MELBOURNE (Agencies): England will face India in the semi-finals of the Men’s T20 World Cup on Thursday as Rohit Sharma’s side secured top spot in Group 2 with a bruising 71-run win over Zimbabwe.
They posted 186-5 with Suryakumar Yadav smashing a masterful 61 not out off 25 balls, to add to KL Rahul’s 51. Zimbabwe were unable to get going after losing Weseley Madhevere first ball and were bowled out for 115 in Melbourne.
Pakistan will face New Zealand in the first semi-final on Wednesday.
India were going well, but they slipped from 87-1 to 101-4 and were in danger of posting a below-par score.
Rahul helped lay the platform, but for the second game in a row he was dismissed the ball after reaching his half-century. However, Suryakumar stood up again, taking advantage of some questionable field settings from Zimbabwe to continually pepper the leg-side boundary with flicks and ramps as India took 79 runs from the final five overs. The chase was tame, with the first-ball wicket rocking Zimbabwe, and their top order were never able to recover or score with any fluency against a high-quality India bowling attack.
Ryan Burl played nicely, hitting sweeps on both sides of the wicket, in his 35 off 22 balls, as did Sikandar Raza for his 34.
However, once Burl fell after 13.2 overs, Zimbabwe’s tail wilted quickly as they were bowled out in 17.2 overs to slide to a heavy defeat.
They finished bottom of Group 2, which means they will have to qualify for the next T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States in 2024.
‘England will be a challenge’ – what they said India captain Rohit Sharma to the host broadcaster: “What Suryakumar Yadav is doing for the team is remarkable.
To come out there and play how he wants to play, it takes the pressure off the other batsmen.
“We know his ability and it allows the other guys to take some time. The confidence he shows when he bats, the dugout can really be at ease and he has shown a lot of composure. He has gone from strength to strength.”
On the semi-final with England: “The key for us is to adjust to the conditions as quickly as possible. We have played a game there [in Adelaide] before so we understand what we need to do.
“But England will be a challenge for us. They have been playing good cricket. But that’s what you expect in a semi-final, two teams going at each other. It will be a great contest. We just need to keep sticking to what we do. It will be a high-pressure game.”
Suryakumar Yadav: “I think the plan was very clear. Hardik [Pandya] said, ‘Let’s take a positive route’. We started hitting good boundaries and never stopped.
“My plan has always been clear – whatever the situation is, I see what my team needs and bat accordingly. It feels really good, but at the same time, you come out and start with zero.”
