England 'Hales' a ride to the final

Hales, put out to pasture owing to behavioural issues earlier, took another giant step towards reintegration with an authoritative innings full of power

A visibly dejected Indian skipper Rohit Sharma walks off the field after suffering a humbling defeat against England in the semifinals of the World Cup on Thursday. Credit: AFP Photo

Jos Buttler and Alex Hales celebrate after winning the match. Credit: Reuters Photo

Battered, bruised and shell-shocked, India were handed out a harsh lesson in the dynamic world of 20-over cricket at the Adelaide Oval.

A formidable England side that has redefined the approach to the format pounded Rohit Sharma’s men into submission in the second semifinal of the T20 World Cup. India’s second ten-wicket rout in as many editions of this competition (following a similar loss to Pakistan last year) was both incomprehensible and inexplicable, their patchy batting complemented for effect by a tardy bowling performance that seemed ill-equipped to counter the all-out assault of Jos Buttler and Alex Hales.

A final tally of 168 for six on being asked to bat on a damp surface wasn’t imposing, but it wasn’t trifling either. India’s bowling has been more than adequate throughout the World Cup but in the game that mattered the most, it went missing. The lengths were questionable as Hales in particular was allowed to target the short boundaries square, and the lack of fight once England got off to a flier was unedifying.

That England raced along unchecked to their target with all ten wickets in hand and a massive 24 deliveries to spare is a true reflection of how the chase unravelled in front of 40,094 stunned fans who saw their dreams shattered irrevocably. Buttler kicked off the mayhem with three fours in the first over, from Bhuvneshwar Kumar; once he realised Hales was in the mood, the skipper sat back and soaked in the entertainment.

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In stark contrast to India who had a highest opening salvo of 27 in six innings, Buttler and Hales have been the bulwark of the England side. Coming off 50-plus stands against New Zealand and Sri Lanka in their last two games, the two right-handers tore into India with gay abandon as 13 fours and ten giant sixes cascaded off their punishing willows, the last of them from Buttler’s scything blade over long-on off Mohammed Shami confirming a Sunday date with Pakistan at the MCG. It will be a repeat of the 50-over World Cup final at the same venue in 1992 which Imran Khan’s team won.

Hales, put out to pasture owing to behavioural issues, only earned a late ticket to Australia after a freak injury to Jonny Bairstow, and he took another giant step towards reintegration with an authoritative innings full of power. Buttler alternated between touch and muscle, the two joining hands to drive daggers deep into Indian hearts.

India’s embarrassing bowling display was completely at odds with the discipline and imagination England showed earlier in the evening. There was a little bit of assistance, especially by way of bounce that Chris Woakes used to good effect to pack off KL Rahul in the second over, and reasonable turn for leggies Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone. So well did the bowlers perform for the first three-quarters of the innings that Buttler didn’t feel the need to turn to Moeen Ali’s off-spin, fearful that that could ignite India’s quest for big runs.

Rahul’s early dismissal sucked away whatever momentum India might have aspired to build, and it didn’t help that Rohit Sharma’s poor run continued. The skipper wasn’t guilty of not trying; if anything, he tried to smite the ball too hard and that worked against someone whose natural grain is timing. England’s tight lines and alacrity in the field kept India honest, and a rare low score for Suryakumar Yadav meant despite Kohli holding his end up, India were only 100 for three at the end of the 15th over.

It needed a special innings from Hardik Pandya to inject urgency into the proceedings. After Kohli was dismissed a ball after bringing up his fourth half-century of this competition, Pandya played some of the most astonishing strokes of the evening to race to his fifty off 29 deliveries. He was primarily responsible for 68 coming in the last five. There was a feeling at the break that India were perhaps 20 too short, but given the ease with which England hunted down the target, even another 50 might not have sufficed.

(The writer is a senior cricket journalist)