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England captain Jos Buttler was full of praise for his side that made short work of the USA to reach the ICC T20 World Cup semi-final, and applauded the efforts of spinners Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone, who impressed with the ball.
The defending champions become the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2024, after nearly being eliminated in the group stages. England won the top four spot by defeating the United States in their final Super 8 match at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Sunday. The England skipper said that the spinners Rashid and Livingstone bowled really well in tandem and compounded the pressure created in the powerplay. "We give USA a lot of respect and we talked about if, if we brought our intensity, we would be too good. Once we got in a few overs, we tried to target this side with the wind. Adil was fantastic and Livi bowled brilliantly in tandem, it's difficult when you are not bowling in one game and then suddenly you bowl 4 overs, credit to him for being ready," Buttler said in a post-match presentation. England required to chase down the target in 18.4 overs or less to advance to the semi-finals. Buttler and Phil Salt made short work of the target, blasting the USA bowlers all around the ground. Buttler was the main destroyer in their batting attempt, scoring 83* off only 38 balls. Buttler said he feels good and confident after playing a big knock and added that now he is hitting the ball with intent. The captain downplayed his role in England's batting lineup, claiming that he was just another gear in the wheel. Despite a spectacular stroke-filled 83* against the USA, England skipper Jos Buttler downplayed his individual role in the country's dominant success in the T20 World Cup 2024. Buttler stated that he was simply one of the XI players, attempting to fulfil his position. "I have been feeling good all year to be honest. I feel I'm hitting the ball well, and it's on me to look after my own game, as much as I'm the captain, I'm one of the 11 and I have got to do my job," Engalnd captain said. The victory was secured by an outstanding bowling effort by the English team. After choking out the USA with some excellent spin bowling in the middle overs, Barbados-born Chris Jordan blasted through the USA's tail, scoring his first hat-trick in the T20I format. Buttler mentioned that they have got good options with the ball and he felt to bring Chris Jordan to add some batting depth as well. England captain also appreciated the pacers and said Jordan executed brilliantly with the ball and getting a World Cup hat-trick is always a moment to cherish. "We have great options, today we wanted to bring in Jordan to bring depth to our batting and a World Cup hat-trick is a great effort," he added. (ANI)
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