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Batsman Harry Brook is hopeful England can “out-maneuver” the United States and secure a place in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.
The two teams face off in Barbados at 3.30pm BST on Sunday and a big win for England will all but guarantee them a place in the knockout stages.
They could finish in this group with England, West Indies and South Africa on four points but if Jos Buttler’s team wins by a significant margin they will progress on net run rate.
“We have to win and then obviously we have to look at what the net run rate is but the most important thing is to make sure we win,” Brook said.
- author, Matthew Henry
- role, BBC sports reporter in Barbados
“We’ve played a fair bit in Barbados over the last six months so we know the conditions, we know the winds, we know the pitch, so hopefully we can go out there and give them a good thumping.”
If England win and South Africa beat the West Indies later on Sunday (1.30am BST on Monday), this percentage will be irrelevant and England will progress in second place.
A win for the West Indies would again seal the fate of England, who remain in good form.
If the match is called off and rain is forecast for Sunday, England will be relying on a Proteas win to progress to the final.
“We’ve been in similar situations before,” Brook said. “The focus is on getting a win first and then we’ll have a discussion and see what the run rate is.”
The United States has been one of the talking points of this World Cup after emerging from the same group as India and Pakistan in the first stage.
The match against the USA will be the first meeting between the two teams at the top level.
“I haven’t actually seen any of their matches but I’ve just seen some highlights of their bowlers,” Brook said.
“But we do. [on Saturday]We will analyse it, do the proper checks and make sure it is match ready.”
