Jos Buttler, who played a whirlwind 38-ball 83-run knock, said on Sunday he pressed the accelerator button while chasing a modest 116-run target to give England a chance to top the Super Eights Group two en route to the semifinals of the T20 World Cup.
Pacer Chris Jordan (4/10) grabbed a sensational hat-trick in his birthplace before Buttler’s blitzkrieg as England stormed into the semifinals with a 10-wicket mauling of the USA.
“We give USA a lot of respect, and we talked about 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,” Buttler said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Buttler praised leg-spinner Adil Rashid (2/13) and Liam Livingstone (1/24) for their efforts with the ball.
“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.”
The England skipper also lauded the effort of comeback man Jordan, who mopped up the USA tail by claiming four wickets in five balls, including the hat-trick, in the 19th over as the Americans folded for 115 in 18.5 overs.
“We have great options, today we wanted to bring in CJ (Jordan) to bring depth to our batting and a World Cup hat-trick is a great effort. 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,” he said.
USA captain Aaron Jones said it was hard for them in the Super Eights stages but promised to come back stronger in the future.
“Hard game to get to grips to be honest. We did not have a good last two games, something for us to talk about when we go back to USA but that’s how it goes. Looking forward to playing more big teams,” he said.
“Wicket was a bit sticky, (Adil) Rashid very experienced, very good bowler. Our shot selection was not good, we knew he was the danger man. Something to look into and we definitely will come back harder.
“It’s very good for us, this is our first World Cup, lot of people did not think we will be here playing against England, West Indies and the big boys.
“Hopefully this will open the eyes of the American public. We’ve got a lot of calls and messages of support during this World Cup. I see us getting bigger and better from here,” he added.
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