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England secured a sensational 10-wicket victory over the USA in Match 49 of the 2024 T20 World Cup on Sunday, June 23 at Kensington Oval in Barbados. This victory helped them become the first team to qualify for the semi-final of the showpiece event.
Invited to bat first, the USA side again failed to get off to a strong start. Nitish Kumar (30) and Corey Anderson (29) were the chief contributors as they managed to post a meager 115 on the board. Chris Jordan became the first English bowler to take a T20I hat-trick and finished with figures of 4/10. He was well supported by Adil Rashid (2/13) and Sam Curran (2/23).
In response, Jos Buttler and Phil Salt started on a cautious note in the first two overs, accumulating only six runs. However, skipper Buttler led the team's charge and pushed the score to 60/0 in six overs.
The ninth over witnessed him smashing five consecutive sixes off Harmeet Singh to make it a 32-run over. The rest of the innings was a formality, as the defending champions sealed the chase in less than 10 overs. Buttler (83 off 38) and Salt (25 off 21) remained unbeaten for the side.
With four points and a net run rate of +1.992, England confirmed their qualification for the semi-finals. The result also means that the clash between West Indies and South Africa will be a virtual knockout contest. Only one of them will seal the final semi-final spot of the T20 World Cup from Group 2.
Fans react to England reaching the semi-final of T20 World Cup 2024
The fans on social media had varied reactions to Jos Buttler-led England becoming the first team to seal the semi-final spot of the T20 World Cup. The common talk among fans was that England, who were on the brink of elimination in the group stage, are now a strong title contender for the trophy.
Here are some reactions on X:
"England have toyed with getting knocked out of this tournament so many times, but they're in the semi final! I've written them off a few times, but they've found a way. They'll probably win it now," this fan posted.
"First team to do so for four consecutive time. They've been dominating this format for quite a while now. Being a diehard fan, I hope they'll also become the first team to defend the title!" another tweeted.
West Indies will take on South Africa in the next T20 World Cup match on Sunday, June 23.
