T20 World Cup 2026: England captain Harry Brooke makes big statement ahead of semi-final against India

Mumbai: England captain Harry Brook said on Wednesday that unity, confidence, and the ability to handle pressure have helped England reach the T20 World Cup semi-finals, and that the two-time champions don't need a "perfect game" to win the title. England will face two-time champions India in the second semi-final on Thursday. Both England and India haven't yet performed at their best.

What did Harry Brook say?

Asked if England will need to perform at their best to beat India on home soil, Brook said, "No, I don't think a perfect game is needed to win this tournament." He added, "We haven't played a perfect match yet, but we've still had a good win. We've reached this far because of unity, confidence, and composure under pressure." He added, "Playing a World Cup semi-final against the hosts on this historic ground is a dream come true for most of us." We are all very excited." He added, "We will go in with confidence and play good cricket."

Like England, India's journey to the semi-finals hasn't been easy, but Team India's bowling coach Morne Morkel downplayed the home team's lack of consistency so far. He said that what matters is not the method of reaching the semi-finals, but winning the next two matches. Defending champions India were considered strong contenders in the T20 World Cup, but their performance has been inconsistent so far in the tournament. They faced a do-or-die situation against the West Indies, but they managed to win.

What did Morne Morkel say?

During a media interaction before the second semi-final against England, Morkel was also questioned about the performance of Indian bowlers, including Varun Chakravarthy, who failed to perform as expected in some matches. Morkel said, "They are a good team, they play well. If you expect us to bowl out teams for 120 or 150, that's not a fair expectation. We are in the semi-finals and have reached here by winning. We know that the margin of victory and defeat in India is very small.It doesn't matter how you reach the semi-finals. What matters is how you perform in the next two matches."