Super 12 - Match 2, Perth, October 22, 2022, 04:30 PM
Afghanistan
112/10(19.4ov)
England
113/5(18.1ov)
England beat Afghanistan by 5 wickets
That is it then from this game and it is England and New Zealand who are the first two teams to get on the points table in the Super 12s. The action in the T20 World Cup continues on Super Sunday, the 23rd of October with another doubleheader. In the first game of the day, Sri Lanka will take on Ireland in Hobart and that game will begin at 9.30 am IST (4 am GMT). The second game is a clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan at the M.C.G in Melbourne and will begin at 1.30 pm IST (8 am GMT). The build-up for both those games will begin much sooner. Do join us then. Cheers!
English skipper, Jos Buttler says that coming into a big tournament like this, there are a few nerves but to get a win in the first game is fantastic. Adds that the fielding was brilliant and it is a crucial area of the game. Mentions that Mark Wood is very important with his pace and he has done really well coming back from his injury. Tells that Sam Curran has a great attitude and takes on the responsibility himself in tough stages and demands the ball. Says that they could have been more fluid with the chase but credits the Afghan bowlers for their effort.
Mohammad Nabi, the captain of Afghanistan says that it was not a good start but they tried their best and played some good cricket. Adds that they failed to put runs on the board and that England are one of the best T20 sides out there but applauds the efforts of his teammates. Mentions that the opposition took a few brilliant catches and they wanted to get to 140-150 but it wasn't meant to be. Says that their plan is to put a decent total on board and they have experienced spinners who have played in Australia and they can use that to their advantage. Ends by saying that they will try to improve upon their mistakes in the next game.
Sam Curran (3.4-0-10-5) is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his exceptional bowling display. Curran says that the Afghan team made the chase a bit tricky with their world-class spinners but it feels good to get over the line. Adds that all the teams here have a chance and they have seen in the group stages with West Indies missing out. Mentions that this win will give them confidence and they hope to continue that in the upcoming games. Tells that he is trying to be better in different phases of the game with the ball and is enjoying his cricket.
The Presentation ceremony...
Eariler in the game, Jos Buttler won the toss and put Afghanistan into bat which turned out to be the correct decision. Mark Wood bowled with venom inside the Powerplay and then the others were able to build on it. It was Sam Curran though who stood out with the ball as he picked up the first-ever five-wicket haul by an English player in the T20 World Cup. Ibrahim Zadran was the only one who could muster up valuable runs for Afghanistan. What should have been a straightforward chase for England was made into a bit of a contest by the Afghanistan bowlers. Liam Livingstone however ensured that the boundaries were found and stayed till the end to see his side home.
At the halfway stage Afghanistan seemed down and out but Fazalhaq Farooqi gave it his all in the Powerplay and was able to pick up a wicket. After that, the trio of spinners, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi took charge in the middle phase and picked up wickets at regular intervals. With the depth of the opposition batting, Afghanistan needed to get all 10 wickets which did not happen and a couple of dropped catches cost them the game. They will however take a lot of positives back from this game.
With 113 runs needed for victory, Jos Buttler and Alex Hales got England off to a steady start before Buttler fell. Hales got out soon after and Dawid Malan was left to do the re-building job. Malan never got going and the wickets kept on tumbling. It was Liam Livingstone who took on the Afghan bowlers every now and then and got the crucial boundaries. In the end, it was a fairly low score to chase down and England managed to escape unscathed. They will look to improve their batting though in the next game.
Not the most convincing of batting displays by England but they have got the job done and have picked up a couple of crucial points to begin their campaign. Afghanistan fought valiantly but with just 112 runs on the board, it was always going to be difficult.
In over# 19
1wd
1
Azmatullah Omarzai 11/0(1.1)
18.2
1wd
A bit of an anticlimax but England will take it! Azmatullah Omarzai bangs in a bouncer, on middle and on off, Moeen Ali lets it through to the keeper. The umpire calls it a wide for height and that is the winning run. ENGLAND WIN BY 5 WICKETS!
18.1
1
SCORES LEVEL! This is short and on middle, Liam Livingstone skips down the track and pulls it towards deep square leg for a run.
In over# 18
2
0
0
2
1
2
Mohammad Nabi 16/1(3)
17.6
2
Floated, full and on leg, Moeen Ali slogs it with the inner half towards deep square leg for a couple of runs.
17.5
.
Short and on off, angling in, Moeen Ali pushes it towards cover.
17.4
.
Darts this one full and on leg, Moeen Ali misses his flick and gets hit on the pads.
17.3
2
Short and on off, Moeen Ali cuts it wide of deep point for a brace. England now one hit away from victory.
17.2
1
Another seam-up delivery, on middle, skids through, Liam Livingstone looks to cut it but gets an inside edge towards square leg for a single.
17.1
2
Flatter delivery, touch fuller and on off, Liam Livingstone drives it uppishly towards cover but it falls short of the fielder and he lets it through too. Two runs taken!
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