India beat England by 68 runs: ICC T20 World Cup 2024 semifinal – updates

That’s it from our live coverage of the second T20 World Cup semifinal.

We now know the final two teams that will compete to be crowned 2024 T20 champions.

The defending champions, England, are heading home after being outplayed by the undefeated favourites, and the team of the tournament so far, India.

South Africa, with their 100 percent record, must now rise to the challenge in their first appearance in the final of a major ICC event.

A month of cricket is all about to come down to one match and we’ll bring you all the action and the build-up.

For now, though – from me, Kevin Hand – it’s goodbye.

We’ll bring you all the previews on Friday in the run-up to Saturday’s T20 World Cup final between South Africa and India.

Then we’ll have the main event for you as well with more comprehensive live coverage – including all the pre-match build-up before our text commentary.

We’re also bringing you all the action from Euro 2024. The competition has reached the round of 16, which gets under way on Saturday with Switzerland against Italy and Germany against Denmark.

We’ve still got the Paris 2024 Olympics to come for you, so stay tuned to Al Jazeera Sport for all the latest news and features from around the world.

India throughly deserve to be in the final .. The best team in tournament so far .. Was always going to hard for England on this pitch .. India just so much better on lower slower spinning pitches .. #T20IWorldCup

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) June 27, 2024

On a challenging pitch, India batted brilliantly to reach 171. @akshar2026's crucial strikes on the first ball of his first 3 overs & @imkuldeep18's middle-over wizardry spun England out.

Our total of 171 was slightly above the par score of 167, but our bowling made it feel far… pic.twitter.com/u49wg80JgY

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) June 27, 2024

Both India and South Africa are unbeaten in this edition of of the T20 World Cup.

The Proteas have won every match they’ve played while India have won all the games that were completed with one washout in the initial group stage.

What will give on Saturday in Barbados?

We’ll bring you all the build-up over the next two days here on Al Jazeera ahead ahead of our live, text commentary of the final itself.

“When the conditions are like that in front of them [the India spinners], it’s very difficult to play shots – the pressure is still on them to execute their skills – but I thought they were very calm and knew exactly what to bowl,” Rohit said as he analysed the breakdown of the match.

“We had a little chat in the interval and said: ‘Try to hit the stumps as much as possible and keep them in play.’ That’s exactly what they did.

“Virat is a quality player. Any player can go through that [the lack of runs] but we do understand his class and his importance in all these big games.

“Form is never a problem when you have played cricket for 15 years. He is looking good, the intent is there and he is probably saving it for the final.

“We will be very calm as a team [in the final]. I do understand the occasion – it’s a big occasion, but for us, it is important that we keep calm. Staying calm and composed helps you to make good decisions. We have to keep making good decisions throughout the 40 overs and that will help us seeing the game through.

“In this game we were very steady and very calm – we didn’t panic too much and that has been the key for us. We need to understand when an occasion is important but you have to play good cricket, as well – that will allow you to be composed in your mind and that is what we want to do in the final as well.

“We will try out best. The teams is in good shape and all I can ask is that they put up another good show in the final.”

“It’s very satisfying to win this game. We worked really hard as a unit to come through this stage and to win this game like that was a great effort from everybody,” Rohit said at the post-match ceremony.

“We adapted to the conditions really well. The conditions were a little challenging. We had to adapt and that has been the success story for us so far.

“We have played the conditions really well and the bowlers and the batters, if they understand the conditions, and play according to them, then things fall into place. That’s exactly what happened. It’s very pleasing to see how we came through this game.

“At some stage, we were feeling 140-150 [would be a good score], but as the game went on we got some runs in the middle and we said another 20-25 runs more.

“I can set the target in my mind but I don’t want the batters to know it, they are all instinctive players and I want them to go out there and play freely – without thinking too much about what is the par score.

“If we bat well, we understand the conditions well then we will get to a good score and that’s exactly what happened. We got to 170, which I thought was a very good score on that pitch and the bowlers were outstanding.”

“India outplayed us. We let them get 20-25 runs too many on a challenging surface. They outplayed us and deserved the win,” Buttler said at the post-match ceremony.

“With the rain around, we didn’t think the conditions would change much and I don’t think they did. They outbowled us, they had an above-par score and I don’t think the toss was the difference between the teams.

“They have got some fantastic spinners. Our guys bowled well – in hindsight, I should have bowled Moeen in that innings with the way the spin was playing. They had an above-par score and, with a brilliant bowling attack, it was always going to be a tough chase.

“With everything that has happened throughout the whole tournament, I am really proud of everyone’s efforts. You can only play what is put in front of you and we’ve had lots of adversity throughout the competition but we’ve stuck together well as a group.

“We’ve played some really good cricket in patches but come up short when we needed it most.”

𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙨! 🙌 🙌#TeamIndia absolutely dominant in the Semi-Final to beat England! 👏 👏

It's India vs South Africa in the summit clash!

All The Best Team India! 👍 👍#T20WorldCup | #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/yNhB1TgTHq

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 27, 2024

“I’ve bowled many over in the past in the power play,” he told the ICC broadcast. “I knew the wicket was stopping so I didn’t try too many things.

“Because the wicket is slow, if I bowl quicker it’s more easy for the batter so I tried to bowl a little slower and it worked for me.

“Our batters told us that the wicket is not easy to hit and some balls are getting low and skidding on. [About] 150-160 was a good total for us.”

Both Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel picked up three wickets, whereas Rashid only claimed one scalp for England.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝘂𝗼 ✨✨

Axar Patel & Kuldeep Yadav do the trick for #TeamIndia 😎 🪄

How impressed are you with their performance 🤔#T20WorldCup | #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/1m8XF8teI3

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 27, 2024

That was nearly as big a mismatch on the field as the two countries’ premier domestic short-form competitions are off the field.

India were totally on top from the off to blast England away.

Archer is out. The replay shows the ball is hitting.

Jofra Archer LBW Jasprit Bumrah 21

The right-hander attempts a paddle off Bumrah and is struck on the back leg.

Looks like a desperate appeal from the batter.

Neither batter can read the variations. Three singles are taken off the first three balls of the right-arm seamer’s third over.

Archer carves Hardik back over his head for a huge six after the run out. He finishes the over with another boundary down the ground.

Archer has 20* from 13. Topley has 1* from 1.

Suryakumar flicks the ball out of the back of his right hand to run out Rashid. It was an incredible piece of fielding from mid-on after a push for a single.

Adil Rashid run out (Suryakumar Yadav) 2

It’s over to the bowlers to bail out the batters, but surely England’s defence of their T20 crown is over.

Archer nearly inside edges onto leg stump, but the ball deflects to Kuldeep at short fine. It was Livingstone’s call and he charged from the non-striker’s end only to be sent back. He had no chance.

That was the end of the 15th over.

Liam Livingstone run out (Kuldeep Yadav) 11

The left-arm spinner bowls his find over and concedes three off his first three balls. That’s not hurting India, though.