Mumbai, March 6: England’s journey in the T20 World Cup 2026 came to an end after a narrow 7-run defeat against India in the semi-final match held at Wankhede Stadium. Despite the loss, England’s captain expressed his admiration for Jacob Bethell, highlighting his performance as a significant positive from the tournament.
Batting first, India scored 253 runs, losing 7 wickets. In response, England managed to score 246 runs, also losing 7 wickets, falling short by just 7 runs.
Jacob Bethell was a standout performer for England, scoring 105 runs off 48 balls, which included 7 sixes and 8 fours. He formed crucial partnerships, adding 77 runs with Will Jacks and 50 runs with Sam Curran.
In praising his 22-year-old player, the captain remarked, “Jacob Bethell was absolutely incredible. I believe he will earn a lot of recognition and money in his career and build a fantastic future for England. Today, he showed the world how talented he is. Even though we lost the match, his innings is a major positive takeaway from this tournament. The way he took on the game from the very first ball and showcased his abilities was truly special.”
Following the defeat, Captain Harry Brook stated, “We thought the fresh pitch would offer some assistance to the spinners early on, but that wasn’t the case. Clearly, the Indian batsmen played exceptionally well. Every player in our team should be proud of their performance tonight and throughout the tournament. I believe I made a significant mistake by dropping Sanju Samson‘s catch. As they say, catches win matches, and unfortunately, fielding didn’t go our way today. We paid the price for that.”
He added, “Our bowling execution was also a bit off at times. Perhaps we didn’t bowl with the precision we could have. However, Indian batsmen are among the best in the world, and any mistake against them can lead to the ball sailing out of the stadium.”
Captain Brook expressed pride in England’s overall performance, stating, “To be honest, our tournament was good. As I mentioned earlier, we should be proud of our performance. I said the other day that we are never out of a contest, and today it was proven again. Many teams crumble under the pressure of chasing 250 runs, but we held our ground until the end. We gave it our all, but unfortunately, the result didn’t go our way.”
