West Indies made it two convincing wins in a row, defeating England by 30 runs in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Irfan Pathan and Piyush Chawla explained how spin played a crucial role, together with significant contributions from Roston Chase and Sherfane Rutherford. Pathan also spoke about the thrilling match between South Africa and Afghanistan in Ahmedabad, with the Proteas edging past their opponents after two Super Overs.
Irfan Pathan weighed in on West Indies’ performance against England:
“Spin it to win it, that mantra really worked for West Indies. Three spinners came into the game straight away, and that made the difference. I was really impressed with the way Roston Chase bowled. Being an off-spinner, getting Jos Buttler out was huge. Gudakesh Motie showed outstanding skill as well. Against right-hand batters, he used the finger spin effectively, and the way he got Harry Brook out was brilliant. It was a very clinical performance from West Indies. The catching was excellent too, especially Rovman Powell’s outstanding catch. West Indies have sometimes lagged in fielding, but we saw some really good fielding in this match.”
On Roston Chase’s performance:
“First of all, his batting was crucial. When he came in at number four, West Indies were in trouble after losing two early wickets. He provided stability and scored over 30 runs, which was very important. As a right-arm off-spinner, getting Jos Buttler out is never easy. Buttler had hit a big shot the ball before, but Chase changed his length, gave him no room, and got him out well inside the boundary. What I really liked was his planning. Against right-hand batters, he kept changing his line, sometimes targeting the heel, while sometimes going wide outside the off stump.”
On the thrilling match between South Africa and Afghanistan in Ahmedabad:
“It was one of the best games of this World Cup, no doubt about it. In fact, one of the best games in World Cup history, easily among the top five. Two super overs and high drama throughout. There were no-balls, free hits, run-outs, missed yorkers, everything you could ask for. Bowlers tried to bowl yorkers under pressure and missed, which happens to everyone. When they used pace, they went for runs; when they bowled slower balls, they created trouble and picked wickets. Keshav Maharaj’s last ball in the second super over was exceptional. He stayed away from Gurbaz, bowled the wide line, and backed himself even after bowling a wide earlier. That showed his class and temperament. A truly thrilling contest.”
Piyush Chawla spoke about Sherfane Rutherford’s approach against England:
“He came in under pressure, but from there, it was about managing the scoreboard and not losing wickets. It wasn’t just power-hitting; he played late cuts, waited on the length ball to pull square, and punished anything in his area straight down the ground. The best part was that he batted till the end. You always want one batter to stay till the last. They fell about 10 runs short, but given the situation, I felt Rutherford scored 15–20 extra runs for his team.”
