India's T20 victory over Australia sets up a World Cup semi-final clash with England, with Jos Buttler's side looking for a repeat of 2022 triumph in Adelaide
- England will have to beat India in Guyana if they are to defend their T20 title
England will face India in Guyana on Thursday, in a repeat of their T20 World Cup semi-final clash in Adelaide two years ago, after the Indians brushed aside Australia by 24 runs in St Lucia.
A pulsating 92 off 41 balls from Rohit Sharma set them on their way towards an imposing 205 for five, and not even another superb innings from India’s nemesis Travis Head – who spanked 76 off 43 – could take the Australians close.
With India always booked-in for Guyana as the ICC look to maximise the South Asian TV audience for Thursday’s 10.30am start (3.30pm in the UK), England knew the only way they would end up in the first semi-final – in Trinidad on Sunday – was if Australia replaced India at the top of the group by chasing the runs in 15.3 overs or less.
That was always unlikely, but the Australians were still hopeful of the victory that would have put pressure on Afghanistan not only to beat Bangladesh in Monday's late game in St Vincent but – crucially – to stay ahead of the Australians’ net run-rate.
Instead, as Australia slipped from a promising 128 for two off 13 overs to finish on 181 for seven, they were simply left hoping for an Afghanistan defeat. Improbably, Bangladesh even had a route into the last four ahead of both teams, but that required a big win – by 62 runs – over the Afghans.
Rohit Sharma hit 92 against Australia, helping book India's T20 semi-final spot against England
For an Australian team who arrived in the Caribbean looking to unite the ICC’s three world titles, a pre-semi-final elimination would be a lame demise after they won their first five matches, a sequence that included victory over England in Barbados. But Afghanistan beat them on Saturday in St Vincent, and India’s win placed their fate in the hands of others.
‘It’s disappointing,’ said their captain Mitchell Marsh, whose bad drop to reprieve Hardik Pandya on four typified his side’s unexpectedly shoddy fielding at this World Cup. ‘India were the better team, and Sharma got them off to an absolute flyer. Come on Bangladesh!’
Whoever claims the fourth semi-final spot on Tuesday will face South Africa in Trinidad in the small hours of Thursday morning, after they broke the hearts of co-hosts West Indies in Antigua on Sunday night.
Australian captain Mitchell Marsh bemoaned his team's performance against India
England will face India in the T20 World Cup semi-finals, held in Guyana on Thursday
England, meanwhile, will be up against a team hell bent on revenge after Jos Buttler’s side humiliated them by 10 wickets at Adelaide back in November 2022.
India remain without a global trophy of any kind since winning the 2013 Champions Trophy, but are one of only two unbeaten sides in this tournament, along with South Africa, and in Jasprit Bumrah boast its outstanding bowler.
Sharma, meanwhile, cut a steely figure after subduing Australia’s high-class attack. He got going with four sixes in the game’s third over, from Mitchell Starc, and never paused for breath, finishing with eight of India’s 15 sixes and seven of their 14 fours, and peppering every corner of the Daren Sammy Stadium.
‘When you see the wicket is good, you want to back yourself to play those kind of shots,’ he said. ‘I’m glad it came off.’
Victory over Australia was its own kind of payback after two centuries from Head last year had downed India in the finals of both the World Test Championship at The Oval and the 50-over World Cup in Ahmedabad.
Now, they have a chance to land a retaliatory knockout blow on England too.
