Bridgetown [Barbados]: After the 10-wicket win over the USA in their ICC T20 World Cup Super Eights clash and a match-winning hat-trick, England pacer Chris Jordan expressed how special it was for him to do so at Barbados, his place of birth which he also represented in cricket at one point of his career.
Jordan’s four-wicket haul, including England’s first-ever T20I hat-trick and skipper Jos Buttler’s carnage with the bat, were the highlights as the defending champions stormed into the semifinals with a 10-wicket win over the USA at Barbados.
Speaking after the game at the post-match press conference, Jordan said about his hat-trick, “Yeah, I think I started off by concentrating on the team. Obviously, the hat trick is definitely a special one. I will come on to that in a second, but I thought the team performance was really solid today. The way we set the tone in the power play. We knew they were going to come hard, played a few good shots, but then the way Liam (Livingstone) and Rash (Adil Rashid) controlled things for us in the middle, just set up things nicely for us at the back end and we were able to reap the rewards.”
“But to get that hat trick, obviously in a well-documented place that I was born, a place that I played so much cricket, in front of my family, my friends, the atmosphere, hearing the music going, everything, a nice day. Yeah, it was a special one,” he added.
On where the day ranks in his international career, Jordan said that it is among his best days in the England shirt, as he was able to take a hat-trick in front of his family in a must-win clash that helped the team qualify for the semifinals.
Talking about reaching the semifinals, Jordan said that there were a few bumps along the road in their journey to the semis, but they were “good bumps” as they narrowed down the team’s focus and made their direction clear.
“I think you can see that with the way in which the boys are playing now. I think having gone through it (difficulties) in the last World Cup that we won as well (back in 2022). I think it is standing us in good stead because there was not too much panic in when I think it was the Ireland game and they ended up winning on Duckworth Lewis and then we had to be in a position where we had to win every game after that,” he said.
“But I think the calmness within the dressing room, the dressing room has a lot of experience now, both in the playing 15 and also off the field as well. So, we’ve had some really good chats. And I think the scenarios that we found ourselves in, where we had to get our run rate up and stuff like that, and try to beat people and really dominate games, really gave us some really clear direction. I think you are seeing that in the way we are playing now,” Jordan concluded his point.
But the pacer said that England needs to be careful in their coming matches and go through its process again, do their homework, and plan well.
Coming to the match, England won the toss and put USA to bat first. Nitish Kumar (30 in 24 balls, with a four and two sixes), Corey Anderson (29 in 28 balls, with a six) and Harmeet Singh (21 in 17 balls, with two fours and a six) played crucial knocks, but England knocked down the co-hosts for 115 runs in 18.5 overs.
Jordan (4/10) was the pick of the bowlers for England. Adil Rashid (2/13), and Sam Curran (2/23) also bowled well for England.
England chased down the target in just 9.4 overs, with skipper Buttler (83* in 38 balls, with six fours and seven sixes) and Phil Salt (25* in 21 balls, with two fours) unleashing carnage.
Jordan managed to take a hat-trick, getting four wickets in his third over.
Rashid took home the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
