Key events
“Very satisfying,” says Rohit Sharma. “We worked very hard as a unit, adapted well … the conditions were challenging.” He thought they were heading for 140-150 until he and SKY “made some runs” in the middle overs. “Axar and Kuldeep are gun spinners, it was tough to play shots against them in these conditions.”
Gun spinners: that’s the difference between these two sides. Or one of them. India were the better side in all departments. Once again, their weakest link was Virat Kohli. They have now won seven games out of seven, South Africa eight out of eight. In Bridgetown on Saturday (3.30pm BST), it will be fascinating to see who blinks first.
Thanks for your company, correspondence and wry observations about England collapses. Do join us for the final, when your host will be Tanya Aldred.
Buttler is asked how he views England’s whole tournament. “Really proud of everyone,” he says. “We’ve had lots of adversity, stuck together really well as a group. Played some really good cricket … in patches.”
Here’s Jos Buttler, talking to Mike Atherton. A 68-run win, was that a fair reflection? “India certainly outplayed us, we let them get 25 runs too many. They really deserved their win. In hindsight, [I] should have bowled Moeen.”
“Glad we actually got a game and England didn’t get washed out of the tournament by rain,” says Harry Lang. “Or at least I was, until we started swatting at balls like a badminton player on a meth binge. Can this, at long, long last, be the end of anyone pretending Bairstow’s talent was ‘on a break’? It’s MIA, has been for some time and I for one am keen to see which young English player can be given a chance to score some runs – any runs – in his stead.”
Yes, it could be the end of the road for Bairstow and Moeen. And for Buttler’s captaincy, even though he won a T20 World Cup only 19 months ago.
“In hindsight, Tim,” says Nathan Brown, “I think I’d have preferred the rain.”
The broadcasters are showing the big turning point, when Buttler gloved a reverse-sweep off Patel’s first ball. An England captain falling to the reverse-sweep … is he Mike Gatting in disguise?
The player of the match is Axar Patel, who took two for seven off his first balls. But it could just as easily be Rohit, or SKY, or Kuldeep. And Bumrah wasn’t bad either (2.4-0-12-2).
India did almost everything right, from wanting to bat first to pulling off those two slick run-outs. England bowled decently but the batting was one of their horror shows. Only Buttler and Brook came to terms with the tacky surface, and neither of them made it to 20 balls. In fact, no Englishman did.
Still, at least the rain didn’t ruin things.
So the final will be between the two best teams in the tournament – how often does that happen? Both India and South Africa are unbeaten.
INDIA ARE IN THE FINAL!
Bumrah gets Archer LBW with a wily full toss. he reviews but it’s umpire’s call. England are all out for 103, India win by 68 runs, and this is revenge for the hammering they took in the semi-final of 2022. The World Cup final will be India v South Africa.
15th over: England 100-9 (Archer 20, Topley 1) Does anyone else remember when India didn’t bother with good outfielding? They do now. SKY produces an inspired back-flick to see off poor old Rashid. Archer survives, again, and slams Hardik Pandya for a couple of consolation blows – a six over long-off, a four over extra-cover. So at least England have reached three figures. Now they just need to get three runs per ball off Bumrah.
WICKET! Rashid run out S Yadav 2 (England 88-9)
One brings two.
15th over: England 86-8 (Archer 9, Rashid 0) Archer had just done the right thing by lofting Patel for six. But then he did the wrong thing by not sacrificing himself – although it wouldn’t have made much difference. Patel finishes with 4-0-23-3, a memorable performance.
WICKET! Livingstone run out K Yadav/Patel 11 (England 86-8)
When it’s not your day, it’s really not your day. Livingstone is sent back by Archer and run out by miles.
14th over: England 77-7 (Livingstone 8, Archer 3) The one Indian spinner who hasn’t got a wicket is Jadeja, but he’s playing his part by being thrifty – three overs for 16. Livingstone keeps taking singles when he surely needs to hog the strike. I wonder if he’s feeling unwell.
13th over: England 73-7 (Livingstone 5, Archer 1) Jofra Archer flirts with a run-out off his first ball, then inside-edges his second. More importantly, Kuldeep finishes his spell with 4-0-19-3. He and Axar Patel have taken six wickets, which is five more than their English counterparts, Rashid and Livingstone.
Those England football fans … they don’t know how lucky they are.
WICKET! Jordan LBW b Kuldeep 1 (England 72-7)
Another batter misses a straight one. It was umpire’s call, hitting the leg bail.
12th over: England 71-6 (Livingstone 5, Jordan 1) England need a blitz from Livingstone, but if he’s planning one, he’s going about it in quite a curious way. He has five off nine balls.
11th over: England 68-6 (Livingstone 3, Jordan 0) Brook had just reverse-swept Kuldeep for four, but then he tried it again and Kuldeep was too clever for him, sneaking the ball under the bat. Eoin Morgan reckons Kuldeep picked it, the way batters are supposed to do with spinners. That’s the fourth wicket to fall to a straight ball, and it takes England’s hopes from faint to infinitesimal.
WICKET! Brook b Kuldeep 25 (England 68-6)
The game is up.
Match not abandoned!
10th over: England 62-5 (Brook 19, Livingstone 3) Liam Livingstone hasn’t got going yet, but as Ravindra Jadeja comes on, Harry Brook shows his class again with a lovely cut for four. And that’s the tenth over, so this match will have a result. By an amazing coincidence, it will be the same result as we would have had if it had rained all day: an Indian win.
9th over: England 53-5 (Brook 11, Livingstone 2) England’s spinners took one for 49 off eight overs. India’s, after five overs, have four for 25 – and all four wickets have come off the first ball of the over. England need 119 off 11 overs and these two will have to get nearly all of them.
WICKET! Curran LBW b Kuldeep 2 (England 49-5)
Another one! Curran flicks across the line and misses. The finger goes up. He reviews, but only because England are desperate. It’s plumb.
8th over: England 49-4 (Brook 9, Curran 2) Promoting Moeen didn’t pay off, but England do it again with their other left-hander, Sam Curran. Their hopes now rest on Harry Brook, who has nine off nine balls. The run-rate required is 10.25.
WICKET! Moeen st Pant b Patel 8 (England 46-4)
Moeen slips! Pant whips off the bails and the procession continues. Axar Patel, for the third time today, has taken a wicket with the first ball of his over.
7th over: England 46-3 (Moeen 8, Brook 8) As the Powerplay ends, Rohit decides to keep two overs of Bumrah up his sleeve and turns to his left-arm wrist spinner, Kuldeep Yadav. One, dot, one, dot, one … four! Brook reaches right forward and sweeps, with some style. “Just an echo of Pietersen in that shot,” says Mike Atherton. “He hit it beautifully.” That’s the first four in this innings not hit by Buttler.
6th over: England 39-3 (Moeen 6, Brook 3) After seven balls, Axar has two for seven. The predictor on Cricinfo gives England a 23pc chance of a win. The predictor in my head gives them about half that.
Moeen, who doesn’t let anything bother him, keeps on picking up singles. Harry Brook goes big third ball, lofting Axar back over his head, but that’s a collector’s item: a mistimed shot by H Brook. He is relieved to find it landing safely. England need 132 off 83 balls and the required rate is already 9.5.
WICKET! Bairstow b Patel 0 (England 35-3)
We have an England collapse! Again, the first ball of the over does the trick for Axar as Bairstow plays a big drive and leaves a big gate open.
5th over: England 35-2 (Moeen 5, Bairstow 0) What a wise move by Rohit to bring back Bumrah from the other end. He went slow-slow-quick-slow and Salt couldn’t get him away. Now he beats Bairstow outside off with a quicker one. By the time the last ball comes around, England are grateful to grab a leg-bye. Only two off the over!
WICKET! Salt b Bumrah 5 (England 34-2)
One brings two! Bumrah bowls a masterly over and Salt is bamboozled by what appears to be an off-break.
4th over: England 33-1 (Salt 5, Moeen 4) Buttler pulled out the reverse sweep right away, played it too early, and the ball looped up off the glove or maybe the toe of the bat to give Rishabh Pant an easy catch. That’s a huge moment – Buttler was in formidable form, and Salt had only faced four balls so itnow it’s as if England have two new batters in. Moeen Ali, Buttler’s vice-captain, promotes himself to give the spinners a right-and-left combo to think about. He and Salt manage to milk the rest of the over, but milking is not enough in the Powerplay. Advantage India.
WICKET! Buttler c Pant b Patel 23 (England 26-1)
The big one! India strike with their first ball of spin.
3rd over: England 26-0 (Salt 2, Buttler 23) Arshdeep continues and Buttler drop-kicks him for four – inches above the hand of Hardik Pandya at mid-off. Arshdeep, perhaps rattled, strays outside leg and Buttler helps it round the corner for four more. That’s 13 off Buttler’s last four balls faced, but Arshdeep bounces back with a pair of dots, taking the pace off. Buttler then retorts with a cut for another four. Thirteen off the over, and Buttler is carrying on where he left off against the USA.
2nd over: England 13-0 (Salt 2, Buttler 10) Here he is, Jasprit Bumrah, the stuttering catapult, the master bowler. Salt shovels a single, Buttler flicks for two, but then Bumrah produces two dots. India’s plan seems to be bowl straight at Salt, wide of off to Buttler … who dabs for four, through the vacant first slip. That was a lovely touch. Honours even so far.
By the way, we need eight more overs for the game to count.
1st over: England 5-0 (Salt 1, Buttler 3) Will India start with spin? No. The new ball is entrusted to Arshdeep Singh, left-arm over. He swings the ball in and Salt clips him for a single. Buttler takes one ball to get a sighter, then goes down the track. Arshdeep sees him coming and drops short; Buttler adjusts too and pulls for two. Arshdeep bowls a slower ball that beats Salt outside off, then another that pops off the pad as he misses a pull. India will be happy enough with that start.
The Indians are out there and now Phil Salt and Joss Buttler join them. Will they be watchful, or try and go for broke in the Powerplay?
“Approximately eight and a half per over? Against this attack? On this pitch?” says Dean Kinsella. “I don’t think so lads. But top effort from Livingstone there.”
An email comes in from Bangalore. “With 75 runs in seven matches,” says B Hari, “poor Virat should abdicate in favour of Jaiswal or Samson, if India get through today!” Nice choice of verb there.
India finish on 171
20th over: India 171-7 (Jadeja 17, Arshdeep 1) The last over, bowled by Chris Jordan, is a little bit of everything – two twos, one six, one wicket, and off the last ball, one missed run-out, as Jordan has too much time to think about an underarm shy. He finishes with 4-0-37-3 and more importantly, India finish with what looks like a solid total on a sticky wicket. Rohit and SKY were immense (104 off 75 between them), Pandya and Jadeja chipped in with sparky cameos (40 off 22), and only Jordan took more than one wicket. England’s spinners were tidy (8-0-49-1 between them); India’s could well be lethal. Time for a walk round the block.
WICKET! Patel c Salt b Jordan 10 (India 170-7)
Patel swings Jordan for six, one-handed, but then tries to go big again and gives a simple catch to long-on.
19th over: India 159-6 (Jadeja 14, Patel 2) Archer is back for his final over, with two left-handers to bowl at. Ravindra Jadeja is up to the challenge, cutting for four, pushing for a hard-run two, and then playing a sweep for four! That was brave. It sends Buttler up to chat to Archer, who goes round the wicket and into the blockhole and saves some face with a single and a dot. He finishes with 4-0-33-1, decent enough, but India have a spring in their step again.
18th over: India 147-6 (Jadeja 3, Patel 1) No hat-trick this time as Axar Patel calmly pushes a single. When Jordan came back on, I typed “This could go either way …” In fact it went both ways: first carnage, then atonement.