Harry Brook has thrown his support behind Jose Buttler, expressing confidence that the England batsman will rediscover his form when England take on India in the semi-final of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup T20 on Thursday, March 5 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Buttler endured a tough tournament, scoring just 62 runs in seven matches at an average of 8.85 and a strike rate of 106.89. He also posted single-digit scores in each of his last five innings.
Despite the lean patch, Brook stressed that Buttler remains one of England’s best white-ball batsmen and deserves support and time to return to the big stage.
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“I think Jos should be left alone. He’s one of the best players to ever play the game and I can see him doing well,” Brook told Sky Sports.
‘PRESSURE FOR BOTH TEAMS’
Brook also acknowledged that England are unlikely to enjoy much crowd support in their clash with India. He admitted the atmosphere was expected to be loud, with most fans rooting for the home side.
However, Brook stressed that England remained focused on giving their best performance, adding that the squad was ready to handle the pressure and put their best foot forward despite the challenging environment.
“We’re all really excited. I’ve already heard a few guys say they’d like to play India anyway. It’s going to be a massive event with a hell of a lot of pressure on both sides,” Brook said.
“India obviously have a hell of a lot of support and I’m not sure there will be many people behind us. It’s going to be loud. Hopefully we’ll play our best cricket,” Brook added.
England have been in solid form at the World Cup, winning six of their seven games so far. They also topped their Super 8 group with wins over Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand.
In the T20 World Cup, England have beaten India in two of their five matches since the teams first met in 2007.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
March 3, 2026 11:35 PM IST
