Harry Brook has said he hopes England can give the USA "a good battering" in their final Super Eights fixture, to boost their chances of reaching the 2024 T20 World Cup semi-finals.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference for the crunch clash, Brook highlighted the importance for England of beating the only associate nation left in the tournament by a big margin.
The race to finish in the top two spots in Group Two is tight, with no one yet safely through to the semi-finals. South Africa are in the top spot with four points, with the West Indies and England tied on two.
If the West Indies beat South Africa, England must beat the USA to match the West Indies and South Africa on points. They will have to beat the USA by a high enough margin to put their net run rate above the West Indies. England's net run rate is currently 0.412, while the West Indies' is 1.814.
“We’ve got to win and that’s the main thing,” Brook said. “Let’s see how we are on net run-rate after that but the main thing is to definitely get that win.
“We’ve played in Barbados quite a lot the last six months or so. We know the conditions, we know the wind and the pitch as well, so hopefully we can go out there and give them a good battering.”
Brook scored a half-century in England's loss to South Africa, but was out in the final over of the chase. England fell short by seven runs.
The USA have been the standout associate nation in the tournament, having registered a landmark win over Pakistan, and qualified for the Super Eights. When asked about England's preparation for facing the joint-hosts, Brook answered: “I haven’t actually seen them play, just a few highlights here and there of their bowlers. But we’ll do our analysis and have a proper look to make sure that we’re ready for the game. Preparation is key.”
England's situation of relying on other results for their progression in the tournament is a familiar one. They were reliant on Scotland losing to Australia to progress from the group stage. Asked about how it felt to be in a similar position again in the tournament, Brook said: “I watched (Australia v Scotland) in a bar in Antigua but we were all knackered. I watched the first half then went to bed and watched the second half.
“But yes, absolutely we will keep a close eye on that final game in the group. It’s awesome to be involved in a World Cup, a dream come true. We are defending champions and hopefully we can go out there and win it again, but we have to keep on nailing it. We have got another must-win and it’s like that for a few games now.
England play USA in Bridgetown tomorrow (June 23), at 10:30am local time. There is a threat of rain around for the match, and the potential for it to be a washout. If the game is washed out, England will need South Africa to beat West Indies to progress to the semi-finals.
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