England Test captain Ben Stokes opened up about the team’s loss in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024 against India. Ben Stokes said that he was devasted for skipper Jos Buttler and the rest of the teammates but he looked at the positive side of it as well, saying that the team reached the semi-final.
England Cricket Team faced a disappointing loss against India in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024. The defeat meant that the defending champions were eliminated from the tournament.
India vs England semifinals in WT20 2024
England weren’t up to the mark with the bat and ball as they displayed poor performance. First, with the ball, they failed to put pressure on the Indian team after they took early wickets with the ball. India skipper Rohit Sharma with his 57 took the game away from the opposition along with Suryakumar Yadav (47).
India posted 171 runs on the board and it was expected that England would come up with a better performance with the bat and put up a fight. However, it wasn’t the case as they were extremely poor with the bat. Skipper Jos Buttler (23) started off aggressively but after his wicket, nothing went England’s way.
England kept losing wickets in quick succession of time as Indian spinners were all over them. The duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav picked three wickets each as India bundled out England for just 103 runs to win the game by 68 runs and advance to the final of the T20 World Cup 2024.
Ben Stokes talked about the loss and claimed that it wasn’t an easy road for the England team to reach the semi-final. He pointed out how weather and other factors including criticism were around the corner for the team.
Ben Stokes reflects on the surface used for IND vs ENG T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final
England all-rounder Ben Stokes believes the nature of the surface was hugely conducive for India in the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final in Guyana on June 27. The Test captain equally showered praise on England for showing their mettle in the tournament when put under pressure.
The surface in Guyana brought Indian spinners hugely into play after captain Rohit Sharma top-scored with 57 to lift their side to 171/7. Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav picked up six wickets between them to bowl the defending champions out for 103, winning by 68 runs.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Ben Stokes suggested that the format of the T20 World Cup is slightly unfair due to the unpredictable weather situation. He said:
“It’s an interesting format, the T20 World Cup, one I’m not a huge fan of because teams can go through or not go through potentially because of a weather situation.
“When England were put under pressure, especially at the back end of the group stages, they showed what a good team they were. India are a very good team, especially in the conditions that pitch offered. It gave India a huge advantage.”
With questions over Jos Buttler’s future as captain, the 33-year-old asserted that the keeper-batter is the best man to lead England, elaborating:
“Jos is the man to lead that white-ball team forward. He is a great leader. He’s got the respect of all the team members in the dressing room. They have done a great job in getting to another major semi-final. Being part of sport is about growing and progressing your side. It’s not shabby to say you got through to a World Cup semi-final.”
The Lancashire cricketer has had a fairly considerable tenure as captain. Buttler’s biggest achievement has been captaining England to the World T20 title in 2022. However, they endured a disastrous 50-over World Cup campaign in 2023, getting eliminated in the group stage.
Ben Stokes on James Anderson
With James Anderson set to retire after the Lord’s Test against the West Indies, Stokes reflected on his incredible career and lauded his commitment. The seam-bowling all-rounder said:
“I’d rather talk about the memories of Jimmy, what he is to the game and what he is to English cricket. He’s a complete and utter role model for all fast bowlers. The commitment he has shown to his craft is just phenomenal. He’s an incredible professional, an incredible athlete and one of our greatest ever to play the game.”
England’s home Test summer begins on July 10, where they will start with West Indies in a three-match series.