Jos Buttler smashed an unbeaten 83 in just 38 balls against the USA at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on Sunday to help the England cricket team qualify for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2024.

Chasing a modest 115 in the Super 8 encounter, England needed to win the match in 18.4 overs or less to seal their semi-final spot. They wrapped up their innings in just 9.4 overs and triumphed by 10 wickets.

Buttler made a slow start, his first five runs taking 10 deliveries, but then unleashed his hitting prowess in the third over bowled by Saurabh Netravalkar, with back-to-back sixes.

In the ninth over, bowled by left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh, Buttler hit five sixes – including four in a row. The England cricket captain, who plays for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, brought up his fifty in 32 balls with a six with a drive over long-off.

In fact, Buttler blazed 35 runs off the last seven deliveries he faced, wrapping up the match with a boundary off Shadley van Schalkwyk.

Buttler ended unbeaten on 83 off just 38 balls at a strike rate of 218.42. His innings was peppered with six fours and seven sixes.

“I thought if we could bring our intensity we'd be too good,” Buttler summed up after the match. "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.”

With two wins from three matches, England currently top their Super 8 Group with a Net Run Rate of +1.992 and four points. Should South Africa beat West Indies in their match on Monday, England will slip to second in the table.

Earlier, England won the toss and put the USA into bat. It paid off as Chris Jordan – who bagged four wickets in an over – became the first Englishman to take a hat-trick in T20 International cricket. He ended with figures of 4/10 while Adil Rashid, who was named Player of the Match, picked up 2/13 in his quota of four overs.

The T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finals will be held on Thursday.

Related tags:

Cricket