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Samson Encore and Bumrah’s Yorker Masterclass Power India into Ahmedabad Final, with Help from Bapu

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Sanju Samson, Jasprit Bumrah in the India vs England match. Images : Debasis Sen It was the penultimate ball of the 17th over and Jacob Bethell, who had played one of the best innings of this T20 World Cup, pummelled the ball over long-off for yet another six. There was hushed silence at the Wankhede, for India weren’t home yet. The next ball was sliced past the keeper for a boundary and the ask was 45 off three overs. On that Wankhede pitch, it wasn’t impossible. That’s when India turned to Jasprit Bumrah. It was India’s final move and the world’s best bowler showed just why that tag has been bestowed on him. On a pitch where nothing was happening, Bumrah decided to take the pitch away from the equation and nailed six yorkers on the trot. It was an exhibition of how good Bumrah is and, in six balls, he had almost taken India to Ahmedabad. Come hell or high water, Bumrah is India’s bankable deposit which can be encashed at any time. Whatever the situation of the match, Bumrah is th...

IND vs ENG: “Hundred doesn’t matter” – Sanju Samson after India sealing final berth

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Sanju Samson (PC: Debasis Sen/RevSportz) Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson delivered a stunning knock as India entered the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after a thrilling seven-run win over England in the semi-final at Wankhede Stadium on March 5. During the post-match presentation, Samson reflected on his form and mindset during the innings and said, “Feels great, I knew I got some form going from the last game. I thought I need to make the most out of my form, gave myself extra time. We know no score is stoppable, wanted as much as possible. England came close, played really well. Good semi-final. You need to assess conditions, played a lot of cricket, chasing is easier.” After the early wicket of Abhishek Sharma (9), Samson accelerated India’s innings with 89 runs off 42 balls, which includes eight boundaries and seven sixes at a strike rate of 211.90. Samson also made a crucial contribution in the field when he ran out Jacob Bethell, who could have taken the game a...

T20 World Cup 2026: Brook Trusts England Batters to Overcome India Spin Test

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Brook is all set for his first knockout game as captain. (PC: BCCI) England captain Harry Brook has hailed Varun Chakaravarthy as one of the best bowlers in the world and is looking forward to the duel with the Indian spinner in the T20 World Cup semi-final on 5 March. Chakaravarthy is the highest wicket-taker for India in the tournament, with 12 scalps to his name in seven games. Against England, the leg-spinner has taken 14 wickets in five matches at a strike rate of 7.71, with best figures of 5/24. History suggests England have struggled against Indian spinners. Brook, however, is confident of tackling the spin challenge in Mumbai. “England always get a bad reputation for playing spin,” he said. “But we’ve got a lot of confidence playing on turning pitches. Chakaravarthy is one of the best bowlers in the world and I’ll try my best to score as many runs as I can against him.” Despite England’s destructive opening pair of Jos Buttler and Phil Salt not firing consistently, espec...

T20 World Cup 2026: Cole McConchie Accounts for De Kock and Rickelton in Double Wicket Over

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Cole McConchie (PC: X) All-rounder Cole McConchie gave New Zealand the perfect start in the opening ICC T20 World Cup semi-final clash by striking twice in his very first over against South Africa on March 4 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. McConchie first dismissed Quinton de Kock (10) in the second over of the match, as the batter tried to attack but failed to get the distance. On the very next delivery, he removed Ryan Rickelton for a duck. Two wickets in two balls left South Africa at 12/2 as they struggled to rebuild their innings. After the two early wickets, Marco Jansen attempted to rebuild the innings with his unbeaten 55-run knock. His innings included two boundaries and five maximums at a strike rate of 183.33. Dewald Brevis (34) and Tristan Stubbs (29) also added crucial runs, helping South Africa recover from the early setbacks, but wickets kept falling at regular intervals. New Zealand eventually restricted South Africa to 169/8 in their 20 overs. For New Zealand, Matt Hen...

England Back Jos Buttler to Deliver as He Undergoes Special Preparation Ahead of Wankhede Semi-final

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Jos Buttler (PC: Debasis Sen/RevSportz) Jos Buttler looked quite relaxed during England’s training session at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday ahead of the crucial semi-final clash against India. Despite a string of poor scores in the T20 World Cup 2026 so far, Buttler appeared to enjoy the practice session with his team-mates. England will be banking on the experienced batter to deliver against India in the semi-final on Thursday. The former England captain has managed to score just 62 runs from seven matches in the tournament so far. Nothing has gone according to plan for the 35-year-old Buttler. However, the England team is not overly concerned about his form going into the crucial semi-final fixture. “Jos is someone I’m pretty close to. He obviously wants more runs. But I certainly would rather have him in my team than coming up against him on Thursday night. I think he’s such a quality player. He’s done so well for us over many, many years,” England all-rounder Sam Curran said ...

ICC T20 WC – Most Viewed Ever. Most Valuable Yet?

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ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Trophy (PC: ICC) The 2026 edition of the ICC T20 World Cup is on its way to becoming the most digitally viewed edition ever. Across all social media platforms, it is set to exceed the 16 billion video views recorded in 2024. Average watch time up to the Super 8 stage has increased from 47 minutes to 58 minutes. Multilanguage feeds have driven engagement, and non-traditional markets have grown by 69%. The in-house ICC.tv platform has performed well, with 28% growth in unique viewers and 56% growth in total playtime. In summary, this will become the most widely available and viewed edition of an ICC tournament globally. The ICC deserves full credit for pushing digital distribution beyond traditional strongholds. The direction of travel is clearly positive and is bringing new and younger viewers into the fold. The focus going forward will be to ensure financial viability in the face of franchise leagues worldwide, while continuing to promote the development of ...

India and Abhishek Sharma Must Fire on All Cylinders as England Loom in Semi-Final Showdown

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Abhishek Sharma (PC: Debasis Sen/RevSportz” Thirty-six hours to go until the much-awaited India-England semi-final in Mumbai by the time you read this piece. While India are a very good unit, there are no favourites in a knockout encounter. England have their own strengths and are more than capable of knocking India out. What this means is that India will have to bring their A game to win the contest. India were excellent in the run chase against West Indies. While Sanju Samson starred, the cameos from Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube were just as important and effective. They helped mask the lack of runs from Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan at the top, and that’s how team sport should be. Not every day will everyone contribute, but in good teams someone or the other always steps up. That’s what has happened with India throughout the competition. They haven’t fired as a collective and yet they are in the semi-finals, which tells us how good they are as a team. But in a semi-final again...