England’s hopes of defending their T20 World Cup title came to an end after a disappointing 68-run loss to India in the semi-final match in Guyana. Despite being set a target of 172 runs on a challenging pitch, England’s batsmen struggled and were all out for just 103 runs in 16.4 overs. Captain Jos Buttler made a solid start with 23 runs, but his wicket led to a collapse with England losing four wickets for just 20 runs. Phil Salt, Jonny Bairstow, and Moeen Ali all failed to make an impact with the bat.
Kuldeep Yadav was the standout bowler for India, taking 3 wickets for 19 runs to dismantle England’s batting lineup. After Harry Brook was bowled by Yadav for 25 runs, England were left reeling at 68-6. Poor running between the wickets resulted in two run-outs, further adding to England’s woes. India’s total of 171-7 was largely thanks to the efforts of Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, who put on a partnership of 73 runs from 50 balls.
With this victory, India secured a spot in the final where they will face South Africa, who have reached the final for the first time in the tournament’s history. England will now head home, with their next challenge being a three-match Test series against West Indies starting on July 10th. It was a disappointing end to England’s T20 World Cup campaign, but they will be looking to regroup and come back stronger in the future.
