England beats Oman by 8 wickets to boost chances at T20 World Cup

England's Adil Rashid shines with 4-11 as England secures a crucial win against Oman in T20 World Cup.

Adil Rashid took 4-11 as England boosted its chances of reaching the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup by bowling out Oman for 47 on June 13 en route to an eight-wicket win in a pivotal match for the defending champion.

Phil Salt then launched the first two balls of the England innings for sixes before being bowled third ball in a dramatic start as England chased the fastest-possible win. It reached 50-2 from only 3.1 overs, led by captain Jos Buttler's 24 from eight balls.

It was not only the magnitude of the win but the speed with which it was achieved that helped improve England's outlook at the tournament. It moved up to third in Group B with three points, behind already qualified Australia (six points) and Scotland (five points).

Most importantly, England's net run-rate that was minus 1.800 before the match is now plus 3.08, ahead of Scotland's plus 2.164.

England took a point from its first match against Scotland and was beaten by 36 runs by Australia. That made it imperative that it not only won Thursday's match but won it emphatically to improve its run-rate and prospects.

Buttler won the toss and chose to bowl, theorizing that England would be in a better position to manage the run rate equation if it was chasing.

The plan worked when England bowled out Oman for 47 in 13.2 overs on a glassy surface at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium which supported both Rashid's leg spinners and the England fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood.