England aim to get back on track for semi final spot against USA

It has been a memorable World Cup for the USA giving perhaps the biggest upset in World Cup history by beating Pakistan to fighting with heart against other big international sides. And while their next match against England might be the end of the road, they can bow out with their heads high and be proud of whatever they have achieved. 

Although there is still a distant chance for the USA to make it to the semis, the odds are very much against them and now they are set to face the defending champs who themselves are searching for an important win in pursuit of a semi-final spot. It has been a hot and cold campaign for Jos Buttler’s side. They needed some assistance from Australia to make it to the super-eights, and while there have been some dominating performances from them, England have also suffered a few setbacks. One of them came in an important super-eight fixture against South Africa which now leaves them with 2 points from 2 games on third spot in the group with West Indies above them on net run-rate.

A victory in this fixture will put them on four points, equal with table toppers South Africa, and a margin of more than ten runs (batting first) will take their net run rate past the Proteas’ who will face West Indies later on Sunday. 

Buttler’s men were able to beat West Indies convincingly in their opening super-eight fixture which has given them a cushion and even though they were beaten by South Africa, the margin of defeat was not too much to disheart the England captain. Their next task is to avoid a mishap against a USA side that started the tournament brightly but have now started to show signs of inexperience.

Aaron Jones has been the main man for the USA in this tournament. He started off with a statement inning against Canada and then secured a tie against Pakistan which his team eventually won. However, things have been tough for him in the last three innings with scores of 11, 0, and 11. The responsibility of being the captain in the absence of injured Monank has added to his burden. 

For England, Liam Livingstone will be the spotlight. He was able to finally find some runs of his bat. A 33 off 17 balls in a losing cause might not sound much, but it could just be the spark he needed to kickstart his show. His 78-run partnership with Harry Brook brought England back into the contest but did not take them over the line. This was only the second instance in 22 T20 innings this year that Livingstone scored more than 30. 

Kensington Oval will be hosting this exciting fixture between the USA and England and is one of only two venues at this World Cup to have seen a 200-plus score, but more often than not, the playing surfaces at this ground have been on the slower side. The weather forecast does tell that there are chances of rain interrupting the match.