England’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup defence is over – and India are through to the final after winning their semi-final encounter by 68 runs on Thursday at the Guyana National Stadium.
Jos Buttler’s side had got the job done in style to make it out of the Super Eights. But they could not find a route past India, who have gone unbeaten since they began their campaign. Rohit Sharma’s men breezed past England, reaching 171/7 with the bat before strangling their opponents with exceptional spin-bowling
The reigning champions mustered just 103 all out in response.
Sharma led the way for India, pulling the innings together after the early losses of Virat Kohli – bowled by Reece Topley for 9 – and then Rishabh Pant, caught by Jonny Bairstow off the bowling of Sam Curran for 4.
Joined by Suryajumar Yadav at the crease, the two put on a fine partnership – not disrupted by the rain that paused play for a little more than an hour after eight overs. They racked up 73 runs between them before Sharma fell to a beautiful piece of googly bowling from Adil Rashid for 57 off 39 balls.
Suryakumar followed in the next over for 47, sending Jofra Archer’s slower ball high into the air and finding the ever-reliable hands of Chris Jordan.
Jordan then took the ball himself to make his contribution towards a dramatic few closing overs – which left him with figures of 3/37, and even gave him the opportunity of a second hat-trick of the tournament after removing both Hardik Pandya (caught by Curran for a dangerous 23 off 13) and Shivam Dube (caught by Buttler for a first-ball duck).
He did, however, get a third wicket in the final over, with Axar Patel edging to Phil Salt for a valuable 10.
Openers Buttler and Phil Salt made a solid start, but the combination of Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah took the top order apart.
Buttler toe-ended Patel behind into the gloves of Pant for 23 off 15 balls, followed quickly by Salt, bowled by Bumrah for 5.
New batsman Bairstow did not trouble the scorers with his three deliveries before he was bowled by Patel.
And Moeen Ali was out for 8 in ignominious fashion, crawling back to his ground while Pant removed the bails – leaving England struggling on 46/4 before the end of the eighth over.
Curran was next to fall, Kuldeep Yadav thumping him on the front pad as he tried to play across the line.
Harry Brook was valiant in his effort to salvage something from the innings, hitting an admirable 25 off 19 balls before joining the list of Kuldeep’s victims.
And he was joined by Jordan two overs later, lbw for a single.
At that point England were 72/7 – meaning they required 100 runs off their remaining 46 balls.
And although Liam Livingstone was still at the crease, he was run out in the next over for 11.
Adil Rashid followed by the same method two balls later for 2, leaving it to Archer and Topley to try and reclaim some dignity, which they did as they ushered England past the 100 mark.
But it was all over when Archer was given out lbw to Bumrah, having made an excellent 21 off 15 balls.
The Kensington Oval is the venue for the showdown between India and South Africa on Saturday beginning at 10:30 a.m. South Africa was first to reach the final – their first in an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup – after beating Afghanistan by nine wickets in the first semi final on Wednesday in Trinidad.
(ICC/BT)
