England suffer dramatic batting collapse as India reach T20 World Cup final
India 171-7 (Sharma 57 | Jordan 3-37) beat England 103 all out (Kuldeep 3-19, Axar 3-23) by 68 runs
GUYANA — The feared washout never materialised in Guyana. Yet England’s T20 World Cup dream was ruthlessly washed away by a rampant Indian bowling attack in this brutally one-sided semi-final.
For Jos Buttler’s team, the stark reality is they never really got going at this tournament, starting with a no result against Scotland and only briefly flickering into life during wins against Oman, Namibia, the West Indies and USA.
In four matches against Test nations they have lost three. Has progress really been made since last year’s 50-over World Cup blowout in India?
Under-fire coach Matthew Mott can point to a semi-final place – the minimum requirement for his team here in the Caribbean.
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However, in the last two World Cups they have entered as defending champions, they have never really looked like a champion team.
Mott may well yet survive this ultimately disappointing campaign. His position, though, is still not secure. Nor is Buttler’s as captain.
As for several senior members of this squad – Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan and Jonny Bairstow to name three – this may be the end of the road for their international careers.
There were mitigating circumstances for this horror performance with the bat, namely a Providence Stadium pitch that looked like it had been shipped straight in from the sub-continent.
No wonder India, booked into Guyana weeks in advance after being given preferential treatment by the International Cricket Council, were keen to play their semi-final at this ground.
Still, so comprehensive was this 68-run win they really didn’t need a helping hand.
The chase of 172 always looked out of reach on this surface. After slipping to 68 for six following the loss of Harry Brook in the 11th over it was all but confirmed.
India bowled brilliantly on this surface. They did enough with the bat too. They will play South Africa in Saturday’s final in Barbados, a contest that will see the Proteas vying to win their first major men’s tournament against an India team aiming to land their first World Cup in any format since 2011.
The sight of a barely half-full Providence Stadium told of the travel chaos that had surrounded this semi-final. Of those who had actually made it, all but a handful were unsurprisingly supporting India.
After rain delayed the start, England won the toss, choosing to chase on a low, slow pitch. They looked to have done well, too, restricting India to 124 for four in the 16th over.
England would have been eliminated had this been a no result given India topped their Super Eight group.
But the warning signs about chasing on this pitch were there when Liam Livingstone’s part-time spin conceded just 24 runs from four overs. The low bounce was a particular worry for England’s batters.
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Jordan’s three wickets at the death helped restrict India to 171 for seven. But this was not going to be Adelaide two years ago, when England chased down 169 with four overs to spare in the semi-finals of this tournament against the same opposition.
An India attack with Jasprit Bumrah and the triple spin threat of Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel was always going to be tough to deal with.
And so it proved, with Buttler out sweeping to the first ball of spin from Axar in the fourth over having scored 23 off his first 14 deliveries. By the end of the powerplay, England were 39 for three, Phil Salt bamboozled by a masterful Bumrah off-cutter and Bairstow bowled for a three-ball duck by Axar.
With Moeen and Brook at the crease, the fourth-wicket pair held the key to this match. Their partnership lasted 12 balls, Moeen stumped off a wide from Axar. Sam Curran was promoted up the order ahead of Livingstone. By the time he was trapped lbw by Kuldeep in the ninth over England were 49 for five and all but out of this contest.
Brook’s dismissal almost finished things off. Livingstone’s comedy run out in the 15th over did it, England flatlining on 86 for eight.
In the end, the chase lasted just 100 balls. Maybe that’s a fitting epitaph for a team who, like the Hundred, have struggled to convince the majority of cricket lovers over the past few years.