Jacob Bethell’s blistering century not enough as India knock England out of T20 World Cup

We wondered just how good this England team could be after they stumbled through this T20 World Cup, winning tight games from difficult positions to reach the semi-finals without ever producing the complete performance. Here, India provided the stiffest possible test at their spiritual home, the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Could England pull another win out of the fire in one of cricket’s most intimidating cauldrons?

There was an answer of sorts, as India crashed England’s bowlers to all corners of a tight ground to record a monstrous 253, the biggest score against England in T20 history. England responded with yet another one-man stand – this time it was Jacob Bethell who delivered a blistering century from 45 balls – but the top order spluttered again. More importantly, their bowlers simply couldn’t contain India’s breathtaking firepower.

England had won the toss and sent India in to bat. The hosts embraced the challenge, launched by Sanju Samson’s brutal 89 off 42 balls. Harry Brook dropped Samson on 15 and India’s opener made the England captain regret it.

The lofty target did at least clear heads and focus English minds, with no option but to go out and go hard. They gave chase, and Bethell’s majestic century gave genuine hope of a historic win. It was his first hundred in the format, completing the set just a couple of months after his maiden Ashes ton. Even in a losing cause it was one of the great T20 innings by a 22-year-old who may well go on to become one of the great T20 players.

But crucial at the death was the bowling of Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, who both delivered brilliantly controlled overs when India most needed them to slow the chase. And while India have fielded woefully at times in this tournament, here it was a key point of difference. Both teams enjoyed the bat-friendly pitch. Both teams crashed relentless boundaries into the stands. But only one team took big catches at crucial moments.

One player, in fact: Axar Patel took a brilliant running catch to dismiss Brook for 7, then pulled off an even better grab in the deep to remove Will Jacks, catching while charging towards the boundary and having the wherewithal to chuck the ball to Shivam Dube, standing nearby, as he tumbled over the rope.

India will head to Ahmedabad to face New Zealand in Sunday’s final. England will catch the next flight home. Could they have done any more? What next for Brendon McCullum? And will we ever see Jos Buttler in an England shirt again? There will be time to reflect on the bigger picture over the coming days as the dust settles on their tournament.

Certainly, this was an opportunity missed, and Brook will replay that drop in his mind. Samson miscued trying to hit Jofra Archer back down the ground and Brook giddily bounded across to his left, only for the ball to bounce out of his fingers.

Samson was already motoring but from there he freed his hands and began teeing off, smashing a variety of boundaries: punching through covers for four, carving into delirious fans on the off-side for six, heaving down the ground for six more. Ishan Kishan joined in the fun as India raced to 119-2 from 10 overs.

Samson was magnificent and it felt a little unfair that he didn’t reach his century, caught near the boundary swiping at a wide-ish Will Jacks delivery on 89 from 42 balls. But the damage was already done. Tilak Varma and Hardik carried India home attempting to reach the stands with every ball.

England’s response stuttered at first as Phil Salt fell in the second over – his partnership with Buttler this tournament ends averaging 12 runs and lasting nine balls – before Brook was caught in the deep after being deceived by Bumrah’s slower ball. That appeared to be that. England were heading home.

What followed was a century that showed another glimpse of England’s future; their present, too. Buttler, when he does walk away, will leave a titanic legacy in English white-ball cricket. Bethell has already started building his own.