India beat WI to set up semis vs England, SA down Zimbabwe

Sanju Samson’s sparkling unbeaten 97 kept alive India’s dream of retaining the T20 World Cup at home as they knocked out the West Indies (WI) with a five-wicket win in Kolkata on Sunday to set up a semi-final against England.

Samson hit 12 fours and four sixes in his superb 50-ball knock in the winner-takes-all final Super Eights match to thrill a capacity 67,000 fans at a pulsating Eden Gardens.

After the West Indies smacked 70 off the last five overs to score 195-4 after being asked to bat, India lost two early wickets but were always up with the required rate.

Samson, opening for the second match in succession, led the way.

When India slipped to 41-2 he was joined by captain Suryakumar Yadav (18) and the pair added 58 for the third wicket.

Tilak Varma was next to join Samson and scored 27 off 15 before departing in the 15th over with the score 141-4 and India still needing 55.

Samson stood firm and though Hardik Pandya fell for 17 India reached the target with four balls to spare to spark celebrations and fireworks.

Jason Holder and Rovman Powell earlier put on an unbroken stand of 76 for the fifth wicket to help the West Indies set the defending champions a target of 196 to stay alive.

The West Indies sprang a surprise at the top of the order, promoting Test captain Roston Chase to open alongside T20 skipper Shai Hope.

That enabled them to bring in an extra spinner, Akeal Hosein, with regular opener Brandon King left out.

In their defeat to South Africa last week the West Indies slumped to 83-7 but the new-look opening partnership was more assured. Spinner Varun Chakravarthy got the first breakthrough, bowling Hope for a sluggish 32. Shimron Hetmyer raced to 27 off 12 balls before falling to the faintest of edges off Jasprit Bumrah to make it 102-2.

After Chase fell for 40 and Sherfane Rutherford followed, Powell and Holder launched their brutal late assault.

Powell finished on 34 not out from 19 balls with two sixes and three fours while Holder was unbeaten on 37 off 22 balls with three sixes and two fours.

It could have been better for India but they dropped three regulation catches in a sloppy fielding display, including Chase when he had made just 15.

SA continue unbeaten run with five-wicket win over Zimbabwe: South Africa, the only unbeaten side in the tournament, beat Zimbabwe by five wickets earlier on Sunday and will face New Zealand in Kolkata in the first semi-final on Wednesday.

The final is in Ahmedabad next Sunday.

Dewald Brevis top-scored with 42 as South Africa overcame a stunning spell from Sikandar Raza at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Chasing 154, South Africa were rocked early by Raza, who removed Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram inside the first three overs. Ryan Rickelton briefly countered with three sixes before falling to leave the Proteas in trouble at 43/3.

Brevis then took charge, smashing two fours and four sixes in his 18-ball 42 to tilt the chase back in South Africa’s favour. David Miller joined in with a flurry of boundaries, but Zimbabwe kept striking back, as Blessing Muzarabani and Raza removed the duo to keep the contest alive.

Raza finished with figures of 3-29, adding to his superb 73 with the bat, but South Africa’s batting depth proved decisive. George Linde (30 not out) and Tristan Stubbs (21 not out) took the Proteas home with 13 balls to spare. The result means South Africa head into their semi-final against New Zealand in Kolkata as the only unbeaten side in the tournament.

South Africa’s chase began with a huge jolt when Quinton de Kock was undone by a slower ball from Raza which found grip, and had him chopping into the gloves of Tadiwanashe Marumani. Raza struck again in his second over when his carrom ball kept low and sneaked through Aiden Markram’s bat to castle him for just four.

Ryan Rickelton, though, launched a counter-attack by thumping Raza down the ground for six, before taking a blow to the helmet from Brad Evans. Rickelton then managed to clear the boundary ropes thrice for maximums, before going too early into the shot off Evans and Ryan Burl took a superb acrobatic catch at deep midwicket.

Brevis, who began with a backfoot punch off Raza for four, lit up the stadium with his two trademark no-look sixes off Graeme Cremer and driving amazingly on the up off Blessing Muzarabani for four. Miller joined the fun with back-to-back sixes and a four off Wellington Masakadza, before he and Brevis took a four and six off Muzarabani to bring up the fifty of the partnership in quick time.

Agencies