A file image of South Africa’s Quinton De Kock and David Miller.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen. File Picture
| Photo Credit: AP

South Africa’s Quinton de Kock (ANI Photo)

Quinton de Kock has criticised the International Cricket Council after reports suggested that England cricket team would return home before both South Africa national cricket team and the West Indies cricket team following their exits from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Travel plans for several teams have been affected due to international airspace restrictions linked to the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. As a result, a number of sides have remained in India while waiting for charter flights arranged by the ICC. The West Indies were knocked out of the tournament on March 1 after a defeat to the India national cricket team in the Super 8 stage, while South Africa’s campaign ended with a semi final loss to the New Zealand national cricket team. Since then, both teams have remained in India awaiting travel arrangements. The Caribbean side has been in the country for about a week following their elimination, while the Proteas have been waiting for three days. In contrast, England were beaten by India in the second semi final on Thursday but are set to leave for home on Saturday, just two days after their exit. The situation prompted de Kock to question the apparent imbalance, suggesting that some teams might have greater influence within international cricket.

Quinton de kock’s insta story

“Funny @icc, we have heard nothing! Meanwhile, England are leaving before us somehow? @westindies and @proteasmencsa are just in the dark! Strange how different teams have more pull than others,” wrote Quinton de Kock on Instagram Stories. Earlier, former England captain Michael Vaughan also raised similar concerns about the travel situation. He questioned why England were able to leave earlier despite other teams being stuck in India for longer.

Michael Vaughan post

“So England got knocked out on Thurs, get a charter home today .. West Indies go out last Sunday and are still in Kolkata .. SA in the same position .. That’s where the power is all wrong .. All teams in this situation should be treated the same .. just because you are more powerful at the ICC table shouldn’t count .. #JustSaying,” he wrote on X. According to ESPNCricinfo, England are expected to depart on Saturday, while both South Africa and the West Indies are likely to leave on Sunday once charter flights organised by the ICC become available. England’s flight is scheduled to head directly to London. Meanwhile, South Africa and West Indies are set to travel first to Johannesburg, after which the Caribbean side will continue their journey to Antigua. However, neither team has officially confirmed the exact timing of their departures. Frustration within the West Indies camp has been visible. Head coach Daren Sammy posted “Day 6” on X on Friday, highlighting how long the team had been stranded in Kolkata since their match against India at the Eden Gardens. Earlier in the tournament, the Zimbabwe national cricket team also faced travel delays after playing their final match against South Africa on March 1 in New Delhi, before eventually departing India on March 4.

Rohit Sharma and Brendon McCullum (Screengrab)

Former India captain Rohit Sharma grabbed plenty of attention at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday night as India national cricket team defeated England cricket team to secure a place in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.Rohit, who captained India to the T20 World Cup title in the USA and West Indies two years ago, was present at the venue as a special guest. Before the semi-final began, he was involved in the pre-match ceremony, presenting the silverware and handing over the match ball. However, it was his lively interactions with players and staff from both camps that became a talking point even before the contest got underway.The former skipper first spent time with members of the Indian side, catching up with Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Mohammed Siraj and India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel. After that, he walked across to the England dugout, where he met former captain Eoin Morgan and head coach Brendon McCullum.

Morgan and McCullum were both stunned by Rohit’s noticeable physical transformation. The former India captain has reportedly shed close to 10 kilograms as part of his fitness drive, and the change was clearly visible during his appearance at the ground.“In the shape of your life. What’s going on?” Morgan asked Rohit.“Just chilling,” Rohit replied.McCullum, meanwhile, had a humorous reaction when he saw the former opener. “Where’s the rest of you?” he remarked. Rohit responded with a smile, saying, “It’s all gone”.Rohit also shared a brief exchange with Suryakumar Yadav that seemed to lift the batter’s confidence ahead of the high-pressure clash. When Surya asked, “Do you think we’ll be able to pull it off?”, Rohit responded positively: “Yeah, obviously! We played so well in the last match too.” During another conversation, Rohit reassured bowling coach Morne Morkel about the conditions, telling him not to worry as the wind would stay consistent throughout the game.The semi-final marked the third consecutive T20 World Cup knockout meeting between India and England. England had dominated the 2022 clash with a 10-wicket victory before India returned the favour two years later.Thursday’s contest once again produced tense moments, especially when Jacob Bethell threatened to take the game away from India with a powerful innings. However, the match ultimately turned in India’s favour thanks to a superb finish from Jasprit Bumrah, whose final two overs conceded just 14’Where’s the Rest of You?’: Brendon McCullum runs.

Axar Patel dives to take the catch of England’s captain Harry Brook. (ANI Photo)

NEW DELHI: India vice-captain Axar Patel produced two extraordinary moments in the field that turned the tide in India’s thrilling semifinal victory over England at the Wankhede Stadium, and the all-rounder later revealed which of the two catches he believes was the tougher effort.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!India edged England by seven runs in a high-scoring contest at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semifinal in Mumbai, a match that saw a staggering 499 runs scored across both innings. While the batters dominated the contest, Axar’s athletic brilliance in the field proved just as decisive.

The first moment of magic came early in England’s chase when the dangerous Harry Brook looked set to launch an assault. Off a slower delivery from Jasprit Bumrah, Brook mistimed a shot that seemed destined to fall safely. But Axar sprinted nearly 24 metres backward from cover, tracking the ball over his shoulder before completing a sensational diving catch.The Wankhede crowd erupted as the early breakthrough halted England’s aggressive start.Watch Catch No. 1:Axar’s second act of brilliance arrived in the 14th over, when England’s counterattack threatened to tilt the match. With Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks building a dangerous partnership, Jacks sliced a wide full toss from Arshdeep Singh toward deep point. Axar raced to his left, grabbed the ball just before crossing the boundary rope, and cleverly relayed it to Shivam Dube to complete a stunning team effort.That dismissal broke the 77-run stand and pulled India back into the contest.Watch Catch No.2:Asked to choose between the two fielding gems, Axar admitted the Jacks catch was more crucial in terms of match situation but rated the Brook catch as the tougher one.“When I took the first catch of Harry Brook, it was a very good catch for me, it was tough,” Axar said with a smile. “But if you look at the situation and the way England were batting, the catch of Will Jacks was very important to break the partnership.”“If you ask me fielding-wise, Harry Brook’s catch was tougher. And yeah, luckily today, I thought the ball was chasing me,” he joked.India eventually held their nerve despite Bethell’s brilliant century, setting up a summit clash with New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

England captain Harry Brook speaks with Sam Curran and Jos Buttler. (Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: England captain Harry Brook admitted that costly fielding lapses — including a dropped catch of Sanju Samson — played a decisive role in his side’s defeat to India in the semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on Thursday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Speaking during the post-match presentation, Brook conceded that England misread the conditions and failed to execute their plans, particularly in the field, allowing India to post a daunting total.

“We thought there might have been hold, spin in the first innings, slid onto the bat nicely, and India batted well. I’ll hold my hands up and admit I made a big mistake dropping Samson. We weren’t good enough in the field. We misexecuted, and can’t afford to do that against India,” Brook said.The turning point came when Brook dropped Samson while the Indian batter was on just 15. The chance, off the bowling of Jofra Archer, proved extremely costly as Samson went on to anchor India’s innings with a commanding knock.Samson’s blistering 89 off 42 balls powered India to a formidable 253/7, a total that eventually proved just out of England’s reach.

“Yeah, catches win matches, don’t they? Unfortunately, it didn’t stay in my hands and yeah, it’s just one of those things. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch it and he played a very, very good innings as well and arguably won them the game,” Brook said.The England skipper admitted that the missed opportunity stayed on his mind throughout the chase.“Obviously, it’s in the back of your mind as the game goes on. I kept on looking at the scoreboard and he was piling the runs on. I was like, ‘I’m going to have to get an 80 or 90 tonight.’ Not ideal, but it’s happened now,” he added.Despite the defeat, Brook found positives in England’s spirited chase, particularly praising young batter Jacob Bethell for his fearless century.Bethell smashed 105 off just 48 balls, while Will Jacks contributed 35 during a counter-attacking partnership that briefly revived England’s hopes.“Bethell was absolutely unbelievable, he’ll earn some serious money. To see him taking it from ball one showed the world what he can do,” Brook said.England eventually finished on 246/7, falling agonisingly short despite Bethell’s heroics and a late blitz from Archer. Brook, however, insisted his side could still take pride in their campaign.“We had a good tournament; we should be extremely proud of how we played. We stuck to it the whole game; unfortunately, we were on the wrong side,” he said.

Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav (Screengrab)

India faced England in the T20 World Cup semi-final at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, with an interesting moment before the toss as Rohit Sharma, India’s T20 World Cup 2024-winning captain, was seen chatting with current skipper Suryakumar Yadav. The conversation caught the attention of fans and cameras just before the crucial match began.At the toss, England captain Harry Brook won and chose to bowl first. India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav said his team would have preferred to bat as well, believing the pitch looked good and conditions were suitable for batting.“We were looking to bat first. Semifinal, big game, and there’s wind around too. Don’t think there will be much dew. Looks a good one (the pitch). The best one. Credit to all the curators and groundsmen. Same team,” Surya said at the toss.Watch Rohit Sharma attending IND vs ENG T20 World Cup semi-final:Brook explained England’s decision and admitted India had more experience at the venue.“We’re going to have a bowl. Looks like a good wicket, hopefully we can get off to a good start with the ball. They’ve obviously got a lot more experience on this ground than us. T20 cricket is such a fickle game, you never know what’s going to happen. Hopefully we can keep them quiet (the crowd). Overton comes in for Rehan.”Looking at their journey to the semi-finals, India had a mixed campaign. They started with a narrow win over USA, followed by victories against other teams in the group stage. However, they suffered a heavy loss to South Africa in the Super-8 round before bouncing back with important wins against Zimbabwe and West Indies to secure a place in the last four.England’s path was also uneven at first. They scraped past Nepal, lost to West Indies, and struggled in wins over Scotland and Italy. But their form improved in the Super-8 stage with strong victories against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and New Zealand, which helped them become the first team to qualify for the semi-finals.At Wankhede, England had played two earlier matches with a 1–1 record, while India had won their only game at the venue against USA by 29 runs. Historically, the two sides are evenly matched at this ground, with England winning in 2012 and India returning the favour in 2025.

NEW DELHI: England captain Harry Brook says unity, belief and staying calm under pressure have helped his team reach the T20 World Cup semi-finals — and they don’t need to play a “perfect game” to win the title.England, two-time champions, will face fellow two-time winners India in the semi-final for the third straight edition. While India were labelled favourites at the start, both teams have had ups and downs in the tournament.

When asked if England would need a flawless performance to beat India at home, Brook said: “No, I don’t believe that we need a perfect game to win the competition to be honest.” He added, “The games that we have won have been nowhere near perfect and we’ve still managed to get the wins convincingly in some of them and then tight (in) the other games.”Brook credited team spirit. “But it’s just the unity that we’ve had to be able to get across the line, the belief that everybody’s shown throughout the games and the calmness that we’ve had when the bowlers have stood at the top of the mark,” he said.Calling the clash special, he said, “It’s up there for sure. It’s a dream come true for most of us to play in a World Cup semifinal against the home nation on a very iconic ground, so we’re all really looking forward to it.”Though confident, he admitted, “we haven’t quite played that perfect performance (yet) and I feel like it’s just around the corner… Hopefully, it’s tomorrow (Thursday) night.”Brook also backed out-of-form former captain Jos Buttler, saying, “There should be no reason to question why he’s on the team.”He dismissed concerns about playing spin and said one big individual effort could decide the match: “We don’t feel like we’re ever out of a game so far… I feel like there’s a big individual performance to come.”

Team India players at Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple. (Video grab)

Hours before stepping into a high-pressure T20 World Cup semifinal against England, members of the Indian team sought divine intervention at Mumbai’s iconic Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple on Wednesday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!In a video that quickly went viral on social media, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma were seen offering prayers and taking darshan at the revered temple, a day before India’s knockout clash at the Wankhede Stadium.WATCH:The spiritual visit comes at a crucial juncture for India, who have not exactly cruised into the semifinals. Overwhelming favourites at the start of the tournament, they have struggled to piece together a flawless performance against stronger opponents. However, the side showed resilience after a heavy defeat to South Africa in their Super 8 opener.The reintroduction of Sanju Samson proved a masterstroke. More than a decade after his India debut, the 31-year-old delivered a career-defining unbeaten 97 in a virtual quarterfinal against West Indies, reigniting India’s campaign. His confidence will be key, especially for opening partner Abhishek Sharma, who is still searching for his explosive best despite a Super 8 fifty against Zimbabwe.

England, riding on five straight wins, will pose a stern test. Jofra Archer’s pace, Will Jacks’ off-spin in the powerplay and Adil Rashid’s middle-overs craft could challenge India’s top order. Harry Brook and Sam Curran have been pivotal for England, while questions remain over Jos Buttler’s form heading into the big clash.India’s core group, including Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma, put in extended hours at training earlier this week. With spin twins Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy expected to play a major role on a potentially tricky surface, execution will be crucial.