England ready to cause damage in T20 World Cup after elimination scare, says Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler says his England side are “chomping at the bit” to revive their T20 World Cup defense after a nervous wait to secure their place in the last eight.

The reigning champions managed to get through the group stage on the strength of their net run rate, edging out Scotland after falling agonizingly short of shocking Australia, and will now be hoping to reset after a chaotic spell in the Caribbean.

A failure against the Scots, a quick win against an Oman side who collected a total of 99 balls and another rain-affected victory against Namibia in Antigua on Saturday meant England barely had time to establish a regular rhythm.

A heavy defeat to Australia in their only full match could have dented confidence, but their campaign effectively begins again in the Super 8s, where they will face co-hosts West Indies, South Africa and the United States in the space of five dizzying days. with a place in the semi-final up for grabs.

England had to wait almost six hours after the end of their own match to learn their fate and it was almost midnight when Buttler found out with certainty that his team was not heading for an early exit. But today he is ready to look forward and not to the past.

“It was a nervous watch at times,” Buttler admitted. “But we are happy to qualify. We are looking forward to the Super 8s and the tournament. Fortunately, we can now prepare for a big week of crucial matches in Saint Lucia and Barbados against strong opposition.

“It’s going to be a challenge, but we’ve had so many rain-affected games that people can’t wait to play. I think we responded really well, I think the team has been in a really good position throughout the tournament so far and I think with all the anxieties around everyone has handled it well . Thanks to all the guys who stayed really level, there doesn’t seem to be any panic.

While Buttler made no secret of his own troubles during the day, which included a three-hour delay due to rain at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and the very real prospect of an abandonment that would have sent them packing , everyone in the team made no secret of being at the end of their nerves.

Jofra Archer, whose return to form has lifted England’s attack after a long absence, had a very different response. For Buttler, it was an encouraging sign of a returning player comfortable on the international stage.

“We had a good laugh because we were going in and out to look at the weather and Jofra was sleeping on a bench,” he said. “He didn’t look too stressed and I think that tells you where he’s at, he’s in a really good place. I’m just delighted to see him back in an England jersey playing on the big stage.

“He certainly exceeded my expectations for his position, although he probably expected that of himself.

“He’s been fantastic and he’s an incredible guy to have on the team to throw the ball to, he definitely wants the big moments, and he plays well in those moments.”

In the meantime, Pakistan ended their T20 World Cup campaign with a victory after edging out Ireland by three wickets in a consolation clash on Sunday.

With neither team able to qualify for the Super 8 stage of Group A, Pakistan started well to reduce Ireland to 32-6, but knocks from Gareth Delany and Josh Little helped the team to recover to finish 106-9.

Pakistan’s batting collapse gave Ireland a glimmer of hope, but two big sixes from Shaheen Shah Afridi in the penultimate over were sealed.

Afridi had earlier taken 3-22 and got Pakistan off to a perfect start, taking all three of his wickets in his first two overs as he began by clipping the top of Andy Balbirnie’s off stump with the third ball of the match . The Paceman took his two second balls later when Lorcan Tucker slipped in behind and trapped Harry Tector lbw in his next over, Paul Stirling falling to Mohammad Amir in between.

George Dockrell showed promise with some aggressive shots but gave away his wicket cheaply to Amir before Delany hit 31 off 19 balls.

His quick burst was ended by Imad Wasim (3-8), but Pakistan could not break the 10th wicket partnership as Little added a valuable 22 to drag Ireland into three figures.

Mark Adair made the breakthrough for Ireland as Saim Ayub fell and the all-rounder was in the thick of the action again, taking a brilliant catch at the boundary to dismiss Mohammad Rizwan for 17 off McCarthy.

Pakistan maintained the scoreboard but they were suddenly plunged into trouble after losing three wickets in the space of nine balls as Curtis Campher removed Fakhar Zaman and McCarthy claimed the scalps of Usman Khan and Shadab Khan .

Captain Babar Azam sustained his team’s innings with an unbeaten stand of 32 before Afridi sealed victory in style with seven balls to go.