Catches win matches. The phrase often used by cricketers and fans alike became relevant in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal. After getting rid of an out-of-form Abhishek Sharma, England were all ready to tighten the screws. The man-marking was on point too. Jofra Archer almost got rid of Sanju Samson again but skipper Harry Brook couldn’t hold on to the catch at mid-on. After getting a second life, Samson rubbed salt on England’s wounds by placing the ball in the gaps and depositing it in the stands. After a seven-run loss in a high-scoring affair at Wankhede Stadium, Brook rued dropping the opener’s catch. He admitted that it played on his mind when Samson was batting and he was thinking of making up for it by scoring as many runs with the bat in the run chase.
"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 very, very good innings as well and arguably won them (India) the game,” Brook said in the post-match press conference.
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“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. (It is) not ideal, but it's happened now,” he added.
Samson scored 89 runs from 42 balls, hitting eight fours and seven sixes. He set the platform for a big score. Shivam Dube's 25-ball 43 and cameos from Hardik Pandya (12-ball 27) and Tilak Varma (7-ball 21), helped India post 253/7.
Bumrah outfoxes Brook
In the run chase, Brook had to walk out to bat in the second over after Pandya got rid of Phil Salt. In the fifth over, Suryakumar Yadav handed the ball to Jasprit Bumrah and he delivered with Brook's wicket. The England skipper was beaten by a slower one and Axar Patel took a stunning catch. He departed after scoring just seven runs from six balls.