IND vs ENG Semi Final, Guyana Weather Highlights: India beat England by 68 runs to set final against South Africa (2024)

Kuldeep Yadav snaps a third!

Chris Jordan never looked like much of a match on this surface, against the in-form chinaman. Tries to flick it but goes across the line and misses it altogether. LBW appeal, umpire's finger goes up straightaway. Doesn't even bother reviewing it. England are 73/7 after 13 overs.

A SIXTH WICKET FALLS!

A ball after he managed to reverse sweep Kuldeep Yadav for four, Harry Brook goes for it again, only this time Kuldeep has dished the delivery further away. Brook misses on the line altogether and the ball rattles the leg stump. Kuldeep jumps in ecstacy. A second wicket for him and England look all but out of this one.

Wicket no. 2 for India!

You could see this one coming. Bumrah's use of the slower delivery has been fabled across formats. It isn't talked about as much as his toe-crushing yorkers but is equally effective. Especially the way he mixes them up with his quicker ones. Bumrah was already keeping him on his toes with the change of pace. And then, he seamed one in as Salt missed out on the heave. A second wicket falls. 35/2 after five overs.

Axar Patel collects a maximum in the last over but falls off the very next delivery in an attempt to clear the same boundary - wide long on.

India post 171/7 from their 20 overs. Will it be enough on this wicket? Eoin Morgan on the comms reckons it's a good total at this strip where the ball is keeping low.

As for the weather, it's clear skies and no signs of rain anytime soon. Touchwood.

After back to back sixes against Chris Jordan, Hardik Pandya finds the fielder in the deep. India lose fifth wicket at the score of 145. Shivam Dube will join Ravindra Jadeja in the middle with 14 balls left in the innings.

And he isn't able to last for long. The faintest of outside edges induced by Chris Jordan and India lose another wicket.

Just as the umpires have a look at the pitch, the groundstaff are putting some sawdust on the wet patches of the outfield. It looks much better than it did 30 minutes ago. The sun is at its baking best at the moment.

UPDATE: The play will resume at 11:10 PM IST.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma as become fifth Indian to breach the 5000 international runs mark as skipper. He joins a legendary club:

12883 - Virat Kohli

11207 - MS Dhoni

8095 - Mohammed Azharuddin

7643 - Sourav Ganguly

5012 - Rohit Sharma*

Oh no!

It was drizzling just as the powerplay came to an end but the umpires decided to continue with the game. It would come to a halt just as the 7th over came to an end. It's started pouring now and the covers are coming back on. India are 65/2 with Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav in the middle. It's still 175 minutes before we start losing overs.

India: Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah

England: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w/c), Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley

So England have won the toss and Jos Buttler has called it: they'll bowl first.

Jos Buttler: We'll bowl first. Looks like a good surface, the bounce will be low, with the rain around, we thought it'll be a bit of an advantage to bowl first. We're up against a great team, but we're peaking nicely and we are playing the same team today. Looking forward to a great challenge against a top side. Excited to be in a semi-final, but some of us have been here before.

It's started drizzling and the covers are back on again, *sighs into eternity*.

And don't get your hopes too high for later in the day as well. There is forecast of thunderstorm followed by more drizzle over the next few years.

So the info from Guyana doesn't look promising. It's started drizzling again, the covers are back on and the toss has been delayed.

Lot of spare time at hand still but things so far have played per the forecast, which hasn't looked much promising for the rest of the day.

India:Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav

England:Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (c& wk), Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Reece Topley, Adil Rashid

40 minutes to toss and as of now the covers are off at the Providence Stadium. The sun is shining atop. The weather forecast teases a stop-start sort of game. Remember, we do not have a reserve day for this fixture. And if the game is washed out, India progress through to the final courtesy of their unbeaten run so far as opposed to England's two defeats.

The absence of an extra day to complete the semi-final was mulled by the England head coach Matthew Mott. “It’s something we’ve known about since the start of the tourna­ment, so to cry foul over it now ­probably doesn’t make a lot of sense. [But] I’m not going to lie, it would be great to have a reserve day because the weather can change from day to day. In an ideal world, it would look like that [a reserve day for both semi-finals], but maybe that’s something the ICC need to look at long term.”

After India's win over Australia, Inzamam ul Haq claimed that some "serious work" had gone into the ball to get it to reverse swing early.

"Arshdeep Singh, when he was bowling the 15th over, the ball was reversing. Is it too early for reverse swing with the new ball? This means the ball was ready for reverse swing by the 12th or 13th over. Umpires should keep their eyes open for these things. If it were Pakistani bowlers reverse swinging the ball, this would have been a big issue. We know reverse swing very well, and if Arshdeep can come in the 15th over and start reversing the ball, it means some serious work had been done before," the former Pakistan captain was quoted as saying on a show called ‘World Cup Hungama’ on Pakistan’s 24 News channel where he was joined by former Pakistan cricketer Saleem Malik.

Now Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma has given a fitting reply to Inzamam.

"What should I say now about this. You are playing in such hot sun, the wicket is so dry, the ball reverses automatically. It's happening for all the teams, not just ours. All the teams are reverse swinging. Sometimes, it's important to open your mind and understand the conditions you're playing in. The match is not taking place in England or Australia. That's what I'll say," Rohit Sharma said.

Sometime before the start of the 2023 ODI World Cup, Rohit Sharma decided he had had enough of the old Indian way of playing white-ball cricket. In the dressing room, he addressed the seniors and the “garden-mey-ghoomney wale" youngsters,. He told the team that he was planning to go on an all-out attack as an opener himself. The idea was to inspire the side through his own actions.

The result was startling: the old-dawdle from the land that had ironically liberated batsmen from other countries through the IPL was gone, and a box-office hit followed that was soaked up by adoring fans all around the country, so much so that there wasn’t any criticism when they failed in the final.

Rohit Sharma’s India have gone with the same method in this T20 World Cup as well on mostly sluggish tracks.

Check out Sriram Veera's piece that unravels India's method at this World Cup

In a few hours from now, weather permitting, Rohit Sharma’s India will take on Jos Buttler’s England in the 2nd semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Thursday. India have been unbeaten in the tournament while the latter thrashed the USA in their last Super 8 game.

Both sides are equally flawed. But the Men in Blue have been able to manage the issues better so far in the tournament. The form of Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja is a concern for the side going into the marquee clash. For England picking wickets in the Powerplay has been a bigger challenge which has resulted in the opposition scoring big totals.

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A day before Team India's T20 World Cup semi-final against England, captain Rohit Sharma spoke about the importance of gauging the conditions in Guyana at an event like the T20 World Cup, which is being held across two countries.

"I know it sounds very boring for me to talk about conditions, conditions, because that does matter a lot," Rohit Sharma said at his pre-match press conference. "Because in New York, we saw what the winning score was. So, we want to be a smart cricket team. We don't want to just talk in one language, which is to just go and swing the bat. I think it is important for us to understand what conditions are in front of us and what we have to do. And I have spoken about experience in this group, and we rely on that experience from each player to go out and make that decision, whether it is playing the reverse sweep, whether it is bowling a yorker, whether it is bowling a bouncer. We rely on those individuals to make that decision."

Weather for 7 AM on June 27, Thursday (7 am in Guyana will be 4.30 pm in IST)

Rain expected
Temperature: 26°
Chance of rain: 75%
Humidity: 91%
Cloud Cover: 100%
Rain Amount: 1.23 mm

Weather for 8 AM on June 27, Thursday (8 am in Guyana will be 5.30 pm in IST)

Few Showers Expected
Temperature: 27°
Chance of rain: 30%
Humidity: 86%
Cloud Cover: 48%
Rain Amount: 0 mm

Weather for 9 AM on June 27, Thursday (9 am in Guyana will be 6.30 pm in IST)

Few Showers Expected
Temperature: 28°
Chance of rain: 31%
Humidity: 81%
Cloud Cover: 46%
Rain Amount: 0 mm

Weather for 10 AM on June 27, Thursday (10 am in Guyana will be 7.30 pm in IST)

Scattered Thunderstorms Expected
Temperature: 29°
Chance of rain: 50%
Humidity: 78%
Cloud Cover: 50%
Rain Amount: 0.77 mm

Weather for 11 AM on June 27, Thursday (11 am in Guyana will be 8.30 pm in IST)

Showers Expected
Temperature: 29°
Chance of rain: 36%
Humidity: 76%
Cloud Cover: 56%
Rain Amount: 0 mm

Weather for 12 PM on June 27, Thursday (12 noon in Guyana will be 9.30 pm in IST)

Few Showers Expected
Temperature: 29°
Chance of rain: 31%
Humidity: 74%
Cloud Cover: 49%
Rain Amount: 0.03 mm

Data via Weather dot com.

Weather for 1 PM on June 27, Thursday (1 pm in Guyana will be 10.30 pm in IST)

Showers Expected
Temperature: 30°
Chance of rain: 41%
Humidity: 74%
Cloud Cover: 50%
Rain Amount: 0.24 mm

Weather for 2 PM on June 27, Thursday (2 pm in Guyana will be 11.30 pm in IST)

Showers Expected
Temperature: 30°
Chance of rain: 40%
Humidity: 73%
Cloud Cover: 50%
Rain Amount: 0.1 mm

Weather for 3 PM on June 27, Thursday (3 pm in Guyana will be 12.30 am in IST)

Showers Expected
Temperature: 30°
Chance of rain: 38%
Humidity: 73%
Cloud Cover: 53%
Rain Amount: 0.1 mm

Weather for 4 PM on June 27, Thursday (4 pm in Guyana will be 1.30 am in IST)

Few Showers Expected
Temperature: 30°
Chance of rain: 34%
Humidity: 73%
Cloud Cover: 63%
Rain Amount: 0.1 mm

Weather for 5 PM on June 27, Thursday (5 pm in Guyana will be 2.30 am in IST)

Mostly Cloudy
Temperature: 29°
Chance of rain: 16%
Humidity: 75%
Cloud Cover: 61%
Rain Amount: 0 mm

Data via Weather dot com.

As we turn our eye on the sky on Guyana, focus must also be diverted to the pitch which could play a massive role in deciding the fate of India and England.

The pitch in Guyana is expected to be favorable to spin and since it is a day game (Thursday morning in Guyana), the wicket might continue to get slower as the game progresses.

Expect this to be one of those wickets where scoring in the Powerplay might be crucial as once the ball gets older the batters might struggle with powerhitting and strike-rotation in the middle overs.

However, should rain interrupt the game, expect the pitch to get damp and batting to get easier as the game progresses.

Former England captain Paul Collingwood has said that there is a possibility that England use four spinners against India.

"Adil Rashid is a golden nugget for the England cricket team. When he comes on naturally in the sixth over, I think the one thing about Rashid is, his wrong 'uns seem to be so difficult to pick. And he's got real good deception. Now in T20 cricket, deception is key. Whether it's slower balls, or being able to turn the ball both ways. And he is looking really comfortable at the moment. Indian batsmen generally play spin very well, but I think Adil Rashid, the way that he is bowling at the moment, we just have to wait and see what the conditions are like.

"There’s a chance that England could actually go with four spinners themselves. Obviously, Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone, who is actually an all-rounder who can bowl leg spin and off-spin. And you never know, if the wickets are so dry, you can go with Will Jacks as well. So, plenty of options, but I think Adil Rashid is on top of his game, and this is the beauty of the World Cup. You're gonna have a leg spinner now at the top of his game, confident, up against some of the best batters in the world. And that's why it's gonna be such a good spectacle, and we're all down to see it," Collingwood said during the Star Sports Press Room.

The pitch used for the first semi-final between South Africa and Afghanistan, which was won by the Proteas by nine wickets, has come under plenty of scrutiny. First, it was Ricky Ponting who had questioned the use of a brand new pitch.

Now, Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott has also weighed in.

"I don't want to get myself into trouble and I don't want to come across as bitter or it being a case of sour grapes...

but that's not the pitch that you want to have a match, a semi-final of a World Cup, on plain and simple. It should be a fair contest. I'm not saying it should be flat completely with no spin and no seam movement, but I'm saying you shouldn't have batsmen worrying about going forward and the ball flying over their head. You should be confident in your foot movement and being able to hit through the line or use your skills," Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott said when asked what he made of the pitch.

He went to elaborate: "T20 is about attacking and about scoring runs and taking wickets, not looking to survive. If the opposition bowled well and got to a position where they bowled very, very well and it's through skill, then that's fine and then it's about adapting to that. But once the ball starts misbehaving and rolling... if we had bowled as straight as South Africa had, I think you would have seen a very interesting second half as well. South Africa bowled well, used the conditions, and showed our boys what it's capable of. But it just didn't go our way tonight."

After India's win over Australia, Inzamam ul Haq claimed that some "serious work" had gone into the ball to get it to reverse swing early.

"Arshdeep Singh, when he was bowling the 15th over, the ball was reversing. Is it too early for reverse swing with the new ball? This means the ball was ready for reverse swing by the 12th or 13th over. Umpires should keep their eyes open for these things. If it were Pakistani bowlers reverse swinging the ball, this would have been a big issue. We know reverse swing very well, and if Arshdeep can come in the 15th over and start reversing the ball, it means some serious work had been done before," the former Pakistan captain was quoted as saying on a show called ‘World Cup Hungama’ on Pakistan’s 24 News channel where he was joined by former Pakistan cricketer Saleem Malik.

Now Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma has given a fitting reply to Inzamam.

"What should I say now about this. You are playing in such hot sun, the wicket is so dry, the ball reverses automatically. It's happening for all the teams, not just ours. All the teams are reverse swinging. Sometimes, it's important to open your mind and understand the conditions you're playing in. The match is not taking place in England or Australia. That's what I'll say," Rohit Sharma said.

Ahead of the T20 World Cup semi-final, India captain Rohit Sharma said they were not thinking about the World Cup final at the moment.

"We don't want to think about the final, which is too far ahead. We want to think about how well we can play and what we can do as a team for us to achieve the result that we are looking for. Sometimes if you think too much, then you will not be able to make the decisions that you want to make on the field. So, I think it's important that we stay clear in our mind about what we want to do. We have had enough conversations with the players, what is expected out of each one of us. So, it's time now to just rely on the individual instinct and then take the game forward," Rohit Sharma said about the Indian team's approach to the contest.

The India skipper has also dismissed the perception that they have enjoyed advantages over other teams at the T20 World Cup.

"I don't think it's an advantage. I'm sure a lot of these English cricketers have played in this venue. At the end of the day, you've got to play good cricket to win a cricket game. The overhead conditions are in nobody's control."

According to Accuweather, passing showers could hamper the marquee clash through the morning.

“Intervals of clouds and sunshine with a couple of showers, mainly early in the day,” predicts Accuweather app in its weather forecast for Thursday morning (West Indies time).

Read our full weather forecast report for Guyana.

The first thing that will dismay fans of the Indian and England cricket teams is that there is no reserve day for the India vs England semi-final.

Since the second semi-final will be played in the morning as per Guyana time, there are ample provisions for the match to be played out on Thursday itself.

However, in case the match is washed out, Team India fans have a reason to rejoice.

Here's why a washout benefits Team India.

As we turn our eye on the sky on Guyana, focus must also be diverted to the pitch which could play a massive role in deciding the fate of India and England.

The pitch in Guyana is expected to be favorable to spin and since it is a day game (Thursday morning in Guyana), the wicket might continue to get slower as the game progresses.

Expect this to be one of those wickets where scoring in the Powerplay might be crucial as once the ball gets older the batters might struggle with powerhitting and strike-rotation in the middle overs.

However, should rain interrupt the game, expect the pitch to get damp and batting to get easier as the game progresses.