Harry Brook helped England dodge the showers - and a bullet - to beat Namibia by 41 runs in a 10-over thrash in Antigua, and leave themselves hoping Scotland did not stun Australia later in the evening in St Lucia.
After persistent rain had threatened to knock them out of the World Cup without even taking the park, Brook’s high-class unbeaten 47 from 20 balls had helped them to an imposing 122 for five.
England’s bowlers then limited the Namibians to 84 for three, Reece Topley setting the tone with two tight overs for six runs, instantly raising the required rate to 15. So frustrated did the openers become that Nikolaas Davin retired out for 18, making way for the big-hitting David Wiese.
But by then the Namibians needed 82 off four overs, and the only question was the margin of defeat, which Wiese massaged with some huge but futile blows off Adil Rashid.
'There was a lot of anxiety going around,' said Brook. 'Thankfully it stopped and we got a game, and Toppers started beautifully with his height.'
England have shored up their hopes of making the Super Eight at the T20 World Cup after victory against Namibia
Harry Brook's command performance during the truncuated contest helped settle nerves
The batsman was duly rewarded with the Player of the Match trophy on Saturday afternoon
The result took England to five points, level with the Scots, and with a net run-rate so superior that only a Scotland victory over the Australians could send them home before the start of the Super Eights next week.
For a while, an abandonment had seemed inevitable. But when the rain finally cleared, the excellent sand-based drainage system at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium took effect, allowing an 11-over-a-side game from 4pm, three hours after the scheduled start. That became 10 when rain intervened eight overs in.
After sweating under covers, the pitch was stickier than the one on which England knocked off a target of 48 in 19 balls to beat Oman on Thursday, and they struggled to guage the pace of the surface after losing the toss.
Wiese conceded just a single off the first over, before left-arm quick Ruben Trumpelmann swung one back through Jos Buttler’s defences, the ball pegging back off stump via his thigh. As the England captain trudged off for a four-ball duck, the thought occurred that his side might be heading for one of their periodic brainfades against cricket’s lesser nations - and arguably the most costly of all.
Jos Buttler's side looked sure to be heading out of the competition after the tie was nearly washed out
Antigua has been beseiged by rain as England desperately needed to get off the ground
And while Phil Salt helped himself to successive fours off Trumpelmann, he then fended tamely at a slower ball in Wiese’s next over and was caught behind for 11, glaring at the pitch before he left.
Had Namibia’s wicketkeeper held the thick edge offered by Bairstow off Bernard Scholtz’s left-arm spin, England would have been 29 for three after four overs, and in a world of bother.
But Bairstow and his Yorkshire team-mate Brook upped the tempo to add 56 in five overs, before Bairstow skyed a return catch to Scholtz for 31 off 18 balls.
From there, Brook took over in a format that has only occasionally seen him at his best. Having already hoicked medium-pacer Jack Brassell over midwicket for six before the brief interruption for rain, he took 14 off him in three deliveries after it - two scoops for four sandwiching a superb six over extra cover.
Ruben Trumpelmann caught out Buttler and offered a flashing red warning side to England
But after setting an impressive target, England were able to claim a decisive victory in Antigua
With Liam Livingstone hitting his first two balls for six off Trumpelmann, England boosted their total to 122 for five, setting Namibia a rain-adjusted 126 to knock them out of the World Cup. It was a powerful end to a potentially tricky innings. The last five overs alone yielded 83.
Earlier, with the rain still falling, Cricket Scotland’s official Twitter handle gleefully posted a picture of palmtrees on a sunkissed beach. The caption read: ‘What a beautiful day for a game of cricket in St Lucia!’
Had the Antiguan skyline not cleared up, it would have raised fresh questions about the decision to stage a global event in the Caribbean’s rainy season - and left Rob Key with a decision to make about the immediate futures of Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott.
England headed for their hotel to watch Australia v Scotland, which was scheduled to start at 8.30pm local time (1.30am in the UK), and cross their fingers.
