No happy ending for Harry Brook’s England as they fail to book place in World Cup final

The post was accompanied by a picture of Harry Brook, the England captain, in full batting flow on the front cover of a mock volume entitled “Harry Slogger and the World Cup semi-final”, presumably a play on “Harry Potter and the… (insert your own sub-title).”

Sadly for England, they were not quite able to match the dexterity of Yorkshire's social media arm, slipping to a seven-run defeat that ensured there would be no glorious last chapter in Ahmedabad on Sunday - only a losing epilogue to this T20 story.

Harry Brook and a Fitting Conclusion to a Horrible Winter? It was certainly not a night that the captain would want to remember.

The margin of defeat flattered England somewhat, Jacob Bethell’s maiden T20 hundred of scant consolation as it took its place in the category marked “Heroic Failure”. It was a brilliant performance by the young man, who scored 105 from 48 balls with eight fours and seven sixes, reaching his century from 45 deliveries.

It was a night that had started encouragingly for Brook, who won the toss and thus earned the right to dictate how matters would unfold.

But the decision to bowl first did not pay off, India scoring 253-7 as Sanju Samson’s 89 from 42 balls with seven sixes deservedly won him player-of-the-match.

The key moment came when Brook dropped Samson on 15, a straightforward chance at mid-on off Jofra Archer that inexplicably burst through the captain’s fingers.

Brook is such a fine fielder - and such a fine catcher - that it was akin to Erling Haaland missing an open net from five yards.

India scored 67-1 in the powerplay - Abhishek Sharma the man out when he mistimed Will Jacks to deep mid-wicket - and they were 119-2 at halfway, Ishan Kishan following Abhishek back to the pavilion when he skied Adil Rashid to Jacks at long-off, having scored 39 from 18 balls and shared in a rollocking second-wicket stand of 97 with Samson from 45 deliveries.

It was a stand that roused the matchday announcer into a state of unacceptable hysteria, which continued unchecked.

“Clap, clap - clap, clap, clap. Clap, clap - clap, clap, clap,” he screamed into his microphone in between deliveries. The International Cricket Council should really put a stop to this sort of insufferable din, disguised as an effort to generate atmosphere. There is plenty of that in India anyway.

Samson fell to the first ball of the 14th over, at which point India were 160-3 with a fearsome platform.

Their captain, Suryakumar Yadav, did not linger, lured out of his ground trying to sweep a Rashid googly and smartly stumped by wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, but Shivam Dube injected more impetus, the left-hander utilising his long levers to whack 43 from 25 balls with four sixes.

Dube was sold down the river by Hardik Pandya when he was run-out at the non-striker’s end in the 18th over – Brook, on this occasion, making no mistake from mid-wicket with just the one stump to aim at.

Next ball, Pandya lost his bat as it flew out of his hands and almost his wicket – only to be spilled at long-on by Tom Banton running in off the bowling of Sam Curran.

Archer’s tough night continued when Tilak Varma dispatched him for three sixes in four balls, the bowler gaining revenge with a fine yorker.

Pandya was run-out from the penultimate ball for a sprightly 27 going for a second run that was never there, with every England bowler conceding at least 10 runs an over, Jacks the most economical and successful with 2-40.

Phil Salt and Jos Buttler both hit their first balls for four when England replied but, as has been the way of things, left the field cheaply.

Salt skied into the covers while Buttler – who came out swinging like a bouncer in a Wellington night spot – was comprehensively bowled.

Brook fell to Jasprit Bumrah’s first delivery, brilliantly caught by a diving Axar Patel running back from the covers, but Bethell was splendid, striking three successive sixes off leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy, all timing and power.

Axar bowled Banton swinging across the line, then Bethell and Jacks added 77 in 39 balls, the latter the victim of an Axar-inspired relay catch on the point boundary.

It came down to 45 needed from the last three overs, at which point Burmah conceded just six runs from the 18th over before Curran holed out to deep mid-wicket.

Bethell was run-out going for a second when all hope had gone, Archer striking three of the last four balls of the contest for six.

There was no happy ending for England on World “Brook” Day.