England vs South Africa World T20: England team player ratings

The England World T20 campaign was well and truly revived in rather miraculous circumstances with an extraordinary win over South Africa at the Wankhede Stadium. Chasing a mammoth target of 230 set by the Proteas, England went about their business with a stern ploy which allowed man-off-the-match Joe Root to make it count on the night. A wicket that has avoided England in the past now has proved to be the wicket that has perhaps turned their fortunes around. That said, here are the player ratings for the impressive and victorious England team.

Jason Roy – 8/10

Jason Roy was the samurai of sorts for England. He proved to be extremely lethal with the brand of strokes he played. He simply dispatched the opening South African bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Dale Steyn with provoking and rigorous brutality, perhaps never seen before from an England batsman. He smashed 43 off just 16 balls as he pierced through the Proteas attack, paving the way for a decisive England win.

Alex Hales – 6/10

One of England’s most explosive and experienced batsmen, Hales joined his partner by teeing-off with intent. He whacked 17 in quick time before being dismissed rather unluckily to Kyle Abbott.

Ben Stokes – 5/10

After a thorough hammering with the ball, Ben Stokes was promoted up the order to up the ante further following the demise of Alex Hales. He smashed a couple of boundaries before being caught rather unfortunately in the deep, much to his shock and disbelief.

Joe Root – 9.5/10

The star of the show for England, Root exhibited excellent composure and finesse as he single-handedly waged the battle against South Africa. After the fall of skipper Eoin Morgan, Root came into his own, smashing the ball to all parts of the ground. He also singled out JP Duminy’s shorter length and dispatched him into the Wankhede crowd on numerous occasions. His 83 of just 44 balls included 6 fours and four 6’s.

Eoin Morgan – 3.5/10

The England skipper nearly gifted the match to South Africa with an innings that literally took him nowhere. In contrast, to the innings he played against the West Indies, Morgan looked completely at sea against the South African spinners. During his stay at the crease, England hadn’t struck a boundary in 28 deliveries faced.

Jos Buttler – 7/10

Apart from some clinical glove work behind the stumps, Buttler’s heroics with the bat was key in England’s quest towards victory. He played a strategically important inning of 21, where his job was to simply rotate the strike and give Joe Root more opportunity to whack the ball as well as he did.

Moeen Ali – 6.5/10

Apart from the 2 wickets picked up during the South African innings, Ali had perhaps the most important job with the bat. With fielders encroaching towards the wicket, Ali found it extremely difficult to get the ball away in the final over to secure an England win. However, he eventually got the ball to long off, thus picking a single and winning the match for England.

Chris Jordan – 4.5/10

Despite being the strike bowler for England, Jordan had a terrible time with the ball. However, one cannot put the blame on Jordan due to the Wankhede batting paradise. Having conceded 49 runs in his 3 overs, Jordan’s boundary with the bat virtually sealed the win for England. He was however dismissed soon after.

David Willey – 5.5/10

David Willey, similar to the rest of the bowlers failed to create much of an impact with the ball. He picked up just the one wicket and conceded 40 runs. He failed with the bat as well, being run out in the final over after a terrible confusion with Moeen Ali.

Adil Rashid – 5.5/10

Adil Rashid became an England hero when he picked up the wicket of AB de Villiers early on in the South African innings. However, with the wicket playing in favor of the batsmen, Rashid too was robbed for runs. He came out to bat and assisted Moeen Ali as the latter hit the winnings runs with just 2 balls to spare.

Reece Topley – 3.5/10

Reece Topley was perhaps England’s worst performer of the night. He bowled just the two overs, conceding 33 runs.