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 captain Harry Brook expressed his admiration for Jacob Bethel, stating that his performance was a significant positive takeaway from the tournament.
Batting first, India scored 253 runs, losing 7 wickets. In response, England managed to put up 246 runs, falling short by just 7 runs.
Jacob Bethel stood out for England, scoring 105 runs off 48 balls, including 7 sixes and 8 fours. He formed crucial partnerships, adding 77 runs with Will Jacks and 50 runs with Sam Curran.
Brook praised the 22-year-old, saying, “Jacob Bethel was absolutely incredible. I believe he will earn a lot of recognition and money in his career and will have a fantastic journey with England. Today, he showcased his talent to the world. Even though we lost, his innings is a major positive from this tournament. The way he took charge from the first ball and demonstrated his capabilities was truly special.”
Following the defeat, Brook reflected on the match, saying, “We thought the fresh pitch would make the ball come onto the bat a bit slower initially, and spin would assist more in the first innings, but that wasn’t the case. Clearly, the Indian batsmen played exceptionally well. All our players should be proud of their performances 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, things didn’t go our way in the field today. We ultimately paid the price for it.”
He added, “There were also some execution errors in our bowling. 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 match, and today that was proven again. Many teams would crumble under the pressure of chasing 250 runs, but we stood firm until the end. We gave it our all, but unfortunately, the result didn’t go in our favor.”
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