Coming off of a brilliant season in the DP World ILT20 with the Gulf Giants, Chris Jordan earned a spot in England’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. 

It wasn’t his first time sporting the red jersey for England at the T20 World Cup. His debut in this competition was in the 2014 edition, taking 4 wickets in 4 matches, although England didn’t progress far.

By the 2022 T20 World Cup, Chris had honed his skills and experience, becoming a formidable player. Despite being sidelined with an injury for much of the tournament, he returned in the semi-final and final, taking 5 crucial wickets that helped secure England’s second T20 World Cup title.

Fast forward two years later, Chris Jordan was handed the chance again to represent his nation at the biggest stage of T20 cricket.

England vs Scotland, 4th June 2024, Bridgetown | 2.0-0-24-0

The first game of the T20 World Cup 2024 against Scotland didn’t go as planned for Chris Jordan. In his first over, Jordan bowled to Michael Jones, starting with a dot ball. However, Jones hit the next three deliveries to the boundary, including a six on the fourth ball, with Jordan conceding 15 runs in total.

Later, Jordan returned to bowl in the death overs against George Munsey. The first ball was another dot, but Munsey smashed the next one for a six. Jordan maintained his composure, conceding only four more runs, totaling 10 runs (including one leg-bye) in the over. Despite his efforts, heavy rain eventually halted the match, resulting in a no result, much to Jordan's disappointment.

Australia vs England, 8th June 2024, Bridgetown | 4.0-0-44-2

Chris Jordan had a chance for redemption against Australia after his challenging spell against Scotland. By the 13th over, England had taken 2 wickets, but Jordan's first over was costly, conceding 18 runs, including two wides. In the 17th over, he managed to bowl out Tim David but still gave away 13 runs.

Given the ball for the final over, Jordan redeemed himself by taking the crucial wicket of Marcus Stoinis, marking his 100th T20I wicket. The next wicket was an amusing one: Jordan's slow bouncer was missed by Cummins, who refused to take the run. However, Mathew Wade challenged that decision and committed to the run, allowing Jordan to easily remove the bails. Jordan finished strong, conceding just 8 runs in the final over, effectively halting Australia's counter-attack.

Despite his efforts, Australia posted a formidable total of 201, which England could not chase down, ultimately losing by 36 runs.

England vs Namibia, 15th June 2024, North Sound | 2.0-0-19-1

Rain affected England’s T20 World Cup 2024 game against Namibia, reducing it to 10 overs per side. After resting in the previous match, Chris Jordan returned to face his Gulf Giants teammate, Gerhard Erasmus.

In the fifth over, Nikolaas Davin hit Jordan for a six and added four more runs through two singles and a double. In the ninth over, Michael van Lingen sent Jordan's delivery to the stands. However, van Lingen’s overconfidence led to his downfall as Jordan cleverly induced a mistimed shot, resulting in a catch by Harry Brook. Jordan's knowledge and experience shone through in this critical moment.

England eventually won the game by 41 runs (via DLS method).

England vs USA, 23rd June 2024, Bridgetown | 2.5-0-10-4

This match was a standout for Chris Jordan, showcasing his best performance in the tournament, after taking a break from playing in two games.

Jordan once again faced a team-mate from Gulf Giants, Saurabh Netravalkar, but the stakes were higher as this was the last Super Eight game for England and USMNT being the only obstacle for the Three Lions to cross to reach the Semi-final.

In the 17th over, Chris made the batters dance to his tunes limiting them to just 4 runs, keeping England's hand on the till of this tie, as tight as ever.

The 19th over was his finest, as he dismissed Corey Anderson and Ali Khan for ducks with a low full-toss, and followed with two more wickets, including Netravalkar. Jordan's brilliance ensured USA were bowled out for 115, securing England's path to the Semi-finals.

Additionally, Chris Jordan went on to become the first England bowler to take a hat-trick in the T20I format.

England went on to win the game by 10 wickets, as Phil Salt and Jos Buttler did the job without losing a single wicket for the Three Lions.

India vs England, 27th June 2024, Guyana | 3.0-0-37-3

The last semi-final outing for the Three Lions against India cannot be forgotten, especially for Chris Jordan who recorded 3 wickets in the game.

The hope was for Jordan to produce such numbers again when the ball was handed to him by the Skipper. He started strong by allowing India’s captain Rohit Sharma to play slow shots accumulating one run at a time, but Suryakumar Yadav broke the rhythm with a six, leading to a total of 10 runs conceded in the 8th over. 

Later, in the 18th over, Jordan faced India's vice-captain Hardik Pandya, who hit two consecutive sixes off him. However, Jordan's strategic length cutter led to Pandya’s dismissal, caught by Sam Curran. Jordan maintained momentum by sending Shivam Dube back to the pavilion immediately, conceding 15 runs but claiming two wickets in the process.

Recognizing Jordan's impact, Buttler entrusted him with the final over. Chris paid that trust back by taking the wicket of Axar Patel in the 20th, who was starting to get too comfortable in the crease. He ended the innings by taking 3 wickets and conceding 37 runs. Despite Chris’ heroics in the game, England were bowled out for 103 runs.

Chris Jordan has proven that he can perform effortlessly, no matter the jersey he dons, and we can’t wait to see him back in orange to take more wickets for us in the upcoming season of DP World ILT20.