Business as usual – England bowler Jofra Archer is ready for the challenge in South Africa

England have the chance to put one foot in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup when they face South Africa on Friday as they try to banish painful memories of their most recent clash with the Proteas.

The previous meeting between the sides, seven months ago in Mumbai, was perhaps the low point of England’s disastrous title defense with more than 50 players.

After opting to go first in the stifling heat, Jos Buttler’s side conceded their biggest ever ODI total of 399 and succumbed by a groaning margin at 229 runs – the heaviest loss in their history.

And while many of the key players remain the same, it’s not just the format that has changed. England’s thumping Super 8 win over the West Indies in St Lucia on Wednesday evening, chasing 181 with eight wickets and 15 deliveries in hand, sent a signal that England would not take it easy this time.

Having given a healthy boost to their net run-rate, which saw them easily surpass South Africa’s victory over the United States, victory at the same venue on Friday would all but guarantee a place in the last four.

England look a brighter, bolder unit than the one that tore through India collecting six defeats from nine games, honed by in-form opener Phil Salt, who made a brutal 87 not out against the hosts, and the cleverness of Jofra Archer. .

The Bajan seamer has been worth the wait after a long injury absence, taking six wickets at an economy rate of 6.58 so far despite bowling some of the highest risk overs in every match.

He was in the air during October’s thrashing at Wankhede Stadium and has more reason than most to focus on the positives of the here and now rather than past mistakes.

“To be honest, I didn’t get to watch it when I went back to the UK. I know it wasn’t a great tournament for the boys, but we let it pass us by,” said Archer.

“It’s happening and we’re just looking forward. We just take every match at ease. We’ve just won what will probably be one of the toughest games of the tournament… everyone likes to win, so confidence will be high. So this is nice, but it is also business as usual.

“It’s a tough group and South Africa has the same challenge as any other team, one in six is ​​full of batters, so that doesn’t really change. We just have to come up with another plan that works.”

Archer was instrumental in tipping the balance towards England against the West Indies in the first innings, with a remarkable 16th over. Despite bowling against Nicholas Pooran – the league’s top scorer – he did not concede a run on five of his six balls.

The latter was the icing on the cake, a slower ball that confused the Trinidadian powerhouse and sent him clear from the outside edge. When Salt beat Romario Shepherd for 30 seconds in the same chase, it proved a stark comparison.

“The performance was almost perfect,” Archer reflected with satisfaction.

“It was all we talked about at the bowling meetings, just one of those times you knew it. I’m really glad that was probably the turning point.”

After dealing with Pooran, Archer’s next challenge could be against Heinrich Klaasen, whose destructive century was at the heart of South Africa’s domination of England in October.

Klaasen has noted the hitter-friendly pitches in St Lucia with joy after playing on some tough surfaces.

“We’re looking forward to finding our swings again and hopefully we can make some money against England,” he said.

‘But it is an extremely dangerous side. They have a lot of match winners, so we have to be aware of that and play our big moments better than them. Hopefully we can continue our trend of playing good cricket under pressure and it will be fantastic if we can go two for two and seal a spot for ourselves in the semi-finals.