“Very satisfying,” says Rohit Sharma. “We worked very hard as a unit, adapted well … the conditions were challenging.” He thought they were heading for 140-150 until he and SKY “made some runs” in the middle overs. “Axar and Kuldeep are gun spinners, it was tough to play shots against them in these conditions.”
Gun spinners: that’s the difference between these two sides. Or one of them. India were the better side in all departments. Once again, their weakest link was Virat Kohli. They have now won seven games out of seven, South Africa eight out of eight. In Bridgetown on Saturday (3.30pm BST), it will be fascinating to see who blinks first.
Thanks for your company, correspondence and wry observations about England collapses. Do join us for the final, when your host will be Tanya Aldred.
Buttler is asked how he views England’s whole tournament. “Really proud of everyone,” he says. “We’ve had lots of adversity, stuck together really well as a group. Played some really good cricket … in patches.”
Here’s Jos Buttler, talking to Mike Atherton. A 68-run win, was that a fair reflection? “India certainly outplayed us, we let them get 25 runs too many. They really deserved their win. In hindsight, [I] should have bowled Moeen.”
“Glad we actually got a game and England didn’t get washed out of the tournament by rain,” says Harry Lang. “Or at least I was, until we started swatting at balls like a badminton player on a meth binge. Can this, at long, long last, be the end of anyone pretending Bairstow’s talent was ‘on a break’? It’s MIA, has been for some time and I for one am keen to see which young English player can be given a chance to score some runs – any runs – in his stead.”
Yes, it could be the end of the road for Bairstow and Moeen. And for Buttler’s captaincy, even though he won a T20 World Cup only 19 months ago.
“In hindsight, Tim,” says Nathan Brown, “I think I’d have preferred the rain.”
The broadcasters are showing the big turning point, when Buttler gloved a reverse-sweep off Patel’s first ball. An England captain falling to the reverse-sweep … is he Mike Gatting in disguise?
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The player of the match is Axar Patel, who took two for seven off his first balls. But it could just as easily be Rohit, or SKY, or Kuldeep. And Bumrah wasn't bad either (2.4-0-12-2).
India did almost everything right, from wanting to bat first to pulling off those two slick run-outs. England bowled decently but the batting was one of their horror shows. Only Buttler and Brook came to terms with the tacky surface, and neither of them made it to 20 balls. In fact, no Englishman did.
Still, at least the rain didn’t ruin things.
So the final will be between the two best teams in the tournament – how often does that happen? Both India and South Africa are unbeaten.
INDIA ARE IN THE FINAL!
Bumrah gets Archer LBW with a wily full toss. he reviews but it’s umpire’s call. England are all out for 103, India win by 68 runs, and this is revenge for the hammering they took in the semi-final of 2022. The World Cup final will be India v South Africa.
15th over: England 100-9 (Archer 20, Topley 1) Does anyone else remember when India didn’t bother with good outfielding? They do now. SKY produces an inspired back-flick to see off poor old Rashid. Archer survives, again, and slams Hardik Pandya for a couple of consolation blows – a six over long-off, a four over extra-cover. So at least England have reached three figures. Now they just need to get three runs per ball off Bumrah.
Updated
WICKET! Rashid run out S Yadav 2 (England 88-9)
One brings two.
15th over: England 86-8 (Archer 9, Rashid 0) Archer had just done the right thing by lofting Patel for six. But then he did the wrong thing by not sacrificing himself – although it wouldn’t have made much difference. Patel finishes with 4-0-23-3, a memorable performance.
WICKET! Livingstone run out K Yadav/Patel 11 (England 86-8)
When it’s not your day, it’s really not your day. Livingstone is sent back by Archer and run out by miles.
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14th over: England 77-7 (Livingstone 8, Archer 3) The one Indian spinner who hasn’t got a wicket is Jadeja, but he’s playing his part by being thrifty – three overs for 16. Livingstone keeps taking singles when he surely needs to hog the strike. I wonder if he’s feeling unwell.
13th over: England 73-7 (Livingstone 5, Archer 1) Jofra Archer flirts with a run-out off his first ball, then inside-edges his second. More importantly, Kuldeep finishes his spell with 4-0-19-3. He and Axar Patel have taken six wickets, which is five more than their English counterparts, Rashid and Livingstone.
Those England football fans … they don’t know how lucky they are.
WICKET! Jordan LBW b Kuldeep 1 (England 72-7)
Another batter misses a straight one. It was umpire’s call, hitting the leg bail.
12th over: England 71-6 (Livingstone 5, Jordan 1) England need a blitz from Livingstone, but if he’s planning one, he’s going about it in quite a curious way. He has five off nine balls.
11th over: England 68-6 (Livingstone 3, Jordan 0) Brook had just reverse-swept Kuldeep for four, but then he tried it again and Kuldeep was too clever for him, sneaking the ball under the bat. Eoin Morgan reckons Kuldeep picked it, the way batters are supposed to do with spinners. That’s the fourth wicket to fall to a straight ball, and it takes England’s hopes from faint to infinitesimal.
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WICKET! Brook b Kuldeep 25 (England 68-6)
The game is up.
Match not abandoned!
10th over: England 62-5 (Brook 19, Livingstone 3) Liam Livingstone hasn’t got going yet, but as Ravindra Jadeja comes on, Harry Brook shows his class again with a lovely cut for four. And that’s the tenth over, so this match will have a result. By an amazing coincidence, it will be the same result as we would have had if it had rained all day: an Indian win.
9th over: England 53-5 (Brook 11, Livingstone 2) England’s spinners took one for 49 off eight overs. India’s, after five overs, have four for 25 – and all four wickets have come off the first ball of the over. England need 119 off 11 overs and these two will have to get nearly all of them.
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WICKET! Curran LBW b Kuldeep 2 (England 49-5)
Another one! Curran flicks across the line and misses. The finger goes up. He reviews, but only because England are desperate. It’s plumb.
8th over: England 49-4 (Brook 9, Curran 2) Promoting Moeen didn’t pay off, but England do it again with their other left-hander, Sam Curran. Their hopes now rest on Harry Brook, who has nine off nine balls. The run-rate required is 10.25.
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WICKET! Moeen st Pant b Patel 8 (England 46-4)
Moeen slips! Pant whips off the bails and the procession continues. Axar Patel, for the third time today, has taken a wicket with the first ball of his over.
7th over: England 46-3 (Moeen 8, Brook 8) As the Powerplay ends, Rohit decides to keep two overs of Bumrah up his sleeve and turns to his left-arm wrist spinner, Kuldeep Yadav. One, dot, one, dot, one … four! Brook reaches right forward and sweeps, with some style. “Just an echo of Pietersen in that shot,” says Mike Atherton. “He hit it beautifully.” That’s the first four in this innings not hit by Buttler.
6th over: England 39-3 (Moeen 6, Brook 3) After seven balls, Axar has two for seven. The predictor on Cricinfo gives England a 23pc chance of a win. The predictor in my head gives them about half that.
Moeen, who doesn’t let anything bother him, keeps on picking up singles. Harry Brook goes big third ball, lofting Axar back over his head, but that’s a collector’s item: a mistimed shot by H Brook. He is relieved to find it landing safely. England need 132 off 83 balls and the required rate is already 9.5.
WICKET! Bairstow b Patel 0 (England 35-3)
We have an England collapse! Again, the first ball of the over does the trick for Axar as Bairstow plays a big drive and leaves a big gate open.
5th over: England 35-2 (Moeen 5, Bairstow 0) What a wise move by Rohit to bring back Bumrah from the other end. He went slow-slow-quick-slow and Salt couldn’t get him away. Now he beats Bairstow outside off with a quicker one. By the time the last ball comes around, England are grateful to grab a leg-bye. Only two off the over!
WICKET! Salt b Bumrah 5 (England 34-2)
One brings two! Bumrah bowls a masterly over and Salt is bamboozled by what appears to be an off-break.
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4th over: England 33-1 (Salt 5, Moeen 4) Buttler pulled out the reverse sweep right away, played it too early, and the ball looped up off the glove or maybe the toe of the bat to give Rishabh Pant an easy catch. That’s a huge moment – Buttler was in formidable form, and Salt had only faced four balls so itnow it’s as if England have two new batters in. Moeen Ali, Buttler’s vice-captain, promotes himself to give the spinners a right-and-left combo to think about. He and Salt manage to milk the rest of the over, but milking is not enough in the Powerplay. Advantage India.
WICKET! Buttler c Pant b Patel 23 (England 26-1)
The big one! India strike with their first ball of spin.
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3rd over: England 26-0 (Salt 2, Buttler 23) Arshdeep continues and Buttler drop-kicks him for four – inches above the hand of Hardik Pandya at mid-off. Arshdeep, perhaps rattled, strays outside leg and Buttler helps it round the corner for four more. That’s 13 off Buttler’s last four balls faced, but Arshdeep bounces back with a pair of dots, taking the pace off. Buttler then retorts with a cut for another four. Thirteen off the over, and Buttler is carrying on where he left off against the USA.
2nd over: England 13-0 (Salt 2, Buttler 10) Here he is, Jasprit Bumrah, the stuttering catapult, the master bowler. Salt shovels a single, Buttler flicks for two, but then Bumrah produces two dots. India’s plan seems to be bowl straight at Salt, wide of off to Buttler … who dabs for four, through the vacant first slip. That was a lovely touch. Honours even so far.
By the way, we need eight more overs for the game to count.
1st over: England 5-0 (Salt 1, Buttler 3) Will India start with spin? No. The new ball is entrusted to Arshdeep Singh, left-arm over. He swings the ball in and Salt clips him for a single. Buttler takes one ball to get a sighter, then goes down the track. Arshdeep sees him coming and drops short; Buttler adjusts too and pulls for two. Arshdeep bowls a slower ball that beats Salt outside off, then another that pops off the pad as he misses a pull. India will be happy enough with that start.
Updated
The Indians are out there and now Phil Salt and Joss Buttler join them. Will they be watchful, or try and go for broke in the Powerplay?
“Approximately eight and a half per over? Against this attack? On this pitch?” says Dean Kinsella. “I don’t think so lads. But top effort from Livingstone there.”
An email comes in from Bangalore. “With 75 runs in seven matches,” says B Hari, “poor Virat should abdicate in favour of Jaiswal or Samson, if India get through today!” Nice choice of verb there.
India finish on 171
20th over: India 171-7 (Jadeja 17, Arshdeep 1) The last over, bowled by Chris Jordan, is a little bit of everything – two twos, one six, one wicket, and off the last ball, one missed run-out, as Jordan has too much time to think about an underarm shy. He finishes with 4-0-37-3 and more importantly, India finish with what looks like a solid total on a sticky wicket. Rohit and SKY were immense (104 off 75 between them), Pandya and Jadeja chipped in with sparky cameos (40 off 22), and only Jordan took more than one wicket. England’s spinners were tidy (8-0-49-1 between them); India’s could well be lethal. Time for a walk round the block.
Updated
WICKET! Patel c Salt b Jordan 10 (India 170-7)
Patel swings Jordan for six, one-handed, but then tries to go big again and gives a simple catch to long-on.
19th over: India 159-6 (Jadeja 14, Patel 2) Archer is back for his final over, with two left-handers to bowl at. Ravindra Jadeja is up to the challenge, cutting for four, pushing for a hard-run two, and then playing a sweep for four! That was brave. It sends Buttler up to chat to Archer, who goes round the wicket and into the blockhole and saves some face with a single and a dot. He finishes with 4-0-33-1, decent enough, but India have a spring in their step again.
Updated
18th over: India 147-6 (Jadeja 3, Patel 1) No hat-trick this time as Axar Patel calmly pushes a single. When Jordan came back on, I typed “This could go either way …” In fact it went both ways: first carnage, then atonement.
WICKET! Dube c Buttler b Jordan 0 (India 146-6)
Golden duck! Dube tries a dab, Jordan does a jig. He’s not going to get another hat-trick, is he?
WICKET! Pandya c Curran b Jordan 23 (India 146-5)
The end of an explosive cameo. After taking a few balls to size up the pitch, Pandya smacks Jordan for two successive sixes, both flat-batted in the V. But then he tries it again and gives takes a rasping catch at long-off.
17th over: India 132-4 (Pandya 9, Jadeja 3) Livingstone, bowling leg-breaks to the right-handed Pandya and off-breaks to the left-handed Jadeja, gets through another over without any damage. He finishes with 4-0-24-0 and nine dot balls, the same as Rashid. Not bad for a bag of Licorice Allsorts.
16th over: India 126-4 (Pandya 6, Jadeja 1) So Buttler turned to his two best bowlers, Archer and Rashid, and they both delivered when England needed them. Archer did concede one four, a gorgeous cut by Pandya off his first ball, but that’s a price he would happily pay for the wicket of SKY.
WICKET! Yadav c Jordan b Archer 47 (India 124-3)
The other big one! Archer goes back-of-the-hand and lures SKY into a skyer. Jofra’s buddy Chris Jordan takes the catch at long-on with aplomb.
15th over: India 118-3 (Yadav 46, Pandya 0) Curran gives way to Livingstone, who immediately gets spanked for four by SKY. But the next two balls are dots, and the two after those. Feeling hemmed in, Yadav plays a loose drive and would be caught at slip if there was one. Livingstone has 3-0-18-0, not bad but not quite what England were looking for on a two-paced turner.
14th over: India 113-3 (Yadav 41, Pandya 0) Buttler kept Rashid on for his fourth over, perhaps because his third had shown signs of improvement, perhaps because Rashid has delivered so many big wickets over the years. India promote Hardik Pandya and he nearly perishes first ball as Rashid drops his pace, finds the edge and sees the ball just drop short of Moeen’s left hand at slip. So Rashid, who was on 2-0-19-0, bounces back to finish with 4-0-25-1. But his last ball kept even lower than the one that got Rohit, so this pitch could be highly perilous for England’s big hitters, facing three specialist spinners.
WICKET! Rohit b Rashid 57 (India 113-3)
The big one! Rashid’s trusted googly does the trick, helped by the low bounce.
Fifty to Rohit!
13th over: India 110-2 (Rohit 56, Yadav 39) Curran returns, to be greeted by a phenomenal shot from SKY – a lofted slice for six over deep backward point. “I see your lofted slice,” says Rohit, “and I raise you a slog-sweep off a seamer.” Six more! That takes Rohit to his third fifty of the World Cup, off 36 balls. What an operator he is. SKY piles in with a pull for four. That’s 19 off the over and suddenly India are lording it.
Updated
12th over: India 91-2 (Rohit 49, Yadav 27) Rashid deceives Yadav in the flight as he advances, but his mishit brings a single, not a catch. Rohit brings up the fifty partnership with a single – 50 off 38 balls – but there are further mishits. A better over from Rashid has sent Rohit back to the inelegance he showed for the first four overs.
Updated
11th over: India 86-2 (Rohit 48, Yadav 23) Livingstone is dragging the odd ball down but getting away with it. Rohit hits a reverse sweep, only to pick out the man at backward point. Then he goes big and gets six, down the ground. So Livingstone, who went for only seven off his first 11 balls, now has 2-0-13-0, and Rashid has 2-0-19-0. England need the spinners to get a wicket or hand over to the seamers.
10th over: India 77-2 (Rohit 41, Yadav 21) Adil Rashid is back, replacing Jordan, so it’s spin at both ends for the first time. We may see that again when England bat. Buttler appeals for LBW as SKY misses with a sweep at a full toss, but it’s outside the line. Another full toss, and another! Is the ball wet? SKY sweeps the first one for four, with some authority, but has to settle for a single from the second. At the halfway stage, India are sitting pretty.
9th over: India 69-2 (Rohit 39, Yadav 15) Livingstone starts with two dots, cramping Yadav for room. Then a few singles… will Rohit go big off the last ball? He will not, so Livingstone has 1-0-4-0. Respect.
It’s going to be Liam Livingstone, as it would have been if the rain hadn’t intervened. He’s England’s sixth bowler in nine overs.
The players are out there. England go into a huddle. Jos Buttler addresses his men, but not for long. And here come Rohit and SKY.
This is your ten-minute warning
Play will resume, all being well, at 1.40pm in Guyana, 6.40 BST.
“So,” says Damian Clarke, “yer men in pink have a feck-off great umbrella to shield themselves from the sun. Bless .”
The sun goes in, rather inconveniently. And the super-sopper comes out, presumably to attend to those wet patches.
The sun is out
As the umps stroll out for the next inspection, the sun is shining on their pink shirts – but they’re taking a long hard look at some wet patches near the fast bowlers’ run-ups. They may have to treat this pitch like bad light: sorry guys, slow bowlers only. Jasprit won’t object, will he?
Updated
“I think a fairer system,” says John Tagg in upstate New York, “would be that, in the event of the game being abandoned, the winner should be the country bringing in the most revenue to the ICC and that would mean … ah yes, it’s already happening.”
The umpires' indecision is final
There’s just been an inspection, and the umpires’ decision is … to hold another inspection! At quarter-past.
“Anyone nervous yet, Tim?” says Guy Hornsby. “I very much am, but that’s just being an England fan, eh. Those early wickets were crucial, but this is the danger partnership. Both SKY and Rohit look really up for it but with the weather it’s not clear what par is (170-80?) or what we’d be happy chasing. With India you feel beyond their Top 6 they’re more brittle but it won’t matter if they’ve got to 150 before the likes of Jadeja is in. A greasy pitch isn’t going to aid spin either, but we’ll probably not know if fielding first was the right call until the end. Argh.”
“There’s blazing sunshine and dazzling blue skies here in St John’s Wood,” says Yacine Sommar. “Maybe a possible future venue for cricket matches in June.”
Rohit the star
The player of the match so far is Rohit, with 37 off 26 balls. He mistimed a few early on before finding his touch in ominous fashion. England’s left-arm seamers did well to get rid of Kohli and Pant, but that just brought in SKY, who has started better than anyone with 13 off seven. Advantage India, I’d say – their run rate, a little over 8, may not sound like much to write home about, but it could turn out to be formidable on this slow surface.
Updated
Rain stops play!
Just as Jos Buttler reaches for the Licorice Allsorts, also known as Liam Livingstone, the rain gets heavier and the umpires take the players off. No overs will be lost yet, though, because of the four-hour safety net that is in place just for this match.
Updated
8th over: India 65-2 (Rohit 37, Yadav 13) On comes England’s fifth bowler, Chris Jordan, fresh from his hat-trick against the USA. He starts steadily, with three singles, but then Yadav plays a ramp-flick for six! Ten off the over. “England started well,” says Harsha. Up to a point: they need a wicket. This partnership is 25 off 16 balls, which is good going on this slow surface.
7th over: India 55-2 (Rohit 35, Yadav 5) Here’s Adil Rashid, England’s trump card … but he’s up against Rohit, who greets him with a reverse sweep for four, then a conventional sweep for four more. Rashid manages a couple of dots and finishes by beating SKY’s inside edge. Buttler appeals for LBW, Rashid is not interested. It’s raining, but the umpires have narrowly decided to keep the players on.
6th over: India 46-2 (Rohit 26, Yadav 5) Pant flicked Curran off his toes, but the ball didn’t come on as he expected. Everyone has struggled to find their timing at first … except Suryakumar Yadav, who drives his second ball for a lovely straight four. At the end of the Powerplay, it’s game on! As long as it’s not covers on.
WICKET! Pant c Bairstow b Curran 4 (India 40-2)
Scrap that! Pant’s first attempt at a flourish ends up with a simple catch at midwicket.
Updated
5th over: India 40-1 (Rohit 25, Pant 4) Topley continues and Rohit plays his most commanding shot so far, a fierce pull that skims to the boundary at square leg. Then he steps outside leg to play an inside-out drive with lovely timing. After taking four overs to get used to this pitch, he is looking himself again – and allowing Rishabh Pant to settle in on second fiddle.
“Just starting to get a little darker,” says Harsha Bhogle. “Not sure you’ll want to hear me saying that.”
4th over: India 29-1 (Rohit 16, Pant 2) Rohit glides Archer past backward point for two, then gets a leading edge that loops over mid-off. Later in the over he does it again, over the covers. That’s the measure of this pitch: it has reduced Rohit to inelegance.
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3rd over: India 21-1 (Rohit 9, Pant 1) Kohli did connect with one of those big shots, whipping Topley over midwicket. Then he got a leading edge to a full toss, picking up two back past the bowler. And he seemed to be on his way – but if he was, it was in a different sense, as he missed again and Topley hit the leg bail. So Kohli maintains his poor form (75 in seven innings) and his modest strike rate (a run a ball).
WICKET! Kohli b Topley 9 (India 19-1)
Bowled him! And Kohli had just hit Topley for six.
Updated
2nd over: India 11-0 (Rohit 9, Kohli 1) Jofra Archer starts with a back-of-a-length ball that keeps low and Kohli misses with another big shot. He takes a single to give the strike back to Rohit, who is tucked up by a shortish ball. When Archer drops shorter still, Rohit pulls and misses. Then he cuts and misses. Memo to Mike Atherton, great judge as he is: this does not seem to be a perfect pitch. Rohit connects with the last ball, playing a controlled cut, and Phil Salt at backward point doesn’t see it! Maybe because it was going too slowly.
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1st over: India 6-0 (Rohit 5, Kohli 0) Topley starts with a dot, quite an achievement when tackling Rohit, who either plays at a wide one or lets it go, hard to tell. Then there’s an edge, but it’s a thick one, racing through the vacant gully for four. Rohit pushes for a single, Kohli pushes for another dot. Just when it seems there’s no swing, Topley curls one back through the gate as Kohli goes for a big shot and misses. Another single, to get Kohli up and running – hang on, it’s a leg-bye.
Updated
The sun is out, for now, and Reece Topley has the new ball. He has bowled pretty well without taking wickets – just one so far, from memory.
The anthems have been sung, and now Rohit and Virat are loitering with intent.
A reader writes … from Georgetown! “Striking a positive note here and speaking up for the herbal fortitude of the ground at Providence,” says Will Evans. “I’ve seen a couple of Caribbean Premier League matches there, and a couple of internationals. This is an excellent playing surface (very good drainage per the Hooghaudt equation to be precise) ... all the more important in Guyana, the ‘Land of Many Waters’.
“If there’s a half chance of getting a full match or reduced overs, I’m confident the groundstaff will pull it off. Quick shout also for Akeal Hosein, who produced a magical 5-11 spell for WI against Uganda at Providence earlier in the tournament. A superb bowling performance. “
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Strange but true
Jos Buttler and Rohit Sharma are both captains and both openers. They’ve faced the same number of balls in this World Cup – 120, the same as a complete T20 innings. And they’ve made the same number of runs – 191. In the league table of best strike rates for this tournament (min. 50 runs), they stand eighth equal. Kohli, by the way, is 66th.
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“It’s incredibly dry,” says Mike Atherton in his pitch report. “It’s a perfect pitch. Quite cracked but the cracks are quite solid. I’d expect it to be a low skiddy surface for the spinners. The surrounds are incredibly dry, apart from one area where the faster bowlers come in – that’s a bit sawdust-y.”
So, says Ian Ward, the quicker bowlers should keep the stumps in play? “Yes,” says DK, “that’s what you do in Guyana.”
Sounds to me as if Virat Kohli might come good today. He has only 66 runs in six innings so far, but cometh the hour, cometh the star.
Teams: both unchanged
England 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (capt, wk), 3 Jonny Bairstow, 4 Harry Brook, 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Reece Topley.
India 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Rishabh Pant (wk), 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.
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Toss: England win and bowl first
“With the rain around,” Jos Buttler says. “We think it could be good to bowl first… Huge excitement, we’re playing a top team.”
Rohit Sharma says he would have batted first anyway. “Looks a little dry. As the game goes on, it tends to get slower and slower.”
Five minutes to the toss!
England v India set for an 1145am start local time, with a toss at 1120am
— Ali Martin (@Cricket_Ali) June 27, 2024
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“Preaching to the converted I know,” says Rob Knap, “but out of curiosity I just googled 'Georgetown rainfall. All returns presenting ‘June is the wettest month’ or something similar. 320ish mm of rain in June on average! Even to a layman that seems like an awful lot of rain.
“But I wonder, does anyone reading this blog really care *that* much about this game or how the tournament finishes? I mean, if you’re a South African fan I genuinely can understand the excitement. India have gone a while without winning what should be ‘their tournament’, so there’s that. Otherwise though, no worries – the next T20 quick fix will roll along soon enough for the cricket (and live-betting) junkies.
“There have been some wonderful and unique moments in this tournament, but they’ve already happened: Afghanistan, Nepal, US, etc. The moments involving the cricketers we see playing around the world in different colours every couple of months are becoming less and less unique and memorable. There is still the odd delight (like Rohit the other day), even if you’ve probably seen something similar before, quite recently. I wonder if other readers here share my numbed feelings around T20?
“Thanks for the updates!” It’s our pleasure. My guess, for what it’s worth, is that you may well be right about people not being too bothered. But I wouldn’t assume that the magic moments have all happened. This is top-class sport – the magic can rear its head at any moment. Even on a wet Thursday in Guyana.
“Is it cowardly,” asks Mark Hooper, “to pray for a rain-affected minimum-overs slogfest?” Good line.
The players are out there. Most of the England team are playing football (gentle keepy-uppy), but Jofra Archer and Sam Curran are doing a bit of bowling. “It is so humid,” Ian Ward says, “the ball has been hooping.”
There will be an inspection at 11.15am local time, which is 4.15pm BST. So the earliest we’ll get any play is in about 50 minutes – and only if the rain holds off.
Better news
Looking good - for the moment. https://t.co/JosP3E9WCi
— Lawrence Booth (@BoothCricket) June 27, 2024
A correction! And an interesting one. Can I hastily make out that I meant none of them had played a senior international here?
@TimdeLisle in your preamble to the England match, you said no England player had played an international at Providence stadium. Not true! Jofra archer played for WI U19s against Bangladesh, getting trounced in the process: https://t.co/9x1r4mC24k
— . (@hectorthebat) June 27, 2024
The umbrellas are up around the ground and the super-sopper is in action. In Cape Town, Wayne Murray is replying to my retort. “Thanks for the response,” he says, “and I’ll make an excuse for only scanning the Preamble ... I’ve been up since 2am for the (wild) Proteas v Afghanistan semi-final. Now, at the end of my work-day, I’m flagging.” Fair enough!
“If only India had come second in the Super Eights,” says David Howell. “Then (assuming this match isn’t played) they’d have been eliminated by their own governance effectively running the ICC.
“Putting a semi-final with no reserve day in the Amazon rainforest in June? That is, in every sense, a thunderous lack of common sense.”
It's raining again
As Dinesh Karthik stands there talking in a sunhat, rain starts falling around him. It’s going to be one of those days.
“Weathering expectations,” says Wayne Murray. “Greetings from a (very) unseasonably warm Cape Town. I’m in a T-shirt enjoying 25 degree weather when it should be closer to 11 and storming. I won’t complain about the weather.
“On that point, what does happen if the T20 World Cup semi-final match in Guyana is washed out today? Is tomorrow a reserve day? Or does the team with the highest NRR win by default?” No reserve day, India win – see the Preamble!
The groundstaff are out there now, perhaps stung by Ward’s comment. Meanwhile Eoin Morgan is being asked if it might suit England for the game to be reduced. Maybe, he reckons. It could be “more of a dogfight than a slugfest”.
Updated
On Sky, the weatherman is Ian Ward. “The covers are still on,” he reports, “and the groundstaff are not making any effort to take them off. They were very proactive … about an hour and a half ago.”
Toss delayed!
As threatened, the toss has been delayed … but it’s not raining at the moment, so it could be worse.
How green is your outfield?
This beautiful wildflower meadow has been grown at @CorbridgeCC -2023 winners of the @TheCricketerMag Greenest Ground competition. See below to enter your club for 2024 @MarkCocker2 @SportEcoGroup https://t.co/2uKuBrNrko pic.twitter.com/rQpsR425r2
— tanya aldred (@tjaldred) June 26, 2024
Updated
The first email of the day comes from Victor Manley. “I would love to send the standard ‘if only they were playing in my back garden it would be fine’ email,” he says, “but I’m in Glasgow and it’s carting it down here as well.
“It’s hard to think of a worse place to play cricket in late June than Guyana... Maybe the Arctic? Or the Mariana trench? Looking forward to the OBO...if it ever comes.”
A glimmer
Well it’s stopped… #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/ODXWmI7CfE
— Ian Ward (@WardyShorts) June 27, 2024
Preamble
Hello everyone and welcome to the biggest game of this World Cup so far. It’s the holders against the favourites. It’s Jos Buttler against Jasprit Bumrah. It’s Rohit Sharma against Jofra Archer. It’s the flashing blade against the turning ball. And it’s cricket against the weather.
The first semi-final was an absolute shower and the second threatens to be just one downpour after another. We are not in North America now, we’re not in the Caribbean either – we’re on the north coast of South America, close to the rainforest, in the rainy season.
The clue is in the name: Guyana is an indigenous word meaning the land of many waters. I went there once to cover a Test match and not a single ball was bowled, though, to be fair, the clouds did clear in time to allow an impromptu ODI.
England haven’t been to Guyana since the last World Cup in these parts, 14 years ago. None of their players has appeared in an international at Providence Stadium, not even Buttler with his vast experience. The pitch tends to offer meagre bounce as well as lavish turn. England have just the one specialist spinner, the red-hot Adil Rashid, plus two handy part-timers in Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone, whereas India routinely pick three proper twirlers – Kuldeep Yadav for the wristy mysteries, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja for some solid slow left-arm. In this light, it’s even easier than usual to picture an England collapse.
India hold a few other aces. The weather gods are on their side: if the match is abandoned, they go through (because they topped their group in the Super Eights). And it will be abandoned if we don’t get ten overs a side, rather than the normal five. There is no reserve day, just an extra four hours. It’s as if the ICC have gone out of their way to add to their collection of scheduling abominations.
These are advantages, though, that India don’t need. They have the tools, the talent and the temperament to win any game fair and square. You can tell that this is quite a team when the weakest link is a man called Kohli. They should have a powerful motive too, as the last time they met England in a T20 World Cup semi-final, they lost by ten wickets.
England have staggered through to this stage largely by virtue of demolishing the smaller teams (not that that is to be sniffed at – their football counterparts could really do with it). Their only big performance against big opponents came when they dismantled West Indies. Can they do it against the biggest nation of all? I rather doubt it, but you never know.
Play starts, with a bit of luck, at 3.30pm (BST). I’ll be back soon with the toss and teams, or some exciting news about the weather.
