Jacob Bethell's Historic Century Overshadowed by England's T20 World Cup Loss

Disappointment for Bethell as England Falls Short

Mumbai: England's Jacob Bethell expressed his frustration after his remarkable century was not enough to secure a win, describing the loss as "a tough pill to swallow" following England's defeat to India in the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final held at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

Despite the setback, Bethell made history by achieving the second-fastest century in T20 World Cup history, reaching the milestone in just 45 balls at the age of 22.

This achievement marks Bethell's third century across all formats for England. Earlier this year, he scored a century against Australia during the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney, although England lost that match as well.

Reflecting on his two centuries in losing efforts, Bethell remarked, "I think they’re not comparable, really. The skills and the kind of mentality and thinking are different between the two of them. Both feelings are pretty good. But both of them have come in losing causes, which is a weird feeling. You know, cricket’s a cruel game. Personal performances don’t always translate into team success. So both of those are tough pills to swallow," he stated post-match.

Bethell also commended Axar Patel's exceptional fielding, noting that the catches of Harry Brook and Will Jacks were pivotal moments in the match.

"I think that Brookie catch was impressive. However, the game was already quite distant at that point. But to execute it under pressure while Jacksy and I were building a partnership was really a dagger to us," he explained.

"When you consider the broader context of the game, if Jacky had been there in the next over against Bumrah, we could have applied more pressure, and we wouldn’t have needed 30 off the last. That definitely altered the game's dynamics, and fair play to him. Those were two incredible catches," he added.