Twenty-four hours after Finn Allen lit up the T20 World Cup with the fastest hundred in the tournament’s history, another breathtaking century arrived. This time from England’s Jacob Bethell at the Wankhede Stadium. The only difference was the result.

Impossible Jacob Bethell

Bethell’s dazzling 105 off 48 balls nearly pulled off what looked impossible against India in the second semifinal. England were chasing a daunting 254 after India piled on runs earlier in the evening. Jofra Archer had gone for 61 and Sam Curran conceded 53 as India’s batters dominated throughout. The chase seemed over before it had truly begun. Phil Salt was out early, Jos Buttler struggled once again, and Harry Brook was undone by a stupendous Axar Patel catch.

Then Bethell walked in.

There had been debates about his place in the playing XI before the match. Scores of 3, 8 and 21 in the Super 8 stage had put his position under scrutiny. Some felt England could consider changes after Rehan Ahmed’s late cameo in the previous game. But England backed the 22-year-old and the faith was repaid in spectacular fashion.

Unwanted list for Bethell but unforgettable

Bethell announced his intent almost immediately. Facing Varun Chakaravarthy, he smashed sixes off the first three balls he faced from the spinner. One of them was a stunning reverse sweep that sailed over backward point. He kept targeting the spin attack, particularly Varun, who conceded 43 runs in the 13 balls he bowled to Bethell.

England kept losing wickets around him, but Bethell kept the chase alive. He reached his fifty in just 19 balls, equalling Finn Allen for the fastest half-century in T20 World Cup knockout matches. It was also the fastest fifty by an England batter in the tournament.

From there, Bethell kept attacking. He paced the innings cleverly, playing out Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh when needed while taking risks against the spinners. His hundred came off just 45 balls, the second-fastest century in T20 World Cup history behind Allen’s 33-ball blitz earlier in the tournament.

But even that extraordinary effort wasn’t enough. England eventually fell short despite Bethell finishing unbeaten on 105. The main reason was Bumrah’s incredible death bowling masterclass. Also, no other English batter gave enough support to Bethell as the second-highest run-getter for them was Will Jacks, who made 35.

In doing so, the young all-rounder entered a rare and unfortunate list. His hundred became only the third in World Cup history that ended in defeat, after Chris Gayle’s 117 against South Africa in 2007 and Yuvraj Samra’s 110 against New Zealand earlier in this tournament.

Bethell may have ended on the losing side, but his innings ensured the Wankhede crowd witnessed one of the great semifinal knocks. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have got a gem of their own!