T20 WC: Adil Rashid has been bowling well despite not getting many wickets, says England skipper Buttler after win over Sri Lanka
Sydney [Australia], November 5 (ANI): Following his side's four-wicket win over Sri Lanka in their ICC T20 World Cup match, England captain Jos Buttler heaped praises on spinner Adil Rashid for his performance in the tournament, saying that he has been bowling well despite not getting many wickets.
Alex Hales gave a perfect start and Ben Stokes played a top knock in the end to help England survive the Sri Lanka scare in the death overs and win the match by four wickets to reach the semifinal of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022.
"Did not enjoy that match, how close it was. We just had to find a way to win that game. (On Ben Stokes) These situations are built for him, he can play a lot of roles for us in this T20 setup. They got off to a really good start, and we felt the wicket would play that way since it was a used wicket," said Buttler in a post-match presentation.
"But the way Adil Rashid got us back was wonderful. A lot of people look at the end product with him, he does not have the wickets but he has been bowling well. Sam (Curran) keeps growing and growing, he is a key member of this team and he likes to be in these tough moments. I think Alex (Hales) in that one over really took the game out of Sri Lanka. (On Adelaide) Excited to go there, we just needed to find a way to win today. Now it is time to go there and think about the semi-finals," he added.
With this win, England has finished the group stage in the second position in the points table, with three wins in five matches and a total of seven points. They have qualified for the semifinal along with New Zealand. Australia, which also has seven points like England and NZ, have been knocked out of the tournament due to an inferior net run rate.
Coming to the match, opting to bat first, Sri Lanka posted 141/8 in 20 overs. Opener Pathum Nissanka posted a fighting half-century, scoring 67 off 45 balls, but he did not get enough support from batters other than Bhanuka Rajapaksa (23).
Mark Wood (3/26) was the pick of the bowlers for England. Curran, Rashid, Stokes or Woakes took a wicket each.
Chasing 142, England openers Alex Hales (47), Jos Buttler (28) put up a 75-run stand for the opening wicket. But after that, Sri Lankan bowlers derailed England from what was looking an early chase. England was 129/6 in 18 overs. But Ben Stokes (42*) helped England reach the target with four wickets in hand with two balls to spare.
Adil Rashid's spell of 1/16 earned him the 'Man of the Match' award.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka: 141/8 (Pathum Nissanka 67, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 22, Mark Wood 3/26) lost to England: 144/6 in 19.4 overs (Alex Hales 47, Ben Stokes 42*, Wanindu Hasaranga 2/23). (ANI)
Source: Sports