Harry Brook scored an unbeaten 47 in quick time as England defeated Namibia by 41 runs in a rain-affected, shortened match in Antigua on Saturday, placing the defending champions close to the T20 World Cup knockout stages after facing a real risk of elimination. After a three-hour delay, the skies cleared, and a 11-over per side game was agreed upon, later reduced to 10 overs due to further rain. Namibia, who won the toss and chose to field, faced a revised target of 126 runs according to the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method after England posted 122 for five. Namibia managed 34-0 after five overs, but the required run rate was too high, even with Nikolaas Davin's 18 off 16 balls and David Wiese's 27 off 12 balls. Namibia finished on 84-3, and captain Gerhard Erasmus announced it was Wiese's final match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound. England moved to second in Group B, ahead of Scotland on net run-rate but tied on five points, with Scotland set to face leaders Australia later on Saturday. A draw or win for Scotland in St Lucia would eliminate England. 'There was a lot of anxiety,' Brook said about the long wait for play to begin. 'We didn't think we'd get to play. But thankfully, the rain stopped. We used our batting insights while fielding.' England's start was rocky, with Phil Salt scoring only one in the first over and captain Jos Buttler dismissed for a duck in the second. At 13-2 after 2.1 overs, Salt was caught by wicketkeeper Zane Green off Wiese, but Jonny Bairstow and Brook, who top-scored with 47 off 20 balls, stabilized the innings with a 56-run stand. The match was briefly paused after eight overs with England at 82-3 but resumed quickly. 'It's a huge relief,' Buttler said. 'It was a stressful day with the rain, but I think we performed well. Everyone handled the situation well, and we were well prepared.' He added, 'I thought that was a really good score on that wicket.' England's first match against Scotland was washed out, they lost to Australia by 36 runs, and then beat Oman by eight wickets, which boosted their net run-rate over Scotland, but they needed to beat Namibia to secure their position.
Text: Lara Palmer
16.06.2024
Harry Brook's 47 Helps England Edge Closer to Knockout Phase Despite Weather Delays