Dubai, March 5 (UNI) England won the toss and elected to field against India in the semifinal of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on Thursday, setting up a high-stakes clash between the two sides.
England skipper Harry Brook said the decision was influenced by the conditions and the nature of the pitch. “We’re going to have a bowl. Looks like a good wicket, hopefully we can get off to a good start with the ball,” Brook said at the toss, adding that T20 cricket can be unpredictable and expressing hope that England could silence the crowd. England made one change to their playing XI with Jamie Overton replacing Rehan Ahmed.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav said that he would have preferred to bat first in the knockout encounter and was satisfied with the pitch conditions. “Semifinal, big game, and there’s wind around too. Don’t think there will be much dew. Looks a good one – probably the best one. Credit to all the curators and groundsmen,” he said, confirming that India were fielding the same team.
India fielded a strong XI featuring Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan, skipper Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah.
England’s playing XI comprised Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), captain Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid.
With a place in the final at stake, both teams will be looking to deliver under pressure in what promises to be an intense semifinal contest.
