England captain Jos Buttler had no hesitation in admitting that India were the better team in the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final in Guyana on Thursday. Disappointed after the loss against India in the semi-final, England captain Jos Buttler admitted that Men in Blue “outplayed” his team and said that the Rohit Sharma-led side deserved to reach the final of the ICC T20 World Cup as they played well on “challenging surface.”
The clash between the two unbeaten sides has been set for Saturday, with India set to take on South Africa in the final of the T20 World Cup after the Rohit Sharma-led side sealed a thumping 68-run win over England at Providence Stadium, Guyana.
India beats Jos Buttler’s England to avenge 2022 semis lost.
Coming to the match, riding on the back of Rohit’s fifty and belligerent cameos fireworks at the Providence Stadium by Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja’s late flourish powered India to 171/7.
While chasing the target 172, the Three Lions came out roaring, looking to defend their crown, but the unbeaten Indian side was too big of a challenge for the defending champions. With England scoring at a healthy run rate of more than 8, visions of the 2022 World Cup semi-final started to slowly rise within the Indian fans.
Openers Buttler and Phil Salt made a solid start, but the combination of Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah took the top order apart. At that point England were 72/7 – meaning they required 100 runs off their remaining 46 balls. It was all over for the defending champions after Jofra Archer was given out lbw to Jasprit Bumrah, having made an excellent 21 off 15 balls, ending England’s innings for 103.
The past was washed away by the Indian spinners who bore the brunt of England’s aggression. The 2022 nightmare became a long past after the Indian team avenged their 10-wicket defeat that came at the hands of England.
Jos Buttler also lauded India for playing a “good game of cricket,” stating he did not expect conditions to change much after the rain.
Jos Buttler reflects on his team performance after IND vs ENG T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final
England captain Jos Buttler has promised a comprehensive review after their loss to India in the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final at Providence in Guyana. The keeper-batter asserted that there is plenty of talent in the English set-up even if some players must reassess their T20I future.
England’s defense of their coveted title ended after losing to the Men in Blue by 68 runs in Guyana. After Buttler won the toss and sent India into bat, they posted 171/7 in 20 overs as Rohit Sharma top-scored with 57. In response, the Englishmen capitulated mainly to spin as Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets each.
Speaking to reporters after the defeat, the 33-year-old insisted that England must use the available talent judiciously and make match-winners out of them.
“We will review everything and come up with a plan, absolutely. You have to review what we need to do better as a team, if that is the way we play, personnel, style of cricket. After a loss like that you are ready for a bit of space to take it in and process it so you can review not just this game but the last few months.
I think there is lots of talent in the English game. It is up to us as an England team and country to harness that talent, develop and make sure we can continue to have a good team moving forward,” he was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
Despite England’s loss to India, the defending champions had a respectable campaign, especially after finding themselves on the brink of group-stage elimination.
Jos Buttler to relax from game of cricket until next assignment.
With England’s next limited-overs assignment beginning not until September, Buttler said he is looking forward to spending time with his family.
“To be honest, I’m just looking forward to some time away from the game. You can sit here and be emotional after a loss but I don’t need to dive too deep into it right now. I think reaching a semi-final is an achievement but we wanted to go all the way. That’s what we came here for. We played well enough to get to this stage but unfortunately, we’ve fallen short,” he told reporters (via Sky Sports).
Meanwhile, Team India will move to Barbados to face South Africa in the final on Saturday, June 29.