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"England spoiled India-Pakistan final party," says Jos Buttler

The England captain had promised to prevent a final between the arch-rivals from taking place

PHOTO: AFP

England captain Jos Buttler delivered on his guarantee to overcome a Pakistan-India final in the T20 World Cup 2022 by leading his team to a crushing victory over the Men in Blue at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.

England advanced to the mega event final after crushing India by ten wickets, thanks to a ruthless batting display by Buttler (80) and opening partner Alex Hales (86). 

ALSO READ: England crush India to set up T20 World Cup final clash against Pakistan

Pakistan defeated New Zealand by seven wickets on Wednesday, thanks to a strong performance from openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan and the bowling lineup.

The England captain had promised to prevent a final between the arch-rivals from taking place.

Buttler was asked about his comments before the semifinals during the post-game press conference. He acknowledged that many fans wished for a Pakistan-India final, but he insisted that his team was not out to "spoil  the party."

"Yeah, I think certainly a few people wanted that final, of course, but certainly for us, we're desperate to get there. We wanted to — like I said, spoil that party, and I'm sure there's — having seen the first game of the tournament between India and Pakistan, there's a lot of people that would have loved to have seen another edition of that, but they'll have to wait for another time," the batter said.

Pakistan will square off with England in the grand finale of the T20 World Cup 2022 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, November 13.

Before the match against India in the second semi-final, Buttler said they didn't want the idea of a Pakistan-India to become a reality.

"Well, we certainly don't want to see an India-Pakistan final, so we'll be trying all we can do to make sure that doesn't happen," Buttler told reporters in a press conference.