Adelaide [Australia], November 10 (ANI): Following his side’s ten-wicket thumping victory over India in the semifinal of the ICC T20 World Cup, England skipper Jos Buttler hailed opener Alex Hales’s blistering knock and said that it was “fantastic” to watch the batter slam Indian bowlers all around the ground.
Top knocks from openers Alex Hales and Jos Buttler powered England to an emphatic 10-wicket win over India in the second semi-final of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup in Australia at Adelaide on Thursday.
The England opening duo put on a stellar show in Adelaide as they went on to hammer the Indian bowlers right from the beginning of their innings. It was Hales, who smashed Indian bowlers earlier in the innings as Buttler played the second fiddle. Jos Buttler and Alex Hales made a chase of 169 look like a cakewalk. Buttler scored 80* from 49 balls, with Hales playing an unbeaten knock of 86 from 47.
“Hales absolutely delivered in space. He is immensely tough to bowl at. It was fantastic to be at the other end and watch him go. He has been in such a wide range of shots and you know the dimensions of the ground. He played them fantastically well. Immensely proud that the guys played brilliantly in the tournament. It was a high-pressure game and immensely satisfied with the results,” Jos Buttler said during a post-match conference.
Buttler said his team played a spoilsport to an India and Pakistan final clash and he knows that many people would have loved to see the high-voltage clash between the arch-rivals.
“You know there are certainly few people who wanted that final of course. But certainly, for us, we are desperate to get there. I said spoil that party and I am sure having seen the first game of the tournament between India and Pakistan…… There are a lot of people that would have loved to see another edition of that but no we will have to wait for another time.
Talking about his team’s huge victory over India in the semi-final Buttler said, “We got off to a really good start. We kept the pressure on them. I think Rashid is down at number 11 today. Incredibly long batting line up which allows you to just keep going and play with so much freedom. And I think that was a big part of the day.”
Coming to the match, put to bat first by England, India posted 168/6 in their 20 overs. Hardik Pandya (63 off 33 balls) and Virat Kohli (50 off 40 balls) were the stars for Men in Blue with the bat. They put on a crucial stand of 61-runs for the fourth wicket. Pacer Chris Jordan was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3/43. Adil Rashid and Chris Woakes got a wicket each.
Chasing 169, England put pressure on Indian bowlers right from the first over. India did not have any answer for the onslaught brought by Jos Buttler (80*) and Alex Hales (86*). England chased the total with all ten wickets in hand with four overs to spare. Hales (86* off 47 balls) was adjudged as the ‘Man of the Match’.
Brief Score: India: 168/6 (Hardik Pandya 63, Virat Kohli 50; Chris Jordan 3-43) vs England: 170/0 in 16 overs (Alex Hales 86*, Jos Buttler 80*).(ANI)
This report is filed by ANI news service. TheNewsMill holds no responsibility for this content.
