India edges England in high-scoring thriller to reach T20 World Cup final

MUMBAI, India (AP) — India motored into the Twenty20 World Cup final after beating England by just seven runs in a high-scoring semifinal at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

The tournament co-host will defend its 2024 crown against New Zealand in the final on Sunday in Ahmedabad.

India powered to 253-7, the fourth highest total in T20 World Cup history, and England replied with 246-7, the fifth highest ever.

There were 499 runs with 34 sixes — the most hit in a T20 World Cup match — 19 by India and 15 by England.

Sanju Samson, dropped on 15, hit 89 off 42 balls to lead India. Jofra Archer went 1-61, conceding the most runs ever by an England bowler in a men's T20 World Cup.

Jacob Bethell led England's reply with a career-first 105 off 48 balls, including seven sixes. He fell on the first ball of the last over, when England needed 30 runs to win, trying to run a second single that wasn't on.

Jasprit Bumrah bowled a controlled spell of 1-33 in four overs, and Axar Patel took two stunning catches in the field and fashioned another.

India beat England in a second successive T20 World Cup semifinal and will try on Sunday to become the first team to win three World Cups and consecutive titles. New Zealand has never won the men's T20 World Cup.

Samson, who hit a second consecutive half-century, was named player of the match.

“I feel great – I knew I had form behind me going into this game so I needed to continue (batting like that)," he said. “It is not easy to find form in crucial games for your country, so I needed to make the most out of my batting in a big game. I gave myself extra time and calculated my innings.”

Put in to bat, India lost Abhishek Sharma cheaply — out caught for 9 to Will Jacks.

Samson and Ishan Kishan (39) then set the stage for India’s second 250-plus total of the tournament. It had previously scored 256-4 against Zimbabwe in the Super 8s — the second highest T20 World Cup total.

Samson reached 50 off 26 balls and put on 97 off 45 balls with Kishan. India’s 100 came up in the ninth over before Kishan holed out to long off in the next one.

Shivam Dube was promoted up the order and he smashed 43 off 25 balls including four sixes, putting on another 43 off 22 balls with Samson.

Samson went for a big six over cover and was caught off Jacks in the 14th over, with India already past 150 at that stage.

Hardik Pandya (27) and Tilak Varma (21) put in cameos as India buffered up its total on a fabulous batting surface.

In response, England got off to a poor start — Axar Patel held a stunning tall catch running back to dismiss Phil Salt for 5.

Bumrah accounted for Brook (7), while Jos Buttler looked out of touch in scoring 25 off 17 balls. Tom Banton (17) hit two sixes, but Patel bowled him to leave England at 95-4 in 7.3 overs.

The scoring rate was still good, owing to Bethell’s arrival at the crease, and he immediately got going.

Bethell hit 50 off 19 balls as he put on 77 off 39 balls with Jacks. This was England’s most dangerous duo as per batting form, and India was wary despite a tall score behind its back.

Jacks made 35 off 20 balls, when Arshdeep Singh provided the breakthrough in the 14th over. England needed 82 off 48 balls at that stage, with Bethell and Sam Curran (18) putting on another 50 off 27 balls thereafter.

Bethell reached his maiden T20 hundred off 45 balls, but it went for naught as Bumrah gave away only six runs in the 18th over.

Pandya and Dube bowled the last two overs with ample control — Bethell was run out on the first ball of the final over with India securing its spot in a record fourth T20 World Cup final.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

England's Will Jacks, right, celebrates the dismissal of India's Abhishek Sharma, left, during the T20 World Cup cricket semi-final match between India and England in Mumbai, India, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's Sanju Samson plays a shot during the T20 World Cup cricket semi-final match between India and England in Mumbai, India, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

England's Jacob Bethell celebrates after scoring a century during the T20 World Cup cricket semi-final match between India and England in Mumbai, India, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's Jasprit Bumrah, right, and teammates celebrate the run out of England's Jacob Bethell, on ground, during the T20 World Cup cricket semi-final match between India and England in Mumbai, India, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's Jasprit Bumrah, left, and teammates celebrate the run out of England's Jacob Bethell, on ground, during the T20 World Cup cricket semi-final match between India and England in Mumbai, India, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are falling sharply on Wall Street Thursday as oil prices rise further because of the war with Iran.

The S&P 500 sank 1.3% in midday trading, coming off a frenetic start to the week that saw financial markets swerve sharply, sometimes hour by hour. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 964 points, or 2%, as of 1 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.1% lower.

Financial markets are again following the cue of oil prices. They're cranking up the pressure because of worries that a long-term spike could exhaust households’ ability to spend, grind down the global economy and push interest rates higher.

A barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, rose 3.8% to $84.47. That’s up from close to $70 late last week. A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude climbed 6.5% to $79.49.

Oil prices rose after Iran launched a new wave of attacks against Israel, American bases and countries around the region. The war's escalations are raising worries about how long disruptions will last for the production and transport of oil and natural gas in the region.

Prices at U.S. gasoline pumps have already jumped because of them. The average price for a gallon is $3.25, up 9% from $2.98 a week ago, according to auto club AAA.

To be sure, the U.S. stock market has a history of bouncing back relatively quickly following conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere. That has many professional investors suggesting patience and riding through the market’s swings.

“While further escalation remains a risk, we think the more likely outcome is an increase in market risk aversion that likely lasts only a short time until investors can see a winding down of hostilities,” according to Scott Wren, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

But if oil prices spike, like to $100 per barrel, and stay there, it could be too much for the global economy to withstand. Uncertainty about that has caused this week’s sharp swings, and much will depend on what happens with the Strait of Hormuz. Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil typically sails through the narrow waterway off Iran's coast.

Stocks of retailers fell to some of the U.S. market's worst losses on Thursday. High gasoline prices mean their customers would have less to spend on other things.

American Eagle Outfitters fell 14.1% even though it reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

Airlines also took sharp losses. Higher oil prices are increasing their already big fuel bills, while the war has left hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded across the Middle East.

American Airlines lost 7.2%, United Airlines fell 7.6% and Delta Air Lines sank 6.6%.

Stocks of smaller companies, meanwhile, took the heaviest losses. That's typical when worries are growing about the strength of the economy and about interest rates rising. The Russell 2000 index of the smallest stocks fell 2.8%.

Wall Street's drop would have been worse if not for Broadcom. The chip company’s stock rose 3.8% after it reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It’s one of Wall Street’s most influential stocks because it’s one of the biggest by total value, and CEO Hock Tan said it benefited from a 74% jump in revenue for AI chips.

In the bond market, Treasury yields climbed as rising oil prices put more upward pressure on inflation, which could keep the Federal Reserve from cutting interest rates.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.13% from 4.09% late Wednesday and from just 3.97% before the war with Iran started.

The Fed could keep interest rates high to keep a lid on inflation. But high interest rates would also keep it more expensive for U.S. households and companies to borrow money, grinding down on the economy.

The central bank had indicated it planned to resume its cuts to interest rates later this year, in hopes of giving a boost to the job market and economy. Because of the war and higher oil prices, traders have pushed their forecasts further into the summer for when the Fed could begin cutting rates again.

Several reports on the U.S. economy also came in mixed.

One said fewer U.S. workers filed for unemployment benefits last week than economists expected. That's an encouraging signal for the job market.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rebounded in Asia following historic losses a day before. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 9.6% to recover much of its 12.1% plunge from Wednesday, which was its worst drop ever.

But indexes fell in Europe as oil prices began to accelerate. France’s CAC 40 fell 1.5%, and Germany’s DAX lost 1.6%.

AP Writers Kim Tong-hyung and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

Anthony Matesic works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

John Bishop works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top center, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center left, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters, in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Ed Nangle works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Financial information is displayed on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)