06 March,2026 10:17 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
England`s captain Harry Brook watches the ball after playing a shot during the 2026 ICC Men`s T20 Cricket World Cup .(Pic/AFP)
England on Thursday suffered a close seven-run defeat in the semi-final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 held at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. While expressing his views in the post-match press conference, English skipper Harry Brook called Jasprit Bumrah 'the best of all time'.
Talking about India's premier fast bowler Bumrah during the post-match press conference, the England skipper said, "He's (Bumrah) a very good bowler, arguably the best of all time at the minute. He's been a very good bowler for a long time", the ANI reported.
England skipped; Brook, while chasing a mammoth target of 254 runs, came to bat at number three and made just seven runs before leaving his wicket to Bumrah when Axar Patel took a fine catch over covers.
Speaking about Axar Patel's brilliance in the field, Brook said, "The Indians fielded extremely well. That catch is arguably one of the best catches I have seen as well. So yeah, hats off to them."
The 27-year-old also came in support of England's head coach, Brendon McCullum, who has been under the radar since the England team's Ashes defeat.
While hailing former Kiwi batsman and England coach, Brook said, "I've said plenty of times he's the best coach I've ever had, the best head coach I've ever had. The way that he speaks to everybody, the way that he has an aura in the dressing room - everybody looks up to him."
He added, "The things that he did in the game as a player were unbelievable, and he just carried that into his coaching. The things that he's done over the four years that he's taken over have changed English cricket for hopefully the best. As I said, he's the best head coach I've ever had."
Brook also said that he will be 125 per cent rooting for McCullum if ECB officials ask about his opinion on whether he should stay.
While chasing a big target, Jacob Bethell's maiden T20I ton kept England alive in the game for most of the time, but the Three Lions failed to reach the total by seven runs.
Hardik Pandya took two wickets, whereas Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Chakaravarthy and Patel took one wicket each.
Now, India will face New Zealand in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
(With inputs from ANI)
