Overcoming rain, Favour from Australia: England’s rollercoaster ride to Super 8s

If there is a team that is the happiest in the Caribbean, it would be England. These were the words from the commentary team after Tim David hit a monstrous six to seal the win for Australia against Scotland in a nervy run-chase, that saw the game go down to the last over. Scotland posted 180 in their ininngs and bowled bravely against the Aussies, who seemed to be off the boil a bit in the match.

In the end, a bit of inexperience with bat, ball and in the field saw Scotland’s incredible campaign end and England qualify for the Super 8s by the skin of their teeth. Jos Buttler and Co. did their bit and got the win against Namibia, but things could have been far worse for the defending champions. They would have been feeling the heat on June 16, Sunday as it seemed Scotland could pull off the win against Australia.

But now, they will be sleeping a bit better and look forward to continuing their World Cup title defence. It has been a journey that has seen England face the challenges from rain and get a favour from their arch-rivals to reach the next phase.

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Rain ruins the start

England faced Scotland in their first game and were hoping to get off the blocks quickly. However, the defending champions looked sloppy and poor on the field and with the ball as Scotland openers made full use of the opportunities they got. However, rain came in to halt proceedings and reduce the game to a 10-over game as Scotland scored 90 for the loss of no wicket and setup a 109–run target for England via DLS method.

But the persistent rain completely put a stop to things as England had to settle for one point.

Australia loss pushes England into chaos

The second game against Australia was supposed to be the one where England showed their true mettle. With bragging rights at stake, the Aussies got off to a perfect start and ensured they kept attacking the English bowler and keep them under the pump.

The England openers did well but the middle-order just crumbled as Australia won the match by 36 runs as questions started to be raised about Buttler and Co. The fans were dreading the worst as the prospect of a second failure at defending their crown seemed to be a possibility.

Adding to this, Scotland were absolutely flying at the other end as they racked up wins against Namibia and Oman to put themselves in the driving seat.

Thrashing Oman

England were utterly ruthless when it came to the match against Oman. Having their backs against the wall, the bowlers stepped up massively as they bundled out Oman for just 47 runs. The aim was now to push their net run-rate up and the batters went into overdrive and finished the game in 3.1 overs.

Rain comes to haunt… again!

The Namibia game was the one England had put all their chips in. However, the weather in Antigua was ruthless at one point. It seemed like hope was lost for England as they stared down at elimination and joining fellow finalists in the last edition, Pakistan, on the flight back home.

But thankfully, the rain gods heard the prayers of the English fans and the skies cleared up as the match was reduced to a 10-over affair. England once again stamped their authority with the bat as Harry Brook and Jonny Bairstow powered them to 122 in 10 overs.

Namibia’s chase was never quick enough as England won the match by 41 runs, another good thing to their net run-rate. It was enough in the end as Buttler and Co. let out a huge sigh of relief and made it to the Super 8s.

England are now in the same group with West Indies, South Africa and surprise package, the USA, in Super 8s and will certainly have their work cut out. Buttler and Co. will hope the weather would be better and they won’t need anymore favours from anyone as they aim to retain their crown.