A Twenty20 World Cup campaign that never sparked into life for England was comprehensively snuffed out by India in a one-sided semi-final that laid bare the need for change.

England will make their long trip home from mainland South America defeated in three out of four games by top ranked opposition which says more about where they are as a side than reaching the semi-final.

The hammering by India should ease the decision making for Rob Key, the director of cricket, as he decides the future of Jos Buttler and Matthew Mott.

The reality is England only really flickered into life once against West Indies and spent the rest of their time losing comfortably to Test sides or duffing up associates. After the dreadful World Cup defence in India in October, it is proof this is a white-ball team in decline that needs regenerating but with major misgivings over the ability of Buttler and Mott to deliver a vision for the future. It is time for a shake up.

A tired Buttler will now take a break until the Hundred and await a review of England’s performance before making any decisions over his future. “You take some time to review tournaments and try to plan ahead for the next. You have to review what we need to do better as a team, if that is the way we play, personnel, style of cricket and come up with a plan,” he said. “After a loss like that you are ready for a bit of space to take it in and process it so you can review not just this game but the last few months.”

Losing on a tricky pitch in Guyana was not a surprise because across a month in the Caribbean not enough senior England players coped when put under pressure.

It culminated in a complete mismatch with England bowled out for 103 in 16.4 overs, losing by 68 runs. Harry Brook top scored on just 25, and veterans Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali mustered only eight runs between them in what should be their final innings for England. A couple of run outs compounded the mess.

Buttler was really their only hope and he made 23, falling in the fourth over when he tried to reverse sweep Axar Patel’s first ball but gloved a catch in the air. Buttler really only came to life once at the World Cup against the United States, slamming sixes for fun against part-time associate bowlers, and just as in India six months ago the captain could not lead from the front when needed. He also made another tactical blunder failing to bowl Moeen on a spinning pitch and, less problematic, opted to bowl first on a surface that slowed down and became harder for scoring.

Brook showed his class and why he should have come in higher than no 5 but not a single specialist batsman hit a six and it took a couple of swings from Jofra Archer to lift England above 100 to avoid total humiliation.

India were magnificent. Their spinners Axar and Kuldeep Yadav shared six for 42 off eight overs as if rewinding the clock to the Test series in March and Jasprit Bumrah’s two for 12 mopped up the rest. Rohit Sharma’s 57 proved crucial and Suryakumar Yadav pieced together an intelligent 47, the pair putting on the only 50 stand of the game, as India set a tricky 172, over par by about 20.

It is true India have been handed every advantage with morning start times throughout and months of forewarning that they would play a semi-final in Guyana, a country few big teams visit these days.

But they are a wonderful side who would be in the final even without the benefits of their immense off field power behind them to twist circumstances in their favour. They have only been run close once at this World Cup and won seven out of seven. South Africa, playing their first World Cup final on Saturday, face an immense challenge.

India made a higher than par score particularly given the low, sticky nature pitch that sucked the life out of the bounce and played as if it had melted demerara sugar poured on it. England had to be at their best at all times but made a crucial error in the second over when Phil Salt at gully missed a chance off Rohit on five. Salt misjudged and went down too low as a hard cut off Archer flew above his hands for four.

Even Rohit, one of the great white-ball batsmen, struggled to time the ball on this surface and India really had to sweat for their runs. England had a decent powerplay taking two wickets for 46 and Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone bowled eight overs for just 49 but with the ball turning Buttler ignored Moeen and turned to Sam Curran and Chris Jordan. It was costly, the two going for 12.4 an over.

It required the perfect run chase from an imperfect batting line up that has oozed inconsistency for months. Salt was suckered by Bumrah, Bairstow’s ugly hack to Axar lost him his off stump and Moeen was stumped down the leg side off balance. Brook showed glimpses of why he is the future but was bowled reverse sweeping Kuldeep and it was a procession for India.

India vs England: As it happened . . .

09:21 PM BST

Quotes from Rohit Sharma

09:18 PM BST

The post-match thoughts of Jos Buttler

09:15 PM BST

The final

Barbados is the stage for the 2024 T20 World Cup final and you can follow the game live with us on Saturday.

09:14 PM BST

Quotes from man of the match Axar Patel

09:12 PM BST

Spinners doing the damage

09:10 PM BST

Michael Vaughan on X

09:09 PM BST

Two unbeaten sides to meet in the final

09:06 PM BST

End of the road for England

A semi-final exit felt par for England before the tournament, but they’ve only won one out of 4 games against Test nations, losing 2 of those heavily.

Only 3 wins against Full Members across the 2023 ODI World Cup and this T20 World Cup.

09:02 PM BST

India win

Archer LBW Bumrah 21

That is it. Bumrah fires one in and Archer attempts an audacious scoop. Rod Tucker’s finger goes up and, despite Archer’s review, the decision stands just on umpire’s call, just clipping the leg stump. India win by 68 runs and they will play South Africa in the final in Barbados on Saturday. FOW 103 all out

08:57 PM BST

OVER 16: ENG 100/9 (Archer 20 Topley 1)

Reece Topley is the last man. Archer deposits Pandya back over his head for the second six of the innings.

Off the final ball Archer sends it over mid-on’s head for four. England are going to lose but Archer is having some fun as the 100 is brought up.

08:54 PM BST

Wicket

Rashid run out Suryakumar 2

Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic. Rashid loops one into the air on the leg-side and runs. Suryakumar flicks one out of the back of the hand and Rashid is short of his ground. The end is coming. FOW 88/9

08:52 PM BST

Wicket

Livingstone run out Kuldeep 11

That just about sums up this England innings. Archer nearly chops on and it runs to short fine-leg. Livingstone calls him through but Archer says no, despite the fact that it is not his call. Kuldeep fires the throw to Axar, who runs out Livingstone comfortably. Terrible, terrible cricket. FOW 86/8

08:48 PM BST

OVER 14: ENG 77/7 (Archer 3 Livingstone 8)

Jadeja races through his overs and he does so now, conceding just four runs.

08:45 PM BST

OVER 13: ENG 73/7 (Archer 1 Livingstone 6)

Jofra Archer joins Livingstone in the middle and second ball nearly chops on.

That is the end of Kuldeep’s spell and he has bowled superbly.

It is strange that any team would choose to chase against India’s three spinners on a pitch which is going to turn and keep low.

But, when the inquest begins, the big question should be why England lost their Super Eight game against South Africa: why again did they bowl first on a pitch that was going to get slower by day and select Mark Wood. Had England faced Afghanistan in the first semifinal, they would have had a far better chance of retaining their title.

08:43 PM BST

Wicket

Jordan LBW Kuldeep 1

Another wicket for India. Kuldeep traps Jordan in front and the finger goes up. Jordan reviews and it is umpire’s call so the on-field decision stands. FOW 72/7

08:39 PM BST

OVER 12: ENG 71/6 (Jordan 1 Livingstone 5)

Jadeja’s second over costs just three runs and the run-rate required is going through the roof.

England need 101 runs from 48 balls.

08:37 PM BST

OVER 11: ENG 68/6 (Jordan 0 Livingstone 3)

Chris Jordan is the new batsman. England had a job on their hands before that wicket and now Brook falling feels like perhaps the final nail in England’s coffin.

08:35 PM BST

Wicket

Brook b Kuldeep 25

He got the reverse sweep away first time for four but second time around he is bowled. FOW 68/6

08:30 PM BST

OVER 10: ENG 62/5 (Brook 19 Livingstone 3)

Ravi Jadeja has been brought into the attack for his first bowl of the day.

Brook powerfully punches off the back foot past cover for four.

England played Jadeja well in that over, scoring nine from the over. We are at the halfway mark and time for drinks.

08:27 PM BST

OVER 9: ENG 53/5 (Brook 11 Livingstone 2)

Liam Livingstone is the latest batsman out there. England’s 50 is up but the damage has already been done. These two batted very well together against South Africa but this feels like too high a mountain to climb.

England require 119 from 66 balls with just five wickets remaining.

08:23 PM BST

Wicket

Curran LBW Kuldeep 2

Curran is caught on the crease and struck on the pads. Rod Tucker’s finger goes straight up and, for some reason unknown, Curran decides to review. He is so plumb and what a waste of a review that was, hitting halfway up middle. FOW 49/5

08:21 PM BST

OVER 8: ENG 49/4 (Brook 9 Curran 2)

Sam Curran is the new batsman and this has now become such a tall order as the rate goes up and the wickets keep falling. Just three runs and the wicket from Axar’s third over.

08:18 PM BST

Wicket

Moeen st Pant b Axar 8

The fourth wicket goes down and England are falling apart. Moeen tries to flick it into the leg-side, it rolls off his pads and he had come out of his crease. Pant is quick to it and stumps Moeen. Dreadful cricket from Moeen. FOW 46/4

That dismissal just about sums it up for England. Won’t be much fanfare but, at 37, that could well be the last we see of Moeen Ali in an England shirt

08:17 PM BST

OVER 7: ENG 46/3 (Brook 8 Moeen 8)

Kuldeep Yadav is now brought into the attack. Having scored just three runs from the first five balls, Brook sweeps powerfully for four. England need a lot more of that.

08:13 PM BST

OVER 6: ENG 39/3 (Brook 3 Moeen 6)

Harry Brook joins Moeen in the middle with England in a massive hole. It looks like Brook has skied it straight into the air but it lands safely just short of the boundary behind the bowler.

That is the end of the powerplay and it is safe to say that India have won it.

From 63-0 after the Powerplay in the Adelaide 2022 World Cup semi-final, England 39-3 after the first six in the Guyana semi-final. Would be one of their greatest ever World Cup wins if they can somehow escape from here against such a great attack.

08:10 PM BST

Wicket

Bairstow b Axar 0

More trouble for England. You miss, I hit. Bairstow attempts to swat Axar away into the offside but misses, and I do not need to tell you what happened next; the sound no batsman likes hearing. FOW 35/3

08:09 PM BST

OVER 5: ENG 35/2 (Bairstow 0 Moeen 5)

Jonny Bairstow is the new man and he is nearly out first ball to another brilliant ball from Bumrah. This is a real mountain to climb for England.

08:06 PM BST

Wicket

Salt b Bumrah 5

Too good for Salt. He is deceived by a slower ball, which moved a mile after pitching and crashes into the stumps. England are in real trouble already. FOW 34/2

A very, very long way back for England from here. India, on this sort of pitch, are just far too good for them.

08:03 PM BST

OVER 4: ENG 33/1 (Salt 5 Moeen 4)

With a left-arm offspinner on, England have opted to put the left-handed Moeen in. Seven runs and the wicket come from that Axar over.

Huge ask for Moeen Ali in what could well be his last ever England game: England backing his ability to attack left-arm spin. But also a chance to do something special, and ensure that he has another match to look forward to on Satur

07:59 PM BST

Wicket

Buttler c Pant b Axar 23

How big will that moment be? Buttler attempts a switch hit off Axar’s first ball, which hits the toe of the bat and loops into the air. It is the simplest of catches and that is a big early blow to England’s hopes. FOW 26/1

07:57 PM BST

OVER 3: ENG 26/0 (Salt 2 Buttler 23)

Buttler charges Arshdeep and just about gets it over Pandya at mid-off for four. That was close.

Arshdeep then strays too straight and Buttler flicks him fine past short fine-leg for four.

Buttler punishes a short and wide ball from Arshdeep and it flies away for four through the off-side.

07:53 PM BST

OVER 2: ENG 13/0 (Salt 2 Buttler 10)

Jasprit Bumrah will open the bowling from the other end.

Buttler flicks him behind square for two. Jadeja is quick in the outfield and got around to that before it reached the boundary rope. Buttler nearly then hits a slower ball into the hands of mid-off but it comes up short.

Buttler gets England’s first boundary with an edge past short third-man for four. Buttler did slightly open the face though so it was not a genuine thick edge.

07:49 PM BST

OVER 1: ENG 5/0 (Salt 1 Buttler 3)

Arshdeep Singh will bowl the first over. The first ball is flicked away by Salt to deep square-leg for a single to get England going.

Buttler then pulls Arshdeep behind square for a couple to get off the mark. Arshdeep is getting a bit of movement, which forces an inside edge from Buttler.

Five runs come from the opening over.

07:44 PM BST

England’s run chase

Phil Salt and Jos Buttler are making their way out into the middle and they are going to have to bat well if England are going to chase down these 172 runs and make the final in Barbados on Saturday,

07:40 PM BST

India’s total too much for England?

Good score by India. Costly drop by Salt off Rohit when he had five and he made England pay with 57. A flurry at the end of 39 off the final three took India above par and this will be very difficult for England. I can’t remember one ball bouncing above waist height. Playing shots will be tough. Then there is the Bumrah factor. He bowls so economically, it more or less gives India two free overs cutting the chase down to 18.

07:37 PM BST

Arshdeep key?

Arshdeep Singh might not have the build of your average opening bowler but India’s left-armer is a skilful swinger of the ball. India beat Australia in the Super Eights partly because Arshdeep swung it in the Powerplay on a length, whereas Mitchell Starc swung it on a full length and was spectacularly driven for 28 in over by Rohit Sharma

07:37 PM BST

England’s chances?

India set England three runs more than in the Adelaide semi-final two years ago, but it’s a much harder surface. You suspect that England will need a terrific Powerplay - 55-1, say - if they are to mount a serious assault on the 172 they need to win.

07:34 PM BST

India finish on 171/7

A single off the final ball for Arshdeep takes India to 171/7 off their 20 overs. That feels like a good score.

This is a very similar score to the one England chased with ease in Adelaide in 2022 (India posted 168 that day). Trouble is that day there was no Jasprit Bumrah, no Kuldeep Yadav, and the pitch was a belter. This one is not. Huge ask for England, surely.

07:33 PM BST

Wicket

Axar c Salt Jordan 10

Having just hit Jordan for six in a similar spot, this time Axar finds the hands of Salt. FOW 170/7

07:27 PM BST

OVER 19: IND 159/6 (Axar 2 Jadeja 14)

Archer will bowl the penultimate over. Jadeja picks the slower ball and cuts past point for four which brings up the India 150.

He then sweeps Archer behind square on the leg-side for four. Fine-leg and square-leg were up inside the circle and Jadeja got it between them.

An expensive over from Archer there, costing 12 runs. One over remains.

07:23 PM BST

OVER 18: IND 147/6 (Axar 1 Jadeja 3)

Axar survives the hat-trick ball with a single. Jordan could not follow Pat Cummins in taking two hat-tricks at this World Cup.

The lot of the T20 bowler in microcosm: 2-6-6 to start the over, wicket-wicket-one to end it. Chris Jordan knows the fickleness of the job more than most: villain for England in the semi-final of the 2021 World Cup, but crucial in their wins in the semi-final and final in Australia a year later.

07:20 PM BST

Wicket

Dube c Buttler b Jordan 0

First ball! Jordan is on another hat-trick as he gets Dube to feather one behind. FOW 146/6

07:19 PM BST

Wicket

Pandya c Curran b Jordan 23

Jordan gets his man but not before he had been hit for consecutive sixes by Pandya; one over long-on, the other over long-off. But this time he drills it to Curran, who takes the catch. FOW 146/5

07:15 PM BST

OVER 17: IND 132/4 (Pandya 9 Jadeja 3)

Livingstone’s final over costs just six runs and that is him bowled out. He finishes with figures of 0-24 from his four, but he can be content with his efforts with the ball.

Outstanding spell from Livingstone, in the circumstances. The worry is if he’s that hard to get away, how hard might Kuldeep be to hit...?

07:11 PM BST

OVER 16: IND 126/4 (Pandya 6 Jadeja 1)

Ravi Jadeja is the new man in. Eight runs come from the over and just four overs remain. What can England restrict India to here?

07:09 PM BST

Wicket

Suryakumar c Jordan b Archer 47

Two big wickets in the space of a couple of overs. Suryakumar, closing in on a half-century, tries to go over long-on but finds the safe hands of Jordan. Two set batsmen gone in quick succession. FOW 124/4

07:05 PM BST

OVER 15: IND 118/3 (Pandya 0 Suryakumar 46)

Livingstone is back on and is cut away immediately by Suryakumar for four behind point. Livingstone gets away with a few short and wide balls.

The final ball is edged to short third-man and England appeal for run-out. Pandya just gets his bat down in time and he is safe. Just five from that over.

07:02 PM BST

OVER 14: IND 113/3 (Pandya 0 Suryakumar 41)

Hardik Pandya is the new man in and he is nearly out first ball. Pandya gets an outside edge and it falls just short of Moeen at slip. That is Rashid bowled out with figures of 1-25 from his four overs. Great stuff from Adil!

England needed that wicket after a couple of expensive overs put India on top. This is going to be a incredibly tough chase with the ball keeping very low. It is a poor pitch for a semi-final.

07:00 PM BST

Wicket

Sharma b Rashid 57

Rashid is into his final over and he gets a massive wicket. His googly beats Sharma’s swipe and crashes into the stumps. Big, big wicket that England really needed. FOW 113/3

Very timely wicket for England, but I wonder what their batsmen will make of Adil Rashid’s googly staying a bit low like that.

06:57 PM BST

OVER 13: IND 110/2 (Sharma 56 Suryakumar 39)

Jos Buttler has brought Curran back into the attack and his first ball goes for six. Suryakumar opened the face but I am not sure he meant it to go that fine but India will not be complaining.

A couple of balls later Sharma gets down on one knee and sweeps Curran over short fine-leg for six to bring up his 50, his 32nd in T20 internationals.

Curran then drags it too short and Suryakumar punishes him with a pull away for four.

That was a very expensive over with 19 runs coming from it.

That flurry has put India well on top. England decided against picking the extra batsman; the fear is that they might rue that, chasing what could be a well above-par target.

06:52 PM BST

OVER 12: IND 91/2 (Sharma 49 Suryakumar 27)

Rashid drags it down and is a little lucky that Suryakumar does not time it perfectly. He does get a couple to wide long-on. Rashid nearly catches him out though as Suryakumar came down the ground, but gets an inside edge on it.

Sharma then nearly picks out Jordan at long-on but it falls short. The 50 partnership is brought up.

06:49 PM BST

OVER 11: IND 86/2 (Sharma 48 Suryakumar 23)

Livingstone will continue with his second over.

Sharma opts for the reverse sweep but cannot get it past Moeen at point.

Off the final ball Sharma launches Livingstone over long-on for six to move within two of his half-century.

06:46 PM BST

OVER 10: IND 77/2 (Sharma 41 Suryakumar 21)

Rashid will bowl his second over. Off his second ball there is a strong appeal for LBW when Suryakumar goes for the sweep but it looked outside the line of off stump. England smartly do not review.

The penultimate ball is a gimme as the full-toss is dispatched by Suryakumar for four over short fine-leg. Halfway through the innings.

Halfway and England will be happy with 77 for two from 10 overs but how costly will that Phil Salt miss be? Salt let a catch through his hands off Rohit Sharma on five and the India captain is still there, building a big score

06:42 PM BST

OVER 9: IND 69/2 (Sharma 39 Suryakumar 15)

Liam Livingstone is still going to bowl this ninth over, as he was as the rain fell.

First ball after the rain there is an appeal for LBW but it was short-lived. With right-handers at the crease, Livingstone is bowling leg-spin.

Just four runs come from the over, which England will be happy about.

06:39 PM BST

Players back out there

Yes, cricketers are on the field. Considering it stopped raining a long time back and the sun has been shining for a while, it seems strange but familiar that it has taken so long to resume.

06:31 PM BST

18.40 BST restart

I have good news to bring you. We have a restart time and it is in just under 10 minutes. Still no overs lost.

06:26 PM BST

Still no outcome

As far as we know the inspection is ongoing as the umpires still seem to be concerned about one specific area, where they have asked the super-sopper to go over again. Rod Tucker is currently using an umbrella to protect him from the sun; the irony!

06:19 PM BST

Inspection ongoing

There are no covers and it is bright sunshine but the umpires seem concerned by certain patches in the outfield which probably means we are still in for a wait.

06:14 PM BST

Inspection time

Anyone who has watched and followed cricket for any period of time knows that it usually takes a ridiculous amount of time from an inspection to actually getting back playing. The inspection is upon us but you can almost guarantee it will be at least 15 minutes but likely longer until the players resume.

06:07 PM BST

Your views

Remember you can have your say in the comments section here.

06:00 PM BST

Inspection

The good news is there is an inspection. The bad news is it is not for another 15 minutes at 18.15 BST (1.15pm local time).

05:46 PM BST

Good news!

Sun is out and covers are coming off in Guyana. They should be back on fairly soon. No overs lost.

05:43 PM BST

Not what England want to see

05:33 PM BST

Heavy shower

The rain is coming down hard now and the groundstaff have been making sure that the covers are firmly nailed in place. This could now be a lengthy delay.

05:23 PM BST

Rain stops play

Just as Liam Livingstone was preparing to come onto bowl, the rain is coming down heavily again and this time the umpires call for the covers to be brought on.

05:21 PM BST

OVER 8: IND 65/2 (Sharma 37 Suryakumar 13)

Fair play to the umpires for keeping them out there when it could have been so easy to take them off. Chris Jordan is coming into the attack for the first time today.

Suryakumar gets down on one knee and flicks it over fine-leg for six. Quite an extravagant shot!

05:16 PM BST

OVER 7: IND 55/2 (Sharma 35 Suryakumar 5)

With the powerplay over, Rashid is into the attack. Rohit reverse sweeps first ball and Archer should do better to prevent the four. That brings up the 50 for India. The rain is coming down hard but they are staying on as maybe the umpires feel it will pass.

Sharma then sweeps for another boundary to fine-leg.

05:12 PM BST

OVER 6: IND 46/2 (Sharma 26 Suryakumar 5)

Suryakumar Yadav is the new batsman as the groundstaff are moving into place to potentially bring the covers on.

The India batsmen are lucky as there is indecision for a run but Archer was on the edge of the circle.

Suryakumar then aerially drives past Curran for his first boundary.

There is the end of the powerplay.

India, led by Rohit Sharma, sticking to their promise to show far more intent.

46-2 after the Powerplay, on a much harder wicket than in Adelaide in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final, when they were 38-1. That day India reached 168-6 - and then lost by ten wickets. A similar score this time would make India favourites.

05:10 PM BST

Wicket

Pant c Bairstow b Curran 4

Sam Curran is coming on to replace Archer as some darker clouds are starting to form and he has a wicket second ball. He tries to flick Curran through mid-wicket but only finds Bairstow. FOW 40/2

05:07 PM BST

OVER 5: IND 40/1 (Sharma 25 Pant 4)

Topley is bowling his third straight over to start the innings and he nearly begins it with a wicket. Pant flicks it towards Rashid at short fine-leg but it falls just short of him.

Sharma then comes across his stumps and swipes Topley through the leg-side for four.

A couple of balls later Sharma steps outside his leg stump and thumps Topley along the ground through cover for four.

05:03 PM BST

OVER 4: IND 29/1 (Sharma 16 Pant 2)

The ball is keeping a little low on some balls, which may concern Jos Buttler having won the toss and bowled first.

Sharma opens the face to get a couple down to third-man. These two are not the fastest between the wickets so no surprise that they got two rather than three.

Sharma is very lucky that a leading edge gets just over the in-field and away for two. He is riding his luck at the moment.

Off the final ball Sharma is uppish but once again is lucky as the ball falls safely. He is fortunate to still be out there.

04:58 PM BST

OVER 3: IND 21/1 (Sharma 9 Pant 1)

Rishabh Pant is the new man and he gets off the mark first ball with a single. Crucial early wicket for England that of Kohli.

Very poor tournament for Kohli who has scored 75 runs in seven innings. Anyone else would have been dropped. He has been bedblocking here, Yashasvi Jaiswal would have been a better pick to open with Rohit Sharma.

04:56 PM BST

Wicket

Kohli b Topley 9

After hitting Topley for a six over deep mid-wicket, Kohli is gone. He gives himself room outside leg stump but Topley bowls him top of leg stump. Kohli’s miserable tournament continues and silence descends amongst the Indian fans. The DJ is playing N-Sync’s ‘Bye Bye Bye’, rather apt! FOW 19/1

England deserve that - Topley and Archer have been outstanding on a slow surface. Kohli gone, but will they rue Rohit getting a life from Phil Salt at backward point?

04:53 PM BST

OVER 2: IND 11/0 (Sharma 9 Kohli 1)

Jofra Archer is going to open the bowling from the other end.

Only one run comes off the first five and a chance for England comes off the final ball. Sharma cuts behind square and it goes straight through Salt at backward point. It appears Salt did not see it but a chance nonetheless.

04:48 PM BST

OVER 1: IND 6/0 (Sharma 5 Kohli 0)

Topley nearly gets Sharma first ball! He sends the ball across the Indian opener and he nearly feathers it behind to Buttler. Sharma is nearly dismissed second ball as well! He tries to flick it through the leg-side but gets a thick outside edge over short third-man for four. Topley has been unlucky not to get more wickets in this tournament.

Off the penultimate ball Kohli charges down the pitch and swings hard but misses as the ball was not far off hitting the leg stump as it went between bat and pads.

Six runs come off the first over.

04:43 PM BST

Here we go

Finally, we are going to see some cricket in Guyana. Remember no overs lost despite starting over an hour late. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli open the batting for India, Reece Topley to open the bowling for England.

Semi-final two is just moments away...

At the end of the national anthem the camera panned to the stands and Don Topley, father of Reece, former Essex bowler himself and, most importantly, Telegraph subscriber. Don travels the world watching Reece play for England and he is the only family member of the England squad intrepid enough to go to Guyana. He’s always running errands for his lad. He was in my hotel in Lucknow at the last World Cup carrying around two pairs of bowling boots he had sourced for him and another time I remember him going to Marks and Spencer to buy Reece some underwear because he had forgotten to bring any on one trip.

04:37 PM BST

Anthem time

Both sides have made their way out for the national anthems, just over an hour after we should have been but I think we are all relieved to see the sun out in Guyana and cricket about to be upon us.

04:33 PM BST

Full teams

England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (capt, wk), Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley.

India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah.

04:31 PM BST

Rohit Sharma at the toss

04:28 PM BST

The thoughts of England captain Jos Buttler

04:24 PM BST

England team

04:21 PM BST

England win the toss

Jos Buttler calls heads and he is correct. He has chosen to bowl first and confirms that England are unchanged.

Rohit Sharma said he would batted first anyway. He confirms India are also unchanged.

Truly one of the great performances from a toss host there by Ravi Shastri. What a bloke.

04:21 PM BST

Time for the toss

The sun is out in Guyana and captains Jos Buttler and Rohit Sharma are ready for the toss. Ravi Shastri is rather excited out in the middle...

04:17 PM BST

News ahead of the Test summer

Good news about the toss, but some sad news to report regarding the Test series between West Indies and England, which starts in 13 days. Kemar Roach, who has been causing trouble for England batsmen since 2012 (remember him bumping Jonny Bairstow all those years ago), has been ruled out with a knee injury. Surrey still hope to have him back for the run-in, and West Indies still have a strong pace attack, with Shamar and Alzarri Joseph, Jason Holder and Jayden Seales.

04:15 PM BST

Start time

Great news, we have an official start time. Play is set to begin, providing there is no more rain, at 16.45 BST with the toss taking place in around five minutes.

11.45 (local) start time in Guyana. Great work by the groundstaff and also a sign of how quickly the ground dries. No overs lost.

04:09 PM BST

Football in the India warm-ups

Who do you reckon is the best footballer in the India camp? Have your say in the comments section.

03:59 PM BST

Groundstaff busy

03:57 PM BST

Who is the biggest Indian fish?

03:47 PM BST

Pitch inspection

We have some news from Guyana and there will be a further pitch inspection in 30 minutes at 16:15 BST.

03:44 PM BST

The keys for England

03:37 PM BST

That is more like it!

03:36 PM BST

A bit of a farce

“There really is no excuse for India this time if they fail to win the World Cup. The game’s financial behemoth has been handed an advantage by the structure of a tournament skewed in favour of one team for financial reasons.”

You can read more from Nick Hoult, who has described the World Cup as becoming “a farce”.

03:35 PM BST

The thoughts of Jasprit Bumrah

03:27 PM BST

How much have things changed?

On their way to winning the T20 World Cup in 2022, England thrashed India in Adelaide at this stage of the competition. Dinesh Karthik has been speaking about how different India are today:

03:21 PM BST

No reserve day

It has been well-documented that there is no reserve day for this semi-final, despite there being one for the first one. Nick Hoult has all the latest as England will be knocked out if this game is washed out.

03:18 PM BST

Who would a shorter game suit?

03:15 PM BST

Covers coming off, but going back on again

We have positive news from Guyana. The groundstaff are starting to take off the covers and we are reliably informed that the outfield in Guyana dries out very quickly.

However, just as I write this, it is raining again, predictably!

03:14 PM BST

Poor organisation?

The English media, written and BBC radio, are covering this match from a media centre in Barbados laid on for the entire tournament and is coming in very handy today. We were offered last minute seats on the England charter flight to Guyana on Tuesday but there were no hotel rooms left in Georgetown and the ICC could not guarantee getting us back to Barbados in time for Saturday’s final. It is deeply frustrating and makes the whole event a little bit mickey mouse. It is one thing not hosting the written press, we are deemed a pain to be avoided by most cricket administrators, but the BBC actually paid rights money to cover ICC tournaments live.

03:10 PM BST

How do England go about selection?

Fascinating to see what team England pick in Guyana. You’d normally say never change a winning team, and there’s every chance that England do not. But Providence offers extreme conditions: it’s the most spin-friendly ground in the Caribbean (Guyana Amazon Warriors often bowl 15 overs or more of spin here) and there’s expected to be low bounce. Expect a low-scorer, even if it perhaps won’t be quite as low-scoring as the only occasion this strip has been used in the tournament, when Uganda edged beat Papua New Guinea’s 77 all out to win by three wickets. Runs will be much harder than normal. This could favour bringing in an extra batsman - Will Jacks or even Ben Duckett - for a bowler.

03:06 PM BST

Some hope?

The covers are on and there does not seem to be much urgency from the groundstaff, but it has stopped raining for now in Guyana.

03:03 PM BST

Toss delayed

Toss delayed in Guyana. A ten minute shower adding to the soaking earlier in the day. Obviously they are used to rain at the Providence Stadium and the outfield has excellent drainage so it will not take long to make the ground playable if there is a long enough break in the clouds.

A ten over game will have to start by 4.40pm local time (9.40pm UK) otherwise the match will be abandoned and India go through courtesy of topping their group. No arguments on that score - India have a 100 percent record, England have lost two out of three to Test teams.

02:55 PM BST

First semi-final

We already have one team confirmed for Saturday’s final and that is South Africa, who thrashed Afghanistan by nine wickets. You can read more about the win which saw Aiden Markram’s men into the final and plenty of talk about the pitch in Trinidad.

02:49 PM BST

Two coaches having a natter

England head coach Matthew Mott was under significant pressure going into the tournament after England’s dismal defence of their 50-over crown in India last year but he may have saved his job. Meanwhile Rahul Dravid has already announced he will be leaving his post as India head coach after this World Cup.

02:43 PM BST

Kohli in the house

02:41 PM BST

Hope!

This is a positive sign, although the clouds do not look particularly friendly!

02:08 PM BST

Weather forecast

It rained heavily overnight and the outlook for Georgetown and Providence, 10km to the south of the capital, is gloomy. Thundery showers and light winds are on the agenda all morning and afternoon with an overall percentage of rain probability at a high of 49 per cent at 3pm BST, receding through the day until about 12 midnight when it should be dry. That would be long after the scheduled finish.

The regulations permit the use of floodlights to extend play by a maximum of 250 minutes, so double the length of a normal T20 but that only takes us to 11.50pm BST. They may, of course, be able to fit in a 10-over match between showers and the match can be completed via DLS so long as both bat for a minimum of five overs each.

But if no result is possible, India will essentially have a bye to the final because they topped their Super Eight group while England came second in theirs.

11:33 AM BST

Preview: Favourites v champions

By Rob Bagchi

Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of the second semi-final of the 2024 T20 World Cup in which India, the favourites, take on England, the defending champions, in Providence, Guyana for a place in Saturday’s final against South Africa.

India, who have not won the tournament since the inaugural event in 2007 and have been to only one other final, play England who are gunning to become the first team to win it three times and the first with back-to-back victories. Jos Buttler’s side have already lost twice in the tournament, beaten by Australia in the group stage and South Africa in the Super Eights while India, echoing their serene  path through the home 50-over World Cup last autumn, have won all their matches apart from the dead rubber washout with Canada, though Pakistan really should have beaten them.

England’s problem, as ever against India, will be combatting their attack. They have won 11 and lost 12 of their 23 previous encounters in this format and, encouragingly, defeated them by 10 wickets at a neutral venue at this stage of the 2022 tournament but Jasprit Bumrah has seven wickets at 10 against them with an economy rate of 5.52 in four matches and Kuldeep Yadav has five in two matches at 11.6 with an economy rate of 7.25. Buttler, who has made four half centuries against them in 18 innings, is the only batsman with fairly consistent success against that attack, Phil Salt and Harry Brook having batted only four times between them against India, Jonny Bairstow averages 24.85 in 10 knocks, Moeen Ali 13.33 in seven and Liam Livingstone 25.50 in three.

As for England’s bowlers, Chris Jordan leads the way with 21 wickets at 25.42 (econ: 9.12), followed by Adil Rashid eight at 37.62 (7.52), Moeen seven at 31.28 (9.38) and Jofra Archer seven at 22.14 (7.75).

It’s definitely a bat first pitch – the highest score batting second so far after five games there in the tournament was West Indies 137 for five to beat Uganda who were the only other team to win batting second having blown Papua New Guinea over for 77. India traditionally like to bat first, England to chase but if Buttler wins the toss and the rains stay away, he ought to step on the throat of his own song and do what India would least like him to do.

One thought about the team today’s winners will play on Saturday (and we should remind you that India will go through if the match is washed out given their superior record coming into the match): South Africa have taken so much stick from traditionalists at home and mainly away for pivoting their resources and schedule away from Test cricket to white-ball cricket, following the example of West Indies in the preceding decade, their first appearance in a global tournament final, and especially should they win, may be seen by cash-strapped boards struggling to reward franchise superstars as a kind of vindication and the only way forward without a fairer split of TV income.

There may be more than meets the eye at stake in Saturday’s final.