- author, Matthew Henry
- role, BBC sports reporter in Barbados
Finals bring glory, but it was the semi-finals where England really showed their best.
In the era of England’s white-ball revival, the dates 11 July 2019 and 10 November 2022 stand out.
The World Cup trophy may have been won in the space of a few days in either match, but these were England’s most flawless limited-overs performances in recent memory, perhaps the country’s history.
The second is that glory night in Adelaide when England overcame a rabid crowd to beat India by 10 wickets and reach the T20 World Cup final.
On Thursday, defending champions England return to Guyana, cricket’s most important stronghold on the South American continent, for the first time in 14 years to face India again in the latest semi-final.
On both previous occasions, England started far from being the overwhelming favourites to win, but then turned things around dramatically.
Australia had beaten Eoin Morgan’s side convincingly at Lord’s two weeks ago and a potential all-Asian final against Pakistan was already being talked about ahead of their clash with India in 2022.
England have had an eventful Caribbean voyage this tournament, if not the proverbial rollercoaster ride, and are again the second favourites in the two-team race to win the title.
They were on the verge of being eliminated in the first stage but managed to get through with a little help from their Ashes rivals, beating Scotland.
Wins over Oman, Namibia and the USA have built momentum and good vibes, but how good are England’s side?
The West Indies are the only team to win a Test match on their way to the last four, but their performance was impressive.
The semi-finals will likely reveal the answer to that question.
In contrast, India cruised through the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple. India were the centerpiece of cricket’s push into the US in New York and they did so with little fanfare.
Once in the Caribbean, they continued their journey calmly, with no real challenges since their narrow win over Pakistan.
Sunday’s win over Australia was ominous, with skipper Rohit Sharma back in blazing form with a blistering 92 off 41 balls. On the flight home, one might ask Josh Hazlewood whether allowing the Indian captain to hit eight sixes was Australia’s “best move”.
The great Virat Kohli has only reached double figures twice in the tournament, his highest score being 37, and the worry for England is that he will not be able to stay quiet for much longer.
With the tournament being tailor-made for Indian television, India go into the match with an advantage, having known from the moment the fixtures were announced that they would be touring Guyana in the semi-finals.
England were confirmed as second in the group on Sunday night but were unable to travel until Tuesday morning when their final destination was confirmed.
Hotels and planes will be as scarce as Jasprit Bumrah’s long-haul flights, there will be no English-speaking media in Georgetown and few fans.
India picked a team featuring four spinners in May, knowing that a semi-final on one of the tournament’s slowest pitches awaited them.
Kuldeep Yadav has never played on the seamer-friendly courts in the US and Yuzvendra Chahal is yet to make a single appearance.
Given that wrist spinners have been the most effective option so far at Providence Stadium, they will undoubtedly play one, but they may play two.
England may be tempted to give a debut to reserve spinner Tom Hartley, who bowled the long ball ahead of Sunday’s match against the United States.
Another talking point going into the match is the weather and the lack of a rain-out back-up day, barring a result, India will progress to the final by topping the Super 8 group.
However, there are over four hours of extra time available to incorporate matches.
If England’s record in recent knockout matches has been good, India’s has not.
They have lost four of the last five semi-finals in the white-ball World Cup and are entering their 14th year of waiting for a world title.
The only semi-final Australia has won in that time was at home in last year’s 50-over World Cup, after which they froze everyone in the final and won in a landslide victory.
England’s defeat in Adelaide has raised serious questions about the direction of white-ball cricket in India.
Coach Rahul Dravid, who is stepping down after this tournament, said England had an advantage in that many of their players had experience playing in the Big Bash in Australia – something that is not recognised in India.
Very little has changed since then.
For the England hierarchy, a win would allow England coach Matthew Mott and captain Jos Buttler to fully bounce back from the disappointment of last year’s 50-over World Cup.
One disappointment between the two finals could be forgiven.
The team that wins this semi-final will enter the next match as the favorite to win.
South Africa have previous experience at the World Cup, while Afghanistan have never reached this stage before.
England recently lost to New Zealand in the semi-finals of the 2021 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, but few will remember that date.
A win against India could put them on par with other countries on June 27th.
With football set to dominate sports headlines for the next two weeks, a loss would simply mean being forgotten.