It said plenty about the state of England’s T20 World Cup campaign that, until this morning, their most important innings of the tournament had been played by Lorcan Tucker of Ireland.
At last, in Brisbane, however, their own batters came to the party as half-centuries from Jos Buttler and Alex Hales teed-up a clutch 20-run win over New Zealand that keeps their title hopes alive and leaves the race for semi-final places going down to the wire.
Tucker’s unbeaten 71 against Australia on Monday had denied the hosts the chance to inflate their net-run-rate too significantly and that now looks likely to be the deciding factor in Group 1, with England, Australia and New Zealand all level on five points ahead of their final matches.
New Zealand are well clear and will progress if they beat Ireland, but England have the firm edge over Australia and should do likewise if they beat Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka on Saturday, for all the Aussies could yet make inroads with a healthy win over Afghanistan.
Buttler marked his 100th T20i by accelerating to 73 off 47 as England posted a total of 179-for-six from their 20 overs in what was effectively the first of two must-win games.
Moeen Ali’s comically bad drop of Glenn Phillips (62 off 36) at one stage looked likely to prove fatal, but, unlike in the semi-final meeting between the sides in the UAE a year ago, England’s bowlers held their nerve.
After winning the toss and wisely straying from recent precedent in electing to bat, both England openers needed good fortune. Hales was an inside-edge away from being bowled through the gate by a Trent Boult inswinger in the first over before taking the fight to New Zealand with 52 off 40, while Buttler played second-fiddle early on and was dropped twice - on eight and 40 - first by Kane Williamson, found to have had help from the Gabba outfield on review, and then by Daryl Mitchell, whose blunder on the boundary did not require second viewing.
The latter reprieve in particular emboldened Buttler, who struck seven fours and two sixes in surpassing predecessor Eoin Morgan as England’s all-time leading T20 runscorer, but New Zealand’s spinners, Mitchell Santner and Sodhi kept the rate in check.
Liam Livingstone, like Moeen promoted up the order having been left too little time in the muffed chase against Ireland, looked dangerous, striking a huge 98m six over the long leg-side boundary in his 20 off 14, but the rest of England’s deep lineup could mange only single-figure cameos, while Buttler was run-out at the non-striker’s end in the penultimate over trying desperately to pinch back the strike.
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Moeen, yet to bowl in the tournament, was thrown the ball at the top of the Kiwi innings on a surface offering spin and almost had Devon Conway stumped for nought, the opener just getting his foot back in time despite sharp glove work from Buttler, whose brilliant diving catch then did for Conway in the following over as he was strangled down the leg-side by Chris Woakes.
Sam Curran, superb again in taking 2-26 had Finn Allen caught in the deep but Moeen somehow put Phillips, fresh off a century against Sri Lanka, down on just 15.
Phillips went through the gears to take New Zealand within 57 runs of victory with five overs remaining and wickets in hand, and though Kane Williamson had by then helped Ben Stokes straight to Adil Rashid at short-third man to break the partnership, it was hardly the wicket England wanted.
When next man in Jimmy Neesham hit his first ball for four, images of Abu Dhabi 12 months ago flooded to the front of the mind, the all-rounder having carted 27 off 11 balls to help Mitchell dismantle England at the death.
This time Neesham’s stay was mercifully brief, dismissed by Mark Wood in a quite brilliant 16th over that went for only three runs and swung the balance back England’s way. Fittingly, when first Mitchell and then Phillips soon followed to end any hope of another late twist, it was Chris Jordan, so expensive in the UAE, that took both catches as a sub-fielder.
