Defending champions England will be eager to brush aside Namibia ruthlessly in Antigua on Saturday and stay relevant in the race to the T20 World Cup Super Eight stage.
England were living on the edge after a washout against Scotland and a loss against Australia, but the Jos Buttler-led side turned it around in style with an eight-wicket win over Oman.
After bundling out Oman for 47, England raced past the target in just 3.1 overs. The win with 101 balls remaining, and after an hour and 42 minutes, was the fastest in T20 World Cup history
The result has also done wonders to England’s net run rate (NRR), the crucial separating factor between them and Scotland in Group B. England NRR leapt from -1.8 to +3.08, going past Scotland’s +2.16.
However, Scotland have five points to England’s three.
Hence, to make it to Super Eight, England will need to defeat Namibia in their last league match and hope that Scotland lose to Australia, who have already qualified for Super Eight.
In that scenario, England will enter Super Eight with better NRR, but an upset win for Scotland over Australia or a washout at Gros Islet will eliminate the Jos Buttler-led England.
The pitch at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua has offered steep bounce and turn.
England bowlers such as leg-spinner Adil Rashid (4/11) and the pace duo of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, who claimed identical figures of 3/12, exploited it to their advantage while bowling out Oman for their lowest over T20I total of 47 — the overall fourth lowest in the T20 World Cup.
Teams:
England: Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.
Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus (captain), Zane Green, Michael Van Lingen, Dylan Leicher, Ruben Trumpelmann, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, Tangeni Lungameni, Niko Davin, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, JP Kotze, David Wiese, Bernard Scholtz, Malan Kruger, PD Blignaut.
Match: Starts on Saturday, June 15, at 10.30pm IST
Evicted Kiwis target first win
New Zealand will take on Uganda at the pace-friendly Tarouba in what will be first of their two dead rubbers of this T20 World Cup.
Afghanistan pushed the Kiwis out of the Super Eight race from Group C following their win over Papua New Guinea on Thursday.
It meant that the Black Caps have failed to advance from the group stage in a World Cup for the first time in a decade, across ODI and T20 formats.
The Kiwis will hope that they will head back home with their heads held high securing wins over newcomers Uganda and PNG.
Their ageing batters have looked woefully out of sorts and desperately in need of a revival, even as bowlers had their moments.
Teams:
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.
Uganda: Brian Masaba (captain), Simon Ssesazi, Roger Mukasa, Cosmas Kyewuta, Dinesh Nakrani, Fred Achelam, Kenneth Waiswa, Alpesh Ramjani, Frank Nsubuga, Henry Ssenyondo, Bilal Hassun, Robinson Obuya, Riazat Ali Shah, Juma Miyaji, Ronak Patel rummybo.
Match: Starts on Saturday, June 15, at 6am IST
South Africa aim to continue winning run
Having already stormed into the Super Eight, South Africa will take on Nepal in a clash between Group D table-toppers and wooden spooners at Kingstown.
Anrich Nortje, who is the joint second leading wicket-taker with eight scalps, has been in splendid form, and he will look to make life tough for Nepal batters.
The Proteas would also hope that their top-order in Quinton De Kock, Reeza Hendricks, skipper Aiden Markram and Tristan Stubbs to get back their mojo ahead of the Super Eight.
Teams:
Nepal: Rohit Paudel (captain), Aasif Sheikh, Anil Kumar Sah, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Lalit Rajbanshi, Karan KC, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Pratis GC, Sundeep Jora, Abinash Bohara, Sagar Dhakal, Kamal Singh Airee.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs rummy bo.
Match: Starts on Saturday, June 15, at 5am IST
