MUMBAI: England all-rounder Sam Curran has said he hopes his side can reproduce the “perfect” performance they delivered in the Adelaide semi-final as they prepare to face India in their third successive T20 World Cup semi-final on Thursday.
Curran, who was named Player of the Tournament when England won the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, recalled the dominant display in Adelaide where Jos Buttler and Alex Hales comfortably chased down a 169-run target against India with four overs remaining.
That ten-wicket victory secured England’s place in the final, which they later went on to win.
Looking ahead to the latest chapter of the rivalry — with the two teams also meeting in the 2024 semi-final in Guyana — Curran acknowledged the challenge of playing in front of a passionate crowd at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium but said England were motivated by the opportunity.
Perfect game
“Everyone’s saying when are England going to play the perfect game, that’s (Adelaide semis) our perfect game,” Curran said during a training session on Tuesday.
“So if we can get anything close to that, that’d be great. You kind of look back on fond memories. Jos was our man that day, Jos and Halesy (Alex Hales) and that’s just the perfect game. If you want to defend, take down someone by 10 wickets, we bowled really well, that was a massive Indian crowd as well. So we take a lot of positives. To be honest, I don’t care if we play a perfect game or not. I just want to win and get to another World Cup final,” he added.
Harry Brook’s England have not always looked fluent during the tournament, though they have still progressed after winning three consecutive matches in the Super Eights despite an earlier defeat to West Indies at the same venue.
Player-of-the-Match awards
Will Jacks has been England’s standout performer with four Player-of-the-Match awards, while Brook ranks among the leading run-scorers after producing a century against Pakistan in the Super Eights.
Curran downplayed concerns about individual performances, emphasising that the team’s focus remains on winning matches.
“Everyone worries about each individual’s form so much,” Curran said. “The fact is we have been winning. So I don’t think the guys are actually too fussed about personal form.”
He added that success in World Cup cricket depends more on collective performance than individual statistics.
Despite England’s progress, Jos Buttler’s form remains a concern. The wicketkeeper-batter has scored just 62 runs in seven innings, including a duck against New Zealand in the final Super Eights match.
Facing bowlers
Buttler spent nearly two hours practising in the nets on Tuesday, working on his technique before facing bowlers.
“He obviously wants more runs, but I certainly would rather have Jos Buttler in my team than coming up against him on Thursday night,” Curran said.
“He’s done so well for us over many, many years and he’s done well at this ground many, many times as well. So, hopefully, Thursday night is his night.”
The semi-final will be played on the same central pitch where England previously lost to West Indies and where Italy registered their first-ever World Cup win against Nepal.
So far in the tournament, the surface has favoured spin bowlers, who have taken 14 wickets at an economy rate of 7.19, compared with eight wickets by pace bowlers at 10.35.
While the red-soil pitch is expected to retain bounce, it may offer less turn than earlier matches, with the ball likely to come on to the bat more quickly.
Curran, however, dismissed the idea that factors such as the toss or dew would determine the outcome.
Home crowd
“In a semi-final, there’s so much…maybe the pressure will take out the aspect of whether it’s dew or not. If there’s any dew experts out there come and join our sheds, but I don’t think there is. So if we bowl first, hopefully rock and roll ’em, and if we bat first hopefully we get a big score.”
He also acknowledged the impact of the home crowd but said England players are used to the atmosphere in India.
“We’re very prepared for what the crowd’s going to be like. As a player you get goosebumps, it’s so cool to play in such stadiums and noise.”
Reflecting on the occasion, Curran said facing India in India was the kind of challenge players dream about.
“Flying to Mumbai from Sri Lanka, you kind of think about you dreaming of as a kid, what would you love to do? And that’s probably take on India in India. It’s such an amazing experience.”
“If the crowd are silent, England are probably going to be doing well. So I guess that’s our positive way of looking at it,” he concluded.
