NORTH SOUND (Antigua): Jos Buttler-led England beat Oman by eight wickets in a low-scoring T20 World Cup 2024 match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.
After winning the toss, England decided to bowl against Oman, and their decision did go in their favour.
In the first inning, the England bowling attack displayed a solid performance and restricted the Oman batting lineup to 47.
Pratik Athavale (5 runs from 3 balls, 1 four) and Kashyap Prajapati (9 runs from 16 balls, 1 six) opened for Oman and could only make a six-run partnership after star pacer Jofra Archer made the first breakthrough of the match as he removed Athavale from the crease in the second over.
Shoaib Khan (11 runs from 23 balls, 1 four) was the only standout batter after he scored the highest runs among his teammates. No other Oman batter could touch the 10-run as they fell short infront of the English bowling attack.
The Three Lions bowlers ended Oman’s inning by the end of the 14th over.
Adil Rashid led the England bowling attack after he bagged four wickets and gave 11 runs in his four-over spell at an economy rate of 2.80. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood also picked up three wickets each in their respective spell.
While chasing the 48-run target, the England openers did not take any pressure and displayed a stupendous performance on the crease. Philip Salt (12 runs from 3 balls, 2 sixes) and Jos Buttler (24* runs from 8 balls, 4 fours and 1 six) made a 12-run partnership after Bilal Khan made the first breakthrough of the match after he removed Salt in the third ball of the first over.
The second wicket of the inning came in the second over when Kaleemullah bagged Will Jacks’ (5 runs from 7 balls, 1 four) wicket.
Jonny Bairstow (8* runs from 2 balls, 2 fours) and Buttler stayed unbeaten on the crease and helped the Three Lions win the match. England batters dominated during the run chase as they ended the game in just four overs.
Bilal Khan and Kaleemullah were the only wicket-takers for Oman in the game.
Following the win, England stood in third place in the Group B table with three points. The Three Lions will take on Namibia in their upcoming match of the tournament on Saturday.
Brief score: Oman 47 (Shoaib Khan 11, Kashyap Prajapati 9, Aqib Ilyas 8; Adil Rashid 4/11) vs England 50/2 (Jos Buttler 24*, Philip Salt 12, Jonny Bairstow 8; Kaleemullah 1/10). (ANI)