Chris Jordan hat-trick leads England demolition of USA and books semis slot

Jos Buttler guided England to victory at the Kensington Oval against USA. Photograph: Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC/Getty Images

It may have been a mismatch on the day – a battering to use Harry Brook’s phrase of choice – and one that booked England’s place in the semi-finals of the men’s T20 World Cup with minimal fuss. But when Chris Jordan completed a hat-trick to send the final dregs of USA’s innings down the plughole, the feels out in the middle were real.

Kensington Oval is where Jordan caught the bug as a kid, be it the inter-school finals he played in for Combermere or the international cricket he watched; the ground where, aged five, he came to watch his first Test match between West Indies and England in 1994 and was transfixed by the buzz in the stands, the sound of conch shells being blown .

As such, even factoring in limited opposition and the greater prevalence of hat-tricks in T20 cricket – just ask Pat Cummins, owner of two already in this tournament – Jordan’s delight upon detonating Saurabh Netravalkar’s middle stump was unbridled. The No 11 was also his fourth wicket in five deliveries, USA crumbling to 115 all out after being put in and England then vaporising the target in the run chase.

With West Indies and South Africa meeting for what had already become a winner-takes-all shootout in Antigua on Sunday night, England needed to knock off the runs in 18.4 overs to guarantee a spot in the top two of the group. It took them just 9.4 for a 10-wicket win, Jos Buttler finally finding some form in what has been a low-key campaign by moosing seven huge sixes en route to an unbeaten 78 from 36 balls.

If Jordan stole the headlines with England’s first hat-trick in men’s T20i cricket, then the win was set up chiefly by the latest exhibition of middle-overs asphyxiation from Adil Rashid. Bowling in tandem with Liam Livingstone, who claimed one for 24, Rashid’s four overs leaked just 13 runs, no boundaries, and saw his trademark googly pick up two wickets. Even Nitish Kumar, top scorer on 30 from 24, found him too good.

The upshot was England have gone top of this second Super Eight group, drawing level with South Africa on four points with a net run-rate of 1.992, topping 0.625 for the Proteas. Their final position in the top two still hinges on the later match but the team that loses at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium will finish third.