In the T20 World Cup semi-finals at Wankhede, India defeated England with a score of 253/7, mainly due to Sanju Samson’s brilliant batting.
The wicketkeeper-batsman struck 89 off just 42 balls, hitting 8 fours and 7 sixes, having scored an unbeaten 97 in the last game.
He formed a strong partnership with Ishan Kishan (39 off 18) and Shivam Dube (43 off 25) to put England’s bowlers under pressure early in the innings.
England captain Harry Brooke won the toss and elected to bowl first, but India started aggressively. Samson attacked from the start, beating Jofra Archer and the rest of the bowlers with powerful knocks.
He also got an early lifeline when Brooke picked up a simple pass at midfield. Thereafter, Samson continued his dominance, reaching his fifty in just 26 balls and joining Kishan for a 97-run stand for the second wicket.
The momentum of the match slowed slightly towards the end as England picked up a few wickets. Samson fell while trying to reach his maiden T20 World Cup century and was caught by Phil Salt off Will Jacks.
Suryakumar Yadav scored just 11 runs while Dube was run out after a slip-up with Hardik Pandya, who contributed a quick 27 off 12 balls. Tilak Varma also made a late cameo, knocking out 27 off just 7 balls.
Amid England’s fielding struggles, former England captain Michael Vaughan took to social media to joke about their poor catching ability.
“My fielding academy may have to reopen,” Vaughan said on X.
Despite India’s late goal, India’s huge total left England with a very challenging goal in this high-pressure semi-final.
