant that around 8.48 pm local time, the match had to be called off. Both England and Australia shared a point each.

England vs New Zealand (ENG won by 20 runs)

England had won the toss in this contest in Brisbane, and had opted to bat. Jos Buttler (73) and Alex Hales (53) were the stars of England’s batting as they posted 179/6 on board.

In reply, Glenn Phillips showcased his capabilities, with a 36-ball 62, while skipper Kane Williamson scored a run-a-ball 40.

New Zealand endured a poor start, being restricted to 28/2 inside five overs. And even a 91-run stand between Williamson and Phillips could not save the Kiwis, with regular wickets hurting their momentum. New Zealand were eventually restricted to 159/6, but for England, it was a crucial victory to boost their semi-final chances.

England vs Sri Lanka (ENG won by four wickets)

Just a day earlier to this game, on 4 November, Australia had beaten Afghanistan in their final group game after a serious scare from Rashid Khan. And earlier on 5 November, New Zealand had defeated Ireland.

For England, it was a straightforward result: Win, and reach the semi-finals, since they would have a superior NRR than the Aussies. However, a win for Sri Lanka would have seen hosts Australia advance to the semis instead.

Sri Lanka had won the toss and opted to bat. A 45-ball 67 from Pathum Nissanka saw them post 141/8.

England were strong in their reply with Jos Buttler and Alex Hales forging 75 runs for the opening wicket.

However, the Lankans struck after the powerplay to see off both openers.

Regular wickets hurt England, and were restricted to 129/6 from 18 overs. However, Ben Stokes, who came into bat at No 3, stood firm and clutched the innings. His unbeaten 42 off 36 balls saw England clinch a win inside 19.4 overs, and reach the semi-finals.

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