Alex Hales and skipper Jos Buttler starred in a record-breaking unbroken opening combination as merciless England thrashed India by 10 wickets at Adelaide Oval on Thursday to advance to the Twenty20 World Cup final. England, which won the 50-over World Cup on home soil in 2019, may now become the first side in white-ball cricket history to hold both global trophies when they face Pakistan in the final on Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
England beat India
They owe it to opener Hales and skipper Buttler, who chased down 169 for victory with four overs to spare, deafening a large throng of India supporters. Hales concluded on 86 not out from 47 balls, and Buttler, who was unbroken on a 49-ball 80, capped the statement triumph with a six off paceman Mohammed Shami.
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It certainly feels like (an ideal match) against a top-tier opponent,” Buttler remarked. We arrived quite enthusiastic, and there was a nice vibe in the room… Today, I thought everyone, from one to eleven, stood up. When Rohit Sharma’s India was sent into bat after Buttler won the toss, they started poorly against tight English bowling, and it was up to Hardik Pandya (63) and Virat Kohli (50) to stage a comeback, driving them to 168 for six.
The total appeared to be a touch low and quickly became piffling as Hales and Buttler got to work, the pair shattering 23 boundaries between them. Their 170-run partnership was the most in T20 World Cup history and England’s highest for any wicket in the competition.
It set up a tantalizing showdown with Pakistan, 30 years after the nations’ 50-over World Cup final at the MCG in 1992, which the South Asians won. It was a night of atonement for Player-of-the-Match Hales, who had missed England’s 2019 success due to a recreational drug controversy. His exile from England lasted more than three years, and he was only called up after Jonny Bairstow was hurt in a bizarre golf accident. This will definitely be up there,” said Hales, who has played enough of T20 in Australia’s Big Bash League.
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It’s a unique sensation in a place I like, and I’ve spent a lot of time here, so this is one of the finest evenings of my career. With pace spearhead Mark Wood and number three batsman Dawid Malan out injured, England had to make adjustments for the semi-final. Replacement seamer Chris Jordan got 3-43, including the crucial wicket of Kohli, while spinner Adil Rashid took 1-20 in four overs.