England close in on semi-final place at T20 World Cup as Jos Buttler scores sublime first T20I century before Eoin Morgan's side successfully defend 163-4 to claim fourth straight victory in UAE; England's last-four spot will be guaranteed if South Africa lose to Bangladesh on Tuesday
Tuesday 2 November 2021 06:09, UK
Jos Buttler scored a sensational maiden T20 international ton on a slow Sharjah surface as England beat a game Sri Lanka by 26 runs to all but secure a place in the World Cup semi-finals.
Buttler completed a 67-ball century with a last-ball six to propel England to 163-4 from their 20 overs - after Eoin Morgan's side, batting first for the first time in the tournament, stuttered to 36-3 in the powerplay and 47-3 from 10 overs having been inserted by Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka.
Buttler and Morgan (40 off 36) shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 112 in 78 balls, with England racking up 116 runs from their final 60 balls as Buttler backed up his blistering 71 not out from 32 deliveries against Australia in Dubai on Saturday night with another star performance.
The 31-year-old - who struck six sixes and as many fours - absorbed pressure in reaching fifty from 45 balls but took just another 22 to pass three figures for the second time in all T20 cricket, having scored a maiden century in the format for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL earlier this year.
Sri Lanka looked cooked at 76-5 in the 11th over of the run chase, only for Wanindu Hasaranga (34 off 21) - so impressive with ball earlier while taking 3-21 with his leg-spin - and skipper Shanaka (26) to put on 53 from 36 deliveries for the sixth wicket to reduce the requirement to 35 from 20.
That stand was broken in the 17th over as Jason Roy and Sam Billings - the latter on as sub fielder Tymal Mills, who injured his right quad mid-over - completed a superb relay catch at deep extra-cover to remove Hasaranga, before Shanaka was brilliantly run out by an aware Buttler in the 18th.
Sri Lanka then tumbled to 137 all out in 19 overs as England followed their walloping of West Indies, battering of Bangladesh and annihilation of Australia with a fourth successive victory.
That should be enough to secure a semi-final berth with their net-run rate so healthy but it will be guaranteed if they beat South Africa in their fifth and final group game, also in Sharjah, on Saturday evening.
England may have rubber stamped a last-four spot by then, though, if South Africa lose to Bangladesh on Tuesday or if Australia come unstuck against either Bangladesh on Thursday or West Indies in Saturday's early game.
Sri Lanka came unstuck against England which will frustrate coach Mickey Arthur as his side started so strongly with the ball before altering their bowling plans and being Buttlered.
Roy (9) and Jonny Bairstow (0) were picked off by Hasaranga - Roy bowled on the sweep and Bairstow lbw on review for a golden duck after advancing and missing a googly - while Malan was bowled by paceman Dushmantha Chameera, one ball after being dropped by wicketkeeper Kusal Perera.
Hasaranga and off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana (0-15) suppressed England in the first half of the innings but Morgan and Buttler tonked pace bowling in the second part of it, with Lahiru Kumara's 22-run 15th over featuring two maximums for Buttler and one for Morgan, whose innings was his highest in T20I cricket since August 2020.
Buttler ensured Shanaka's 18th over went for 19 as he creamed back-to-back sixes over the leg-side and then clipped a four off his pads - but it was the 20th over that was most memorable, with Buttler dropped in the deep on the leg-side on 93 by Pathum Nissanka before hauling Chameera's final-ball full toss over square leg to bring up a sublime century.
Buttler became the fourth England men's player to notch a T20I century, after the now-jettisoned Alex Hales and current team-mates Malan and Liam Livingstone, and the first to hit a hundred in all three forms of international cricket.
Morgan, meanwhile, was bowled by the excellent Hasaranga in the 19th over, one ball after clubbing the spinner for six, as the bowler made the England captain his 50th T20 international wicket in his 32nd match.
Morgan later completed a milestone of his own, securing his 43rd T20 international win as captain, breaking the previous record of 42 held by Afghanistan's Ashgar Afghan and India's MS Dhoni.
England took powerplay wickets again - their tally for the tournament now standing at 13 after they reduced Sri Lanka to 40-3 from the first six overs with Nissanka (1) run out by Morgan and Adil Rashid (2-19 from four overs) having Charith Asalanka (21) and Perera (7) caught slogging.
Morgan's men then took a cluster of wickets at the death - without the services of Mills - to dash Sri Lanka's hopes of victory, with exceptional fielding and shrewd field placings from Morgan seeing Shanaka's side tumble from 129-5, losing their final five wickets for eight runs.
Off-spinner Moeen Ali finished with 2-15 from three overs, while seamer Chris Jordan picked up 2-24 from his four.
Jos Buttler - described by Livingstone as the best striker of a white ball in the world after the win over Australia, Buttler showed that tag is warranted once more with his 12 boundaries against Sri Lanka. On this occasion, we saw the other part of his game, too, biding his time against the spinners after England lost early wickets. When he went, he then really went, targeting Sri Lanka's pacemen and taking his side to a total which proved beyond their opponents. He then completed a brilliant run out - his own personal highlight - on a night he will never forget.
England's fielders and Eoin Morgan - yes, Woakes spilled a catch at square leg but beyond that England were fantastic in the field, typified by Buttler's run out and the outstanding athleticism shown by Roy in the deep as he caught Hasaranga and then passed the ball on to Billings before sliding into the boundary rope. Those exploits will delight Morgan, whose canny tactics have helped England to four straight wins. From a personal point of view, he will be pleased at finally finding some form with the bat. Almost everything is going right at the moment, save for Mills' injury.
Sri Lanka and England's spinners - pace was pretty much pummelled in Sharjah but spin was not. Hasaranga started things off for Sri Lanka with the wickets of Roy, Bairstow and, eventually Morgan and was backed up by Theekshana, while England's spin trio of Rashid, Moeen and Livingstone picked up a combined five wickets, with Livingstone and Moeen claiming key ones at the death when Sri Lanka threatened to pull off a heist.
South Africa vs Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi is Tuesday's early game (9.30am, Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event) followed by Pakistan vs Namibia later in the day at the same venue (1.30pm, Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event). If Pakistan complete a fourth straight win in Group 2, they will be in the T20 World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2012.
Watch the T20 World Cup live on Sky between now and November 14.
