England fall short against West Indies on day of double Super Over
11 Feb 2026 · 40 min
The BBC Radio 5 Live "Test Match Special" (TMS) podcast episode opens with a LinkedIn advertising spot before moving into a detailed post‑match analysis of the T20 World Cup group‑stage clash between England and the West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. West Indies posted 196/5, powered by a 76‑run blitz from Siobhan Rutherford, and bowled out England for 166, winning by 30 runs. The hosts – Henry Moeran, Stephen Finn, Prakash Wakanka and Michael Atherton – dissect the innings, highlighting key overs, spin dominance, the impact of big overs (14+ runs), and pivotal wickets taken by Roston Chase (34 + 2/29) and the West Indian bowlers. Player interviews follow: Rutherford discusses her innings and the challenge of Adil Rashid; Jacob Bethel reflects on England’s chase and missed partnerships; Harry Brook offers his perspective on the spin attack and the chase’s collapse. The conversation shifts to England’s upcoming fixtures (Scotland and Italy in Kolkata) and the need to rebound. The hosts also recap the tournament’s most dramatic moment – the South Africa vs Afghanistan double super‑over – and comment on the format’s ability to produce close, competitive matches. Throughout, the podcast intersperses commentary on broader tournament narratives, team form, and the significance of T20 cricket’s tight margins. The episode concludes with reminders to follow BBC Sport for highlights and to subscribe to the TMS podcast.
Chapters
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. The best B2B marketing gets wasted on the wrong people. So when you want to reach the right professionals, use LinkedIn ads. LinkedIn has grown to a network of over 1 billion professionals, including 130 million decision makers. And that's where it stands apart from other ad buyers. You can target your buyers by job title, industry, company role, seniority, skills, company revenue, so you can stop wasting budget on the wrong audience. It's why LinkedIn Ads generates the highest B2B return on ad spend of major ad networks. Spend $250 on your first campaign on LinkedIn Ads and get $250 credit for the next one. Just go to LinkedIn.com Broadcast. That's LinkedIn.com Broadcast. Terms and conditions apply. If there was a big red button that would just demolish the Internet, I would smash that button with my forehead. From the BBC, this is the Interface, the show that explores how tech is rewiring your week and your world. This isn't about quarterly earnings or about tech reviews. It's about what technology is actually doing to your work, your politics, your everyday life and all the bizarre ways people are using the Internet. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. You're listening to the TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 live. Adil Rashid waits. Whip the ball into the leg side. Could be a chance of a catch. And there is the game for West Indies. A really good low catch in the deep. Roston Chase tumbling forward. England all out for 166 and West Indies flags are flying around the Wankadi Stadium here in Mumbai because they've beaten England by 30 runs. So England have lost this game and they've lost it by 30 runs. Set a target of 197. They were unable to chase it down though. They got a quick start to their run chase. It was ultimately a chase that fell short and fell short by some distance as well as West Indies celebrate and get a victory that sees them two from two and England after a narrow victory over Nepal have been beaten by the two time champions West Indies here on Test Match Special. Stephen Finn still alongside me and also Prakash Wukanka joins us as well and we'll get reaction from the two camps shortly. But Prakash, what have you made of what we've seen in this game? It's felt a pretty chastening one for England perhaps. Perhaps indeed. 6 for 94 of 12 overs of spin. I think that tells the story when you're chasing something in excess of 180. Obviously you want to be able to, to get there. And I think the way that Phil Salt started, we thought, at least I thought that this might actually finish sooner than later. But they stuck to the task. The Wendy's, they kept picking wickets and the three Bs as Stephen Finn just mentioned, Banton, Brooks and Bethel, the three 3B's were the big wickets that Moti duminative Garakesh Moti picked up and then of course backed up so well by Roston Chase and indeed Hussein. Not to take anything away from shepherd and Joseph, even though Holder was expensive, but he came back well in his second over pre England. If I really think back in my view Henry, it was a bit of an up and down thing on both halves of the game for England. There were periods where they did exceedingly well and then sort of dropped off. England captain Owen Morgan is to hand over the player of the match award. One left hander who liked hitting sixes to give it to another left hander who likes hitting sixes. Chifane Rutherford. Many congratulations. Great win for your team tonight. First of all, how's the injury? First of all, you know I want to thank God for this opportunity, you know, playing in the biggest stage. But my finger is good. Hopefully we'll be better for the next game. Well, let's talk about your innings. First of all, what were the challenges that England's attack posed for you tonight? I think one of the biggest challenges was Adil Rashid. You know, in our meeting we know that he's going to be the toughest bowler for us. So what was important for me is just to try and keep him out of game, try and score and you know, just keep rotating the strike and build a partnership and you know, just back ourselves to make up in the surface. Seemed a good one, slightly quicker than it was up in Kolkata against Scotland. But you looked in good touch there. Were you confident coming into this game? Yeah, definitely. You know, for me I've been putting in a lot of work coming into the World cup. You know, for me once I trust my process and read the situation, I think, you know, once I'm in I can always score in the end. So it just was important for me, you know, to just have a clear mind and just play with more intent. And were you confident that the score that you posted 196 would be enough? For me I think we were like 10 runs behind. With England batting, we know they are very powerful but I think the guys stood up well tonight and bowled well. So, you know, well done to them and, you know, this will mean a lot for us. And the Guyanese are powering West Indies in this competition. Shimon Hetmeyer getting player of the match in the first game and of course, Romario shepherd as well. Yeah, you know, it's good for our country. You know, our country has been, you know, coming into the spotlight, but, you know, cricket is a team sport and, you know, moving forward, you know, hopefully the other guys can put their hands up and, you know, as a collective unit, we can continue to get better. Two wins out of two. Now you must be filled with confidence going into the rest of the games. Yeah, definitely. You know, in this big stage, you want to make sure that you have that momentum and, you know, it was very important for us to keep this momentum and, you know, moving forward. So it's just about getting better. Try and add 10% to our game and hopefully we can keep going better. Many congratulations. Well played. Thank you. That's the thoughts there of Siofain Rutherford chatting to Michael Atherton on the boundary edge. He scored 76 not out from 42 balls. Was dropped by Adil Rashid, who was otherwise outstanding, but in the end it was his contribution that proved so significant. Prakash and Steven still with me. We'll be hearing from the two captains shoot shortly as well as plenty more reaction across the rest of the day. But if you were to sort of change the narrative of the Nepal game, just briefly, you can either turn it. If England have won tonight, you'd be saying, well, they got through a tricky encounter against Nepal, showed great resilience and then beat West Indies, or suddenly they lose to West Indies. Oh, they barely beat Nepal and then they lose to West Indies. Do you see what I mean? They're sort of alternate realities that you can have and probably it's somewhere in between the two where. Whereby they did well in that game to handle themselves under pressure and they've fallen short against West Indies. Excellent way of answering the question you asked. Absolutely right. I think, you know, you've got to take what it is and you've got to look. Look at it. A win is a win, a loss is a loss. And I think that puts it in perspective. Fairly straightforward. But yes, England. England will. Will find. Think about what they could have done better, which is what f. Well, I think looking at the over comparison between the two teams, there were. There were quite a few big overs that the West Indies got on. On England when they were. When they were bowling, you probably consider a big over to be 14 runs or more. England with the bat in hand had two overs out of the 19 that they ended up facing of 14 runs or more and the West Indies had seven out of the 20 overs. That's a lot of overs to be conceding more than 14 runs. And in those overs, quite frequently the last ball of the over went for a boundary, either six or four. So as a bowler in particular in that situation, even though your over isn't going as you'd planned, retaining the concentration and resetting almost with the captain, however you do it to try and get out of the over to make sure that it's a 10 run over, not a 14 or 16 run over with that last ball. Going for a four or six can create big swings in the game. And then just generally between the two teams, we know West Indies are big six hitters anyway. I think they hit 13 sixes to England six. And those are sometimes markers that you look between the two teams and there can be a few things that can be attributed towards that in this situation. I think the West Indies just bowled really well. I, I think if you, if you cast your mind back to the start of the Wendy's innings, it really was that will jack s over, wasn't it? That that sort of set the momentum suddenly lifting up within the power play and they got to 55, 60. Whatever they did during the power play. I think that that decision on hindsight, it's wonderful to, to be able to look at it and say it may not have worked but was there an option for, for Harry Brook at that time because of the left hander on at the crease? I think Finny, you suggested that Dawson was not bold and yet, you know, these are the little things which one can look back now and say what if this or what if that. On balance, I think the w West Indies just, just came out there and I think many of us, in fact, if memory serves, even, even Carlos said during commentary that he was a little concerned about the bowling ability of the West Indies. But six bowlers used man, they did well. Roston Chase brought into the team for this game was outstanding, wasn't he? And his ability to be an all rounder and balance the team as well, really important. He made 34 with the bat and then took his 2 for 29. He can probably feel slightly aggrieved that he's not player of the match just for his ability to affect both innings. Steady the ship. When the West Indies lost those couple of early wickets and it looked as though England were going to really grab the game by the scruff of the neck. He didn't let that happen. And then the same with the ball in hand, took a couple of really important wickets. So he had a good day. A little bit of a worry, perhaps, for England that there were plenty of starts without anyone going on in the way that Chifan Rutherford did with Salt making 30, Butler 21, Bethel 33. Curran did his bit with 43 not out. But next highest score was then 17 from Harry Brook. And so you do wonder a little bit if just being able to get in and stay in is a concern. Yeah. And be calculated in the way that you're trying to accumulate your runs. I think they were got out a few times today. Think back to Bethel's dismissal. Moti bowling a wrist spinner that just scuttled through underneath the bat. Bethel misread the length, but it was good bowling to get that ball to skid through. And the way that Moti wasn't it, that got Brook with the way he just held that delivery back. And Brook, who's an excellent player of spin, which just threw the shot slightly too early and it looped back to the bowler for a caught and bold. So where we can criticise those players for not going on and having more influence in the game, I think is correct. But also in those two instances in particular, two really important wickets, I thought that was good bowling. You'd agree with that? Completely. Completely. And I think sometimes that's what happens. You cast your mind again back to the. The way the English wickets fell. There weren't too many shots that you could actually say was poor shot selection. Yes, thank you. England's right. Let's hear from Harry Brook with Michael Atherton here. Harry, your reflections overall on the game. Yeah, a little bit disappointing. Obviously, it's never nice to lose a game, but West Indies played outstanding. Everybody knows how much power they've got. If you're slightly off your line or length, then they managed to hit it for six. 196 they scored. Having been put in by yourself, what did you feel at the halfway mark? Did you feel that was about par and you were very much in the game? Yeah, we probably thought that it was chasable for sure. It probably didn't jeer up as much as we were expecting. It didn't skid onto the bat as much as we were expecting. And yeah, we thought we'd had a chance. Definitely. A word on Adil Rashid, who bowled outstandingly well tonight. 2:16 from his four after a difficult night against Nepal Yeah, that's the adult everybody knows and loves. He was awesome. He really lobbed it up there and he gave them a chance to try and hit it for six. But with his skill and his now, he managed to keep his figures down and he got a couple of crucial wickets in there as well. Liam Dawson and Sam Coren didn't complete their allocation. Will Jacks bowled a couple, was quite expensive. Is that just Kanye how you saw it in the moment or looking back? Do you think they could have completed their fourth? No, it was just the way I played it. I don't have any regrets in that. I think that Jax is an amazing bowler. Like I said, we just didn't quite execute as well as we usually can. And in the chase, the top order hasn't quite fired yet. Any explanation? No explanation. It's such a fickle game, isn't it? T20 cricket, it can go one or the other way. And Salty had an amazing start today and whenever he gets going, it's going to be awesome to watch. He's such a brutal player and. And then everybody knows what Joss is like. As soon as he gets going, it's going to be madness. You had success in Sri Lanka on some spinning pitches there against the Spinners. Were you disappointed how you responded to the threat of the West Indian spinners tonight? Not disappointed. Like I said a minute ago, we thought it was going to Jew up a little bit and the Spinners would slide on a little bit more. And unfortunately that didn't happen tonight. And, yeah, we'll go back and have a reflection on it and go again in a few days. Kolkata now for you. Two games left. Confident still that you can progress and do well in this competition? Yeah, definitely. You have to be confident in this game. We obviously thank God we won against Nepal the other night, otherwise it would be in a tricky situation. But we obviously play Scotland and Italy next and we just got to go back, do our homework on them and go back to the basics and see how we go. Thanks for your time. Travel well to Kolkata. Thank you to Cheers. Athas Shay. Hope West Indies captain is here. Congratulations. That was a reminder of the glory days of 2016 when you were so successful against England in this competition. Yeah, for sure, but just happy that the guys got over the line. We've been playing some. Some good cricket in patches. Nice to see we got more of a complete game today. Like we say, man, two, two games up, positions that we want to be in this table. You made one change today. Roston coming in and he had an exceptional game for you both with bat and ball. That change worked. Yeah. Like I said in the pretty much he's a versatile player. He's one that he can come and depend on in very good. Most situations with the weather is bat, he can come in, stabilize the innings and then with the ball he can come and give you some crucial overs in the middle. It's great to see him there, come in and get some crucial wickets there, put the England batters under pressure and exactly what we required today to get ourselves over the line. Is he a bit of a floater for you? I Did he come in because you lost two early wickets? Yeah. In this situation there we wanted him to just stabilize a bit. We understand we got a lot of power in the depth in our batting and today was just slightly different role for him. But it was good to see he can come in and stabilize the innings for us. And the power came today from another left handed guy, Chifan Rutherford. Outstanding. Yeah, for sure. These guys, they've been playing really well the last couple of months. I'm sure Fain has been exceptional, especially the last few series that he's been playing in. Again, it's good to see one of the batterers putting their hands up today and going big for the team. The opener is still not, not, not firing yet, but it's to come for sure. We got to put our hands up for the next few games. As captain I'm sure you were delighted not to see the Duke come with those three spinners turning the screw in the middle phase there. Yeah, it's something that happens quite a lot here. Juan KD I find in the second innings the ball tends to get very wet. It was a little bit wet, but not as crazy as it normally is here. But it goes to show that we still can defend some runs when we have to bat first. Good stuff from the spinners today and hopefully we can continue going into the tournament. And a word for Gurikeshmoti, because he had a period out of the side, he had to work on some technical aspects of his game and obviously used that period as well to work on that wrist spinner which he seems confident to bowl now. Yeah, when you get some time off, you gotta make sure you're trying to find ways to improve and elevate a game. He's one of the class bowlers that we've had for some time now. He's just showing his class once again on the world stage. He's brought something else to his game and he's benefiting us a lot here in the middle overs. It's great to see that he's continuing to progress and continue doing what he's doing best for us and he's. Many congratulations. Well played tonight. Thank you. That's the two captains chatting to Michael Atherton. You're listening to the TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 live. If there was a big red button that would just demolish the Internet, I would smash that button with my forehead. From the BBC, this is the Interface, the show that explores how tech is rewiring your week and your world. This isn't about quarterly earnings or about tech reviews. It's about what technology is actually doing to your work, your politics, your everyday life and all the bizarre ways people are using the Internet. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's get some more reaction from the England camp then. Jacob Bethel has been speaking to Test match specials Adam Mountford. Well, Jacob, you got over the line in the first game. Not able to do so tonight. What are your sort of thoughts on that one? Yeah, first of all, you know, disappointment, obviously, after the loss, but, yeah, kind of that, you know, middle period with the bat there where we lost a few, few too many wickets, kind of just stymied our whole chase. So. Yeah. And was it just the case that you couldn't quite put together enough partnerships, bowling and batting, perhaps? Yeah, definitely. Obviously we had a, you know, rash bowled unbelievably well. I thought Dorse bowled brilliantly as well, but, you know. Yeah, it just seemed to, you know, we got those couple early wickets and then, you know, they got away again and it kind of. It went like that, a couple of wickets and then get away. So, you know, maybe could have been a bit better on that front, but, yeah, same with the bat, you know, salty got us off to a great start and then, yeah, that kind of middle period just was lots of wickets that did us. Were you confident at the halfway stage? Yeah, definitely. I think this wicket was. Was better than the wicket we played against Napoleon. We all found that the bowler's kind of feedback to us was that it was a better wicket. So, yeah, we were comfortable to chase, chase what we were chasing, but, you know, the. Anything close to 200, you got to get a lot of things right and we probably didn't get as many of those as we need to. From a personal point of view, two decent contributions so far. Half century in the first match. The 30. Got again tonight. Yeah, you know, both times kind of, you know, would have liked to have gone bigger. You know, look back to that Nepal game and if I go and get 80, 80 or more, you know, we're probably looking at a score of over 200, which, you know, when we look at hindsight, coming down to the. The last ball in that game and then, yeah, today it was disappointing to get up when I did. You know, kind of just left us in a bad spot. So, yeah, a couple of good stuff starts, but looking to go really big in the tournament, hopefully. We mentioned that in the pool game. What were the sort of feelings coming into this match? Because it was such a, I suppose, emotionally draining affair in lots of ways, but you got over the line. So was confidence pretty high coming into this one? Yeah, definitely. The confidence within the camp is really high. You know, we've been on a good streak of wins and confidence over in Sri Lanka kind of boosted us. And then, you know, to win the first game, it's always nice. So, yeah, we were full of confidence coming in, but, you know, I think West Indies just played a bit better than us today because it's a different sort of challenge in some ways. Nepal team, you didn't know quite so well, but actually England have played against this West Indies team in White Bull cricket quite a lot over the last few years. Including yourselves. Play some games? Yeah, definitely. I think probably since I've been in the England side, West Indies is probably the team we've played against the most. You know, doing a tour over there and then them coming to England last summer. Yeah. So it's just disappointing to not get over the line against a team that you know well. But, you know, obviously it goes the other way. They know us well as well, so I think they. They just got the better of us today. And from a personal point of view, you've had quite an introduction into international cricket. That amazing hundred, of course, in Sydney. And now you're playing in a World Cup. I mean, in terms of your own personal experience, how much are you enjoying being part of this England side in these big occasions? Yeah, I'm loving it. You know, I love the big occasions and hopefully can, you know, contribute a bit more than I have up to this point. But, yeah, I really enjoyed my experience over in Australia. Was happy to get a go at the end and thankfully made a bit of an impact there. And, yeah, I'm loving the World cup so far. You know, just the vibe around tournament cricket. I haven't played in a tournament per se, you know, at international level since, you know, the Under 19 World Cup. So it's got that feeling about it, obviously on a different level, but yeah, it's a cool experience and, and hopefully it's a successful one for us. And you say you've played the West Indies quite a lot and of course in this England team you've got a few players with some Western connections. Phil Salt, Joffer Arch and of course yourself. Is there something extra special to play in this side? Yeah, this, this game always has a weird feeling about it. You know, even the, the national anthem kind of rally around the west in these to also knowing a few of their players from Barbados, you know, so it does have a cool feel about it, but it definitely hurts slightly more when we don't come on the right side. And now you head to Calcutta. Different conditions and a chance to play Scotland and Italy again, different challenges. How are you sort of feeling about going over to that part of the world now? Yeah, feeling confident still. You know, this should just be a little speed bump in the, in the road, but yeah, you know, again, like you said, different conditions. A few of our guys have actually played in the IPL at Kolkata quite a lot. So we'll be looking to pick their brains and see what works best over there. And yeah, against probably two teams that we don't know as well again, so we're gonna have to make sure to do a lot of research on them and make sure we hit the ground running when we get, get. I think we got one training day and then straight into it against Scotland because, you know, Scotland wants a win. Weren't they another rivalry there? You're playing against Australia, you're playing against West Indies and Scotland, they'll be desperate to win. Yeah, definitely. I think, you know, I've seen, been watching Scotland on TV and seeing some of the send offs and celebrations. You know, they're playing with their heart on their sleeves. So yeah, hopefully we can go over there full of confidence and get the job done. And just one last question. Were you watching the earlier game today today, the double super over? I mean this tournament's had some amazing moments already. Yeah, I was watching. Watching all of it, to be honest. Yeah, this, this tournament's been great so far. You know, all the, the kind of games that, you know, you think are going to be slightly one sided or have been down to the wire and then, yeah, again today, you know, two super. I don't think I've ever seen that, to be honest. And you know, the way that kind of momentum ebbed and flowed between the two teams, it was incredible to watch. And I Hope the viewers enjoyed it. Thanks, Jacob. Cheers. Thoughts there of Jacob Bethel chatting to Adam Mountford there on the boundary edge, having scored 33 off 23 deliveries. Got a fifty in the first game in England's win over Nepal, but a defeat in the second. England all out for 166. West Indies winning by 30 runs. We'll get onto that amazing game referenced by Jacob Bethel shortly. But there's plenty of time for England to ensure they've got everything they need in order for what should, in theory, be more straightforward fixtures to come. Steven with Scotland on Saturday in Calcutta, followed on Monday by Italy. Two matches they really should be winning. Well, yes, they absolutely should be winning them. And they need to win them now, having lost this one in order to progress through to the next stage. But cast your mind back 18 months to the previous T20 World cup and England were arguably saved by rain, weren't there, in that game against Scotland that we watched in Barbados. So they're going to have to be on it. And I think the match against Nepal and the way that they found themselves in good positions here and then didn't quite make the most of them, serves as a reminder that in tournament cricket you have to be on it all the time. So they have to start well, they have to impose themselves, and if they do that, they'll be absolutely fine. Prakash, from the neutral point of view, without. Because when I ask you questions about how India are going, understandably, sometimes the analysis doesn't come from a position of entire positivity. It is the way it sometimes goes with everybody watching a team they know very well, because you sort of. You lose sight of reality at times. But from an objective point of view, what you've seen from England over the course of the first two matches, what have you made? Well, I'll be honest, I thought England's batting was so, so powerful without even going to the bowling that I would have thought they would have got 20, 30 runs more in each of the two games and they would have chased this 196 down somehow, I think. Joss Butler, not, not yet. Getting into the mix of things, getting a big score has been one of the factors, at least from my point of view, because we've seen so much of Butler doing such. Such amazing batting and such damage to the opposition. So that's been one factor, I think, maybe, and this is just, just my guess, when you get on a winning streak and when you come up against Nepal, was there a little bit of complacency there? Was there? I don't know, I'm not suggesting players do it, but sometimes that creeps into the game. I thought they, they would have been woken up after that and I thought really that till that last burst, particularly when Jason Holder came in and hit those sixes, England had the game under control. And if they had to get 170, 180, I think they would have done it easily. But those are ifs and butts. I think England are far better aside than we've seen on display here in Mumbai, hopefully from their point of view going to Calcutta. Change of scene. So slightly bigger ground, Eden Gardens. Maybe it'll change, change in fortune as well in terms of quality of performance. Well, we shall wait and see. That game against Scotland on Saturday, you'll hear it on Test Match Special as you will hear every single game across this tournament. And we heard from Jacob Bethel mentioning it there. Come on then, let's get stuck into what we were debating on our group chat as being potentially the greatest game of T20 cricket ever played. With South Africa taking on Afghanistan earlier on today. It was remarkable. Let me set the scene. 187. Plays 187. So we go to the super over and the first super over sees the scores level once again with with two sides both reaching that total of 17 with a six off the last six seconds. Indeed. Tristan Stubbs hitting six, needing to hit six and getting six to take us to a second super over. Then we saw South Africa, surely thanks to the batting of David Miller with 23 runs from their six balls, that would be enough, particularly when Keshav Maharaj bowled two balls, a dot and then a wicket to. To put Afghanistan right on the brink. Out comes Gurbaz. 6, 6, 6, 6. Then a wide 4 would have taken us to another super over. Instead he was out and caught by that man Miller for 18 or four balls. And Afghanistan out. They needed 24 from four and they very nearly got there. It was the most extraordinary drama. I was actually following a lot of the game, walking around Crawford Market here in Mumbai. Everyone, it felt like in the world of cricket was just tuned in to this game. It was unbelievable. It was, wasn't it? In more ways than one. But let's not forget just for a moment, you know, Finney will, I think agree with me the basics of cricket and cricket between the years, I mean, for a person of the caliber, the experience and the quality of Cahiso Rabada, two no balls. It would never have come to the super over. I thought the game was done and dusted. I thought South Africa had won it in regular time, but those two no balls resulting in then a free hit which went for six and then a wide and all of that brought Afghanistan back into the game. And then, but then the run out. I mean there were so many movements but if we just go sequentially finny, it would never have got there. And yet I think from a cricketing perspective, tournament perspective, neutral perspective, fantastic performance. I just wonder when Afghanistan will get to the point where they will start converting these very narrow defeats into victory. Because that I think will really signal that they have not just arrived, they're beginning to stamp their authority. What a side. It was an extraordinary game. They got to the semi finals and wilted under the pressure in the last tournament, Afghanistan. But what we are seeing is so many exciting matches. I mean that was excitement on another level but this tournament has barely had a, that agreed and I just think it's a great advocate for having all of these teams involved. The narratives, the stories about how people have got here, the close calls, the more that you people, you watch people play, you have more affinity with the country then you find out more about their domestic system and how they're finding their players. It's, yeah, it's been amazing, it's been enlightening and yeah, I love World Cups that have loads of teams in I think, I think it's provides a really great, great spectacle and it's a spectacle that is so far as a tournament in terms of closeness of match. It surpassed the 20, 23, 50 over World cup already. I think we've had many better matches than that tournament. Yes, but I think it's also got to do with the format, isn't it Henry? Fundamentally T20 cricket just brings teams closer. Gaps are not that exposed, if you will, without being negative about any, any team. I think it just allows for a greater degree of competition, more competitive games, closer games and we're beginning to see all that. In fact, I don't know what, what, how they're going to choose the, the qualification for the Olympics. But going forward, if Olympics does then become a regular sport, 20 over cricket, I think it's the T20 World cup which in a way should really be the, the qualification route if they're going to limit teams. But it is just fantastic to see so many different countries now beginning to play cricket more and more and compete at the highest level. I just hope that the people who control cricket continue to do everything they can to grow the sport around the world and support the countries that need that support to allow Them to come and play even better cricket and entertain fans all over the world wherever they play. It was thrilling. It really was. You can see the best of the action on the BBC Sport website and app, as indeed you can. For every fixture of this tournament, we will bring you commentary of every game as well. And so much more to come over the coming days. Three matches a day and that means that there's cricket for you to enjoy right through the rest of the week. Sri Lanka, Oman, Nepal, Italy, India, Namibia taking place on Thursday. Before Friday we'll see actually real bumper fixtures as we head towards the back end of the group stages and and teams needing to start to jostle for position. Australia, Canada, usa all in action in fixtures before England and that crucial game against Scotland on Saturday. England against Scotland From Eden Gardens, 9:30 UK. Time is where to look out for that, that one. Ireland's next game by the way, is the early match on Saturday morning against Oman from Colombo. So lots to look forward to in the coming days. England beaten then by West Indies here in Mumbai. Stephen Finn, thank you very much indeed. Prakash Wakanka, thank you to you. So do have a look out for the highlights of that amazing game between South Africa and Afghanistan on the BBC Sport website and app. There was another fixture today, wasn't quite as close with Australia beating Ireland by 67 runs at the Prima Dassa Stadium in Colombo. And we can cross over to Sri Lanka where we'll find Daniel Norcross. Daniel Norcross here in the cab on the way back from the R. Premodassa Stadium. I'm alongside Alex Hartley, the World cup winner and Artif Noirs as we look back on a disappointing game for Ireland but some ominous signs for Australia. They looked in pretty decent neck there, a size that a lot of people haven't exactly but think is one of the weaker Australian sides to come to a T20 World Cup. But Alex, they did what they so often do and they won with great ease and comfort. Yeah, they did. It was all too easy for Australia today and look, there has been a bit of chat on are they a strong team, can they compete? But they're a team after, especially after that 30 loss against Pakistan just before the World Cup. But they're always a team that compete in World Cups. You know, they always have people stand up and I think what impresses is, impresses me about Australia is it's different people standing up at different times but all too easy for them. Today it was they were put into bat and they stumbled a little bit. 88 for four but a fine partnership between Marcus Stoinis and Matt Renshaw, albeit quite a slow one, got them to within that sort of area where they knew they were going to bat Ireland out of the game. 182. It always felt like it's going to be too many for the Irish Artif. Yeah, it really did. It felt like they had a score in mind. Australia, when they were setting that target, they didn't really need to go particularly hard. They just needed to just go along at enough of a rate to get to 180. And as you say, it was always looked like it was going to be a tall order for the Irish. What I find really impressive about this Australian team is how slickly they just sort of move on because, I mean, there was the big news about Mitch Marsh missing out, not going to be captain, and Travis Head had to step up and he did so, so casually. Okay, didn't get very many runs today, but he just sort of stepped into it, no nonsense. Business as usual is the Australian team that looks ominously like its its most pragmatic self. And eight wickets between two very experienced campaigners. N. Ellis, who may not have played that much T20 international cricket, but he's played a heck of a lot of domestic T20 cricket. And Adam Zamper, who we always knew was going to kind of be the linchpin of their bowling attack in a subcontinental T20 World Cup. Alex. Yeah. Nathan Ellis with player of the match actually said we need to not take Zamps for granted because he just does what he normally does and you know, he consistently picks up wickets. He is one of the world's best. Zamper was brilliant today, but Nathan Ellis in the second innings really set the tone. That back of the hand slower ball that he bowled to Ross Adair really outfoxed him. You know, it's to get that seam position perfect so it looks like a seam up delivery. He's really mastered that skill and able to bowl those variations in the power play. Yeah, he was great today. It's early days, but if there is one area of concern, if you're Australian, it might be that lack of firepower. And part of that was because Mitchell Marsh was missing today. He took a blow to the groin in training, which looks serious enough for them to have called up Steve Smith as cover. He's not in the squad but he's cover. And that might just prove to be a bit of an issue for Australia going forward. Forward, because Matt Renshaw played a fine role, didn't he, in the Middle order there, but he doesn't look like the sort of guy who's going to take a game away from you. Now let's focus though on Ireland because that's played to lost two and in very different circumstances. Artif they will have felt gutted at losing to Sri Lanka because they had such an opportunity to win that game of just tiny fragments of the match that did for them today. They just look completely outclassed. They really did. I mean there were moments every time a batter would get settled, play a really nice shot and sort of Curtis Camper comes to mind. He played this lovely ramp shot, shot to the boundary for four and the next one just pulled it straight down short mid wicket's throw it. There were a few moments like that where they were frustrating dismissals for the Irish batters. The partnerships in the middle again, they couldn't really push on George Dock though I think a rare positive for Ireland of this tournament. He. He's found his form again after a lean period with bat and ball and actually in the field as well. But it is the field that will concern Ireland the most. Cuz I think traditionally we think of Ireland as a very good fielding side, but they've already put down something like 10 catches in their first two matches. So it's not the best suboptimal performance in the field from Ireland. Something they'll have to rectify very quickly if they're to go further in this tournament. They absolutely do need to because they've got three pretty good spinners there in Delaney and Docker. We saw a bit of Tector today as well as Humphreys, but the seam department is letting them down a little bit and the fielding really is. Yeah, I mean the fielding's been abysmal, hasn't it? And you know, they hadn't dropped catching five T20 internationals leading into this World cup and they're dropping five a game at the minute. You know, it's just been. It's not been great for the Irish and it's really let them down. It's where they lost the game against Sri Lanka. It's not where they lost the game today. But they, you know, they dropped simple chances again today. But the seamers in particular, you know, they have been expensive. They've got Josh Little on the side with so much T20 experience. He's played IPL, he's played franchise circuit. He played for Middlesex last year. Is it time for Ireland to bring him back in in place of it? Probably have to be Barry McCarthy. They got two other teams left to play in this group and they're ones that they would really not expect to beat, would fancy their chances. Zimbabwe and Oman, who themselves played each other the other day, that is their route to going through. If they can win those last two games and then rely on Zimbabwe to do them a favor. Artif, what's, what's the chances of that happening? Well, it's going to be tough because Zimbabwe have a really good net run rate already. After that big win against Oman, they could hope for a favor from other teams. That's the position they're already in. I don't think there's high hopes for Ireland going through at this stage, but strange things happen in World cup. So if they do just concentrate on the two games, they have put in the best possible performance as they can, who knows? Look, it's been a tough World cup so far for Ireland, but if they could come out of this with those two wins, they will have done themselves pride of some kind. You know, finishing third in a group with two Test blade nations, other Test blade nations. It's not that they would take that, but it would mean that, you know, it's not a disastrous World Cup. Let's see how they get on. Their next game comes up in a few days time and then they likely finish off their campaign next week in Kandy. I urge you to watch the highlights and the best of the action from particularly the South Africa Afghanistan match on the BBC Sport website and app. And don't forget to subscribe on BBC Sounds, the Test Match Special podcast to make sure that you miss absolutely nothing from not just here at the World cup but also our full suite of podcasts, no Balls to Cricket podcast, loads of interviews and analysis as well. So much for your you to enjoy. Thank you for listening from here at the WAN Stadium in Mumbai. We'll speak to you again soon. The TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 live. If there was a big red button that would just demolish the Internet, I would smash that button with my forehead. From the BBC, this is the Interface, the show that explores how tech is rewiring your week and your world. This isn't about quarterly earnings or about tech reviews. It's about what technology is actually doing to your work, your politics, your everyday life and all the bizarre ways people are using the Internet. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.



