England’s pursuit of a record-breaking 254 descended into chaos at the Wankhede as Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel combined for a moment of pure fielding sorcery. Tasked with chasing India’s mammoth 253-7—anchored by a scintillating 89 from Sanju Samson—England needed captain Harry Brook to fire. Instead, he became the victim of a masterful Bumrah slower ball.

Miscueing his first delivery high into the Mumbai night, Brook watched in horror as Axar Patel sprinted backwards towards the rope. Under immense pressure, Axar completed an "unbelievable" over-the-shoulder catch, silencing the England dugout and removing their most dangerous asset for just seven.

Also read: Brook’s Blunder: Skipper drops a sitter to hand red-hot Sanju Samson a golden semi-final lifeline

The dismissal triggered a collapse; Varun Chakravarthy promptly cleaned up Jos Buttler, leaving the defending champions reeling at 64/3 within the powerplay. Having conceded 19 sixes to the hosts’ blistering batting earlier in the match, a shell-shocked England now face an uphill task to prevent India from reaching Sunday’s final. (With inputs from Agencies)