England lost to the tournament’s best team in the semi-final and India’s display makes them favourites to win the trophy

A washout in Guyana on Thursday, for the semi-final between England and India, would have been disastrous for this T20 World Cup. It really isn’t ideal that one semi-final, played between South Africa and Afghanistan, had a reserve day and the other didn’t. The ruling that the side that topped their Super Eight group advanced to the final in case of an abandonment is also unconvincing. It must also seem strange to people that India knew before the tournament where their semi-final would be held if they got that far. I’m just glad the match got played.

The conditions on offer were probably the most difficult this England side could have faced. The pitch didn’t suit their natural style of cricket and was more like one you would find in India as opposed to England. Given that India got a score that was 15, possibly 20, runs above par, England were right to go hard in the powerplay. But it is a high-risk policy, and it was unfortunate their shots didn’t come off. Axar Patel was the star man for India, but Kuldeep Yadav bowled beautifully. He has improved so much, particularly in the past two years, with his variations of pace, and Jasprit Bumrah’s wonderful cutter to get rid of Phil Salt set the tone.

Continue reading...

💾

© Photograph: Randy Brooks/AFP/Getty Images

💾

© Photograph: Randy Brooks/AFP/Getty Images

• Team thrashed by India in T20 World Cup semi-final
• Coach believes he and captain Buttler should keep roles

Matthew Mott insists his leadership partnership with Jos Buttler has been “galvanised” and, given the chance to continue after England’s T20 World Cup mauling by India, believes the team will bounce back “bigger, ­badder and better”.

Having secured the trophy in Australia back in 2022, both Mott, the head coach, and Buttler, the captain, find themselves under pressure, with a lamentable 50-over World Cup defence in India last winter now followed by a spasmodic T20 campaign that saw only associate teams and West Indies beaten before a gory semi-final exit.

Continue reading...

💾

© Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

💾

© Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

• England outplayed by India in semi-final rout
• Buttler wants to carry on as captain despite defeat

After being outplayed by India in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup, Jos Buttler admitted he needed a break. Not, he soon clarified, to consider his future as England’s white-ball captain, rather some time and space to review what was a hugely disappointing exit.

In a capricious format such as Twenty20 cricket, reaching the knockout stage was widely considered the requirement for England after a poor showing in the 50-over World Cup last winter that cast doubt on Buttler and the head coach, Matthew Mott, as a leadership pairing. And so, in that regard, they met the benchmark.

Continue reading...

💾

© Photograph: Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC/Getty Images

💾

© Photograph: Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC/Getty Images

• India 171-7; England 103. India win by 68 runs
• Spinners Patel and Yadav take three wickets each

It was a scene witnessed on countless Test tours to the subcontinent but one played out in the semi-final of the men’s T20 World Cup in steamy Guyana. England were spun out in dramatic fashion for a crushing 68-run defeat that booked India a date with similarly unbeaten South Africa in Saturday’s final at Kensington Oval.

As Rohit Sharma’s side amassed 171 for seven either side of an 80-minute rain break it became apparent that the slow, low surface at Providence Stadium would make any chase tough going. The target was three runs more than the one England vaporised during that one-sided semi-final in 2022 but Adelaide this was very much not.

Continue reading...

💾

© Photograph: Ramón Espinosa/AP

💾

© Photograph: Ramón Espinosa/AP

• T20 World Cup, England win toss and bowl first in Guyana
• South Africa surge past Afghanistan into final | Mail Tim

“If only India had come second in the Super Eights,” says David Howell. “Then (assuming this match isn’t played) they’d have been eliminated by their own governance effectively running the ICC.

“Putting a semi-final with no reserve day in the Amazon rainforest in June? That is, in every sense, a thunderous lack of common sense.”

Continue reading...

💾

© Photograph: Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC/Getty Images

💾

© Photograph: Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC/Getty Images

• Afghanistan 56; South Africa 60-1, win by nine wickets
• Proteas book spot in men’s World Cup final for first time

South Africa have booked their place in a men’s World Cup final for the first time with a dominant nine-wicket triumph over Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup semi-final in Tarouba. The Proteas made it eighth-time lucky after a long stretch of soul-crushing semi-final defeats in men’s global tournaments across all formats to set up a historic decider against India or England.

After Rashid Khan won the toss and elected to bat first on a spicy surface at Brian Lara Cricket Academy, the South Africa bowlers brushed aside any sign of semi-final nerves to skittle Afghanistan for 56 inside 12 overs. Fazalhaq Farooqi briefly lifted Afghanistan hopes with the early wicket of Quinton de Kock (5), but skipper Aiden Markram (23 not out) and Reeza Hendricks (29 not out) took no risks on a sticky wicket to steer South Africa to 60-1 and an emphatic victory on Wednesday.

Continue reading...

💾

© Photograph: Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC/Getty Images

💾

© Photograph: Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC/Getty Images

The World Cup semi-final – if the rain stays away – could be Guyana’s rumble next to the jungle

Guyana was once a staple of England tours to the Caribbean. From the steamboat passengers of 1930 led by the Honourable Freddie Calthorpe through to Mike Atherton’s jumbo jet set in 1998, in all bar one visit to the region their cricketers disembarked at Georgetown on the South American mainland.

Then they pretty much stopped. There was a Super Eight encounter with Ireland in the 2007 World Cup, a couple of one-day internationals against West Indies in 2009 and two wet group games during the 2010 World T20. Then another 14 years of the holiday islands getting dibs on the wallets of the beach‑seeking English tourists; white sand and lapping waves preferred to the steamy fringes of the Amazon rainforest.

Continue reading...

💾

© Photograph: Darrian Traynor-ICC/ICC/Getty Images

💾

© Photograph: Darrian Traynor-ICC/ICC/Getty Images

GQ: "It's happening very fast," said Saurabh Netravalkar, the Team USA cricket player with the world-famous LinkedIn profile ... Several fans in attendance held up signs calling Kohli a god; one held up a sign asking Netravalkar for a job reference. Guardian: As it happened: USA beat Pakistan. The Athletic: So, for a son of Mumbai to inflict such a humiliating defeat on the old enemy was a case of Netravalkar - in the words of his younger sister Nidhi on social media - "making two countries happy". Times of India: Balancing his dual roles as a cricketer and a software engineer at Oracle, Netravalkar manages his demanding career alongside his sports commitments. Interviewed in cricbuzz: "I filed for a patent. It was an innovation algorithm that we had."

Cricinfo: After the Pakistan win, a screen grab of his Slack out-of-office message was all over social media. It said he would be away from work until June 17, when the group phase of the World Cup ends. Netravalkar is not thinking ahead to whether he might have to extend his leave of absence in case USA make it to the Super 8s... ...update on that: As of an hour ago, the USA have enough points so they can't be caught by Ireland, Canada or Pakistan in their group. This means the USA qualify, along with India, into the final group stage of the current World Cup: this also gives the USA automatic qualification for the same World Cup tournament in 2026, two years before cricket returns to the Olympics in Los Angeles. Saurabh is going to need to ask for an extension to WFWCM (Work From World Cup Matches).