Brook proud of England’s semis run

mumbai: England captain Harry Brook struck a tone of pride rather than regret after his side’s thrilling chase fell just seven runs short against India in the T20 World Cup semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium.

England pushed India to the brink in a high-scoring contest that produced nearly 500 runs, staying alive in the chase until the closing overs. For Brook, that fighting spirit summed up his team’s campaign.

“Disappointed, but extremely proud. We’ve had an amazing campaign, and we were in the game all the way until the last over,” Brook said. England’s chase was ignited by a fearless innings from Jacob Bethell, whose stroke play briefly threatened to pull off one of the tournament’s greatest run chases. Brook was full of praise for the young batter.

“He’s a phenomenal player. To play like that in a high-pressure situation against India on their home turf was incredible. He’s going to have a hell of a career with England,” Brook asserted.

The turning point, however, may have come earlier in the evening when Brook dropped India opener Sanju Samson, who went on to score a match-defining 89.

“Catchers win matches, don’t they? Unfortunately, it didn’t stay in my hands. He arguably won them the game,” he said.

Brook also acknowledged the decisive role played by India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, whose control in the death overs proved crucial. “He’s the best of all time at the minute,” Brook said. Despite the narrow defeat, the England captain insisted the team had shown its character throughout the tournament.

“We’ve been a hard team to beat. The boys fought hard and stayed in the game almost until the last ball. Everyone should be extremely proud,” he reiterated.“The way the England boys played him yesterday was to try and take the overs as deep as possible,” Phillips observed.