North Sound (Antigua): England spinner Adil Rashid, who scalped four wickets against Oman to seal a thumping eight-wicket win in the T20 World Cup, credited the bowling partnerships for bundling out the opponents on 47 in 13.2 overs.
England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and invited Oman to bat first at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound. Pacers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood bagged early wickets followed by Rashid’s magical spell. Archer and Wood grabbed three scalps each while Reece Topley went wicketless in his three overs.
“The most pleasing thing was I think as a bowling unit, how we bowled with the seamers, each seamer, Toppers [Topley], Joff [Archer], Woody [Wood], myself, we all bowled in really good partnerships,” Rashid said after the match.
“Very pleased. We spoke about [it] coming to this game. I thought we needed a win and a comprehensive one. We set the tone up front there with the ball. I thought seamers — Joff (Archer), Woody (Wood), the top order set the tone there perfectly. But no, I was very happy for us to get that win, how we did,” he added.
Rashid had a remarkable performance, showcasing his versatility and skill as a spinner. He took wickets through various means, including stumpings and slip catches off leg breaks, as well as hitting the stumps with his deceptive googlies. His ability to consistently trouble batters with different types of deliveries made it a memorable outing for him.
“Yeah it’s always nice, it’s always nice to get wickets three – four whether it’s against Oman, Australia or India, it’s always nice to get them wickets but I thought to myself, I felt okay, I felt alright there. Just get a few wickets, spin the ball, googlies, few leggies, whatever it is, mix it up,” the spinner said.
“I think first and foremost, our mind was to win the game. If going to a game thinking we have to bowl them out for 50 and then chase it down within three and a half overs… that just happened today. We won the toss, we knew if we stick to our way, stick to our strength, seamers, spinners, be nice and positive, do your thing,” he added.
England will take on Namibia at the same venue on Saturday in their last group-stage fixture. England need to win the game by a heavy margin and also pray for Scotland’s loss against Australia on Sunday to stay alive in the Super Eight race.
–IANS
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