T20 Cricket World Cup: England win by 10 wickets over India to set up Pakistan Final

England have booked a spot against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup final, cruising past India to win with four overs to spare, as Jos Buttler and Alex Hales produced a perfect partnership.

Thirty years since the great Imran Khan broke British hearts at the MCG, a rampant England has the chance to exact World Cup final revenge over Pakistan.

Blockbusting openers Jos Buttler (80 not out off 49 balls) and Alex Hales (86 not out off 47 balls) destroyed promoter’s dreams of an India v Pakistan rematch that would have reverberated around the world, with a stunning and completely ruthless display of clutch batting which reduced the juggernaut that is India to spectators.

England are not only more than worthy finalists, they are now the team to beat after executing a knock-out semi-final triumph in Adelaide to win by a record 10 wickets with four overs still to play on the back of an unbeaten 170-run opening stand by Buttler and Hales.

Alex Hales (left) and Jos Buttler (right) combined for 166 runs to send India packing from the T20 World Cup. Picture: Getty Images.

After being sent in by Buttler, Indian slugger Hardik Pandya threw the gauntlet down to England with a booming 63 off 33 which resurrected his team from a sluggish start to set the men in red a par 169 to win.

But Buttler and man-of-the-match Hales showed no hint of sudden-death nerves; the captain smashing the first ball of the innings for four as the pair went at better than 10 an over through the powerplay and beyond until Buttler fittingly put an emphatic exclamation mark on the night to finish the innings with an emotion-charged six.

It was a blistering and statement making match-winning partnership rarely seen before in World Cup cricket that silenced a partisan Indian crowd, sending some to the exit gates early, and leaving Indian skipper Rohit Sharma without answer.

India’s night perhaps best summed up when Buttler finally skied a chance with 19 needed for victory, only for fielder Suryakumar Yadav to not only drop the catch but parry it 20 metres to the fence for four.

A frustrated Virat Kohli watched on as the Indian bowling attack failed to mount any pressure, and not taking a singled wicket off England. Picture: Getty Images.

England were humbled by Ireland in the group stages and only escaped another upset loss to Sri Lanka by the barest of margins which would have opened the door for Australia to sneak into this semi.

But Thursday night showed the sleeping giants – led by Aussie coach Matthew Mott – have well and truly awoken and timed its run to perfection, much like Australia did to win in Dubai last year.

Virat Kohli shone again with 50 off 40 but in hindsight he and his top order buddies failed to pull the trigger soon enough, although England leg-spinner Adil Rashid (1-20) played a critical role of suffocating the Indians through the middle overs.

Despite slaughtering 88 runs off the last 7 overs, with Pandya hammering 50 off his last 18 and 20 off Sam Curran’s penultimate over, the pyrotechnics were still only good enough to get India to a par score in Adelaide of 6-168.

England knew what they were doing electing to chase despite the pressure of a World Cup semi, and Buttler and Hales cashed in on a ball which came onto the bat easier as the night went on.

Hales has continued his incredible comeback story, with an incredible performance to catapult England into the final. Picture: AFP.

For Hales it was another extraordinary chapter in one of cricket’s great comeback stories.

Virtually blacklisted from playing for England ever again after a string of off-field misdemeanors, a freak golfing injury to Jonny Bairstow opened the door for him to be called into the squad – and he has made up for years of squandered talent with a brilliant World Cup.

The Big Bash League has helped fuel Hales’ revival, and it was fitting that his experience at Adelaide Oval – which includes a hundred for the Sydney Thunder – helped him tackle the biggest occasion of his international career with the calmness of a silent assassin.

At the other end, Buttler set the tone once again for his team – arguably the premier opening batter in T20 cricket right now and an inspiring leader who has helped the national team adjust from the retirement of Eoin Morgan without a hiccup.

Pakistan awaits at the MCG on Sunday as history repeats exactly 30 years on.

The progression of Babar Azam’s team to the final has been remarkably similar to their hot and cold performance in the 1992 ODI World Cup when they surged late and Imran Khan famously urged them to play like “cornered tigers.”

Up against a cool England team featuring exceptional batting depth and some crafty variations in their bowling attack – Pakistan will have to once again shock the world if they’re to knock off the 2019 ODI world champions and global white ball trend setters.

Adelaide Oval has been Kohli’s playground over the years, but on Thursday night England were able to transform it into their own backyard.

Buttler smashed a brutal six – one of three sixes – to bring up his 50 off just 36 balls, while at the other end Hales went at an even quicker click.

The voice of Indian cricket Harsha Bhogle described the Adelaide massacre as like two boxers from different weight divisions coming together.

Normally nerves and pressure make chasing difficult in cut-throat World Cup finals, but England took emotion out of the occasion and just knuckled down on executing the blueprint they’ve set as high-scoring monsters who bat without fear.

PLEASURE, PAIN AND A WORLD CUP? TRAGEDY BEHIND ENGLAND’S AUSSIE

—Rpbert Craddock

Within a day of celebrating the news he would be England’s new white-ball cricket coach Matthew Mott went numb with entirely different emotions.

Mott received a call from Test fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz relaying the shattering news that Mott’s best mate from his childhood years, Andrew Symonds, had been killed in a car accident.

Mott was one of a handful of close mates to speak at Symonds’ funeral in Townsville before joining the England white ball scene where he is suddenly two wins away from a major career highlight.

England play India in Adelaide on Thursday in the T20 World Cup semi-final and a victory in that match and the final would be a gold stud in Mott’s coaching career.

“I don’t think I’ve ever gone through a range of emotions like that,” Mott told News Corp earlier this year about the volatile period around Symonds’ death.

“Where something so exciting turns to something so dreadful.’’

Matthew Mott with England captain Jos Buttler.

Matthew Mott, Meg Lanning and Alyssa Healy celebrate an Australian World Cup win.

Mott and Symonds hit the headlines together for the Gold Coast Dolphins with a 446-run partnership in an under 19s match before a club official urged them to retire.

“I was walking off and Andrew was still marking centre. I said, ‘come on mate, you’ve got to come as well,’ and he said, “Oh, come on, what happens if we lose a couple of wickets?’

“I had to drag him off.”

Mott’s coaching portfolio includes a title winning stint with NSW, a successful tenure as Australian women’s coach and he was also an assistant with John Buchanan at the Kolkata Knight Riders during the first season of the Indian Premier League.

“He (Mott) has a lot of factors about him which are suited to coaching,’’ Buchanan said.

“He’s a laid-back person and very good with relationships is very inquisitive and had a good sense of humour. He is pretty unflappable. That was the way he played his cricket.

“Obviously he and Roy (Symonds) came through together. They were great mates and he would be one of the first to have a go at Roy about his spelling and how he would somehow get an “l’ when he was spelling chimney. That was part of their friendship.

“They were different characters in some ways but also similar in that they were Gold Coast boys and very laid back.

“Their fathers were both school principals and Matt’s father Bill used to help as a room attendant with the Bulls.’’

Matthew Mott and Andrew Symonds.

ENGLAND SET FOR TOUGH CALLS ON TWO KEY PLAYERS

—AFP

England will make last-minute fitness calls on Dawid Malan and Mark Wood as they look to spoil the party in Thursday’s Twenty20 World Cup semi-final against India, skipper Jos Buttler said.

The world’s two top-ranked teams will clash at the Adelaide Oval for a place in Sunday’s final at the MCG against Pakistan or New Zealand.

England are sweating on the availability of number three batsman Malan and pace spearhead Wood.

Wood has bowled the fastest ball of the tournament at 154.74kph.

“We will see how they pull up. We are trying to give them as long as possible,” Buttler said on Wednesday.

“Dawid was out the other day with a small niggle, Woody has had a bit of stiffness. We trust the medical team, we trust the two guys as well.” Malan looks doubtful after he injured his groin in England’s final Super 12 match against Sri Lanka and could be replaced by Phil Salt.

Buttler, who plays with hard-hitting Salt at county side Lancashire, backed him to take his chance if it comes against India.

“I think he has a fantastic mindset, especially for the T20 format, he certainly doesn’t fear anyone and is someone who wants to get on the front foot and take the game on,” said Buttler.

Dawid Malan leaves the field after being injured against Sri Lanka.

Mark Wood is under an injury cloud.

“He embodies quite a lot of what we speak about as a team and how we ask guys to play.

“Certainly I wouldn’t expect to see anything else from him if he gets the chance to play.

“He’s certainly someone who’s not going to shy away from an occasion, I feel like he’s someone who will definitely take it on.” Buttler knows that an India side which has batsmen Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav in sparkling form will have strong backing in Adelaide, as they have done throughout the World Cup.

“We are all really excited about the match, in my opinion one of the best stadiums in the world against a brilliant Indian team which I am sure will be well supported tomorrow,” Buttler said.

“It’s going to be a great occasion and these are the times you want to be involved as a player.”

Buttler also knows that those Indian fans will be hoping for victory to set up a blockbuster final against arch-rivals Pakistan.

“We certainly don’t want an India-Pakistan final,” added the batsman-wicketkeeper, who took over the England white-ball captaincy earlier this year from Eoin Morgan.

“So trying to do what we can to make sure that it doesn’t happen.”