It’s a scene that has played out in countless continental Test matches, but it was the scene that played out during the men’s T20 World Cup semi-final in tropical Guyana. England’s 68-run defeat ended with India taking on South Africa in the final at Kensington Oval on Saturday.
With India having scored 171 runs in 7 overs each during the 80-minute intermission due to rain, it was clear that the slow, low surface of the Providence Stadium would make any chase difficult. The aim was to gain three points more than the one England conceded in that lopsided semi-final in 2022, but Adelaide’s goal was far from that.
It turns out. The defending champions, who have become former champions and are now heading for the next transatlantic flight home rather than make the short trip back to Barbados, produced a mesmerizing performance to blast 103 runs in 16.4 overs – one of the hundred’s Standard Length – Spinners in India. This all happened after Jos Buttler won his sixth of eight overs and elected to bowl.
Regardless, Rohit Sharma wanted to bat first and it didn’t sound like a bluff at the time. On the contrary, the Indian skipper’s reading of the situation was nothing short of superior. Sharma helped set the total with 57 off 39 balls and then looked on with delight as Axar Patel (3 for 23) and Kuldeep Yadav (3 for 19 ) is a feast for the eyes of the British.
Needless to say, Jasprit Bumrah played a big role here, with the world’s premier T20 fast bowler snatching five from Phil Salt with a slower ball points and delivered the coup de grace when he suppressed the last man, Jofra Archer LBW, with a yorker. But the highlight of the day was the spin twins, with Patel named man of the match for his role in a famous escapade.
Indeed, there was pandemonium on the field and the crucial collapse of 5 for 23 was triggered when Buttler reversed the first ball of 23 to sweep past Patel and delivered a looping catch behind. Jonny Bairstow was struck soon after as Duck tried to play a slipping pass from his left arm and promoted Moeen Ali stumbled sadly as he lost his balance.
Kuldeep followed it up with three wickets of his own when he returned to Dharamshala earlier this year when he used his left-arm wrist-spinner magic to help his side win 3 -1 defeated the Bazballers. Here, Kuldeep ended his provocation by nailing Sam Curran with an errant ‘un’ and bowling 25-year-old Harry Brook through the legs, And snuffed out any English hope when he trapped Chris Jordan in front.
It was England’s collapse with two runners out, Liam Livingstone and Adil Rashid both failing to reach their spots. But that’s entirely due to their shortcomings in quality spin, and at the end of a season in which Buttler’s side have lost three of their four games against regular member teams, the manner of defeat will inevitably trigger internal review.
Even when the first showers hit in the 65-degree Indian weather, things seemed pretty blissful. Reece Topley nailed Virat Kohli’s leg-stump for nine after hitting a six, before the left-armer shrewdly pulled back his length and Ku Curran’s second ball forced Rishabh Pant to cut to mid-wicket.
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But Sharma was at the other end, along with the typically flamboyant Suryakumar Yadav, who set the foundation for the side by scoring 73 off 50 balls. While it wasn’t always smooth – the ball was jammed early on while clearing the infield – there was some typical Sharma brilliance, with consecutive sweeps of Rashid’s first ball – a reversal, and then Orthodoxy – a couple of booming sixes at the end.
Things might have been different had Salter not grabbed the fresh air when Sharma cut Archer at late point in the second over. Instead, in the 14th over, the Indian skipper went to great lengths to beat the Indian captain, Rashid slipping the ball in a tough sweep and crashing out at 25 for one. On to the stump.
Livingston’s long-leg and off-ball combination missed just two boundaries in 4 of 24 overs at the other end, while Archer forced Yadav into a slower ball with the back of his hand after Rashid broke Hitting 47 for 47, India were 124 for four in the 16th over and England seemed to have scored.
Despite Jordan taking three wickets at the end of the match, including two from Shivam Dube’s tentative golden duck, India came through Hardik Pandya’s 13-ball 23 and Patel cleared the ropes in the final over to push himself above par. Those six pushing Jordan long outside off felt like a telling moment, but it turned out that Patel was just warming up to get a bigger say.
