Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup match between the West Indies and the United States, scheduled to be played at the Kensington Oval on Friday.
The T20 World Cup co-hosts will go head-to-head when West Indies face the United States in Friday’s Super Eight meeting at the T20 World Cup.
West Indies began the Super Eight phase with a disappointing defeat against England, while the USA failed to get the better of South Africa despite putting in a competitive performance.
After failing to qualify for last year’s 50-over World Cup, West Indies came into their home tournament with a point to prove.
The side, overseen by coach Darren Sammy, produced a flawless performance in the first stage, beating Papua New Guinea, Uganda, New Zealand and Afghanistan to finish top of Group C with maximum points.
West Indies racked up 218 in their 104-run victory against Afghanistan, and they appeared to be on course to pose another score in excess of 200 in Wednesday’s Super Eight clash with reigning world T20 champions England.
They were sitting pretty at 137-2 at the 15-over mark, but England fought back to restrict West Indies to 180-4 after 20 overs.
Jos Buttler and co ultimately made light work of the total, as the West Indies bowling attack struggled to contain the likes of Phil Salt and Jonny Bairstow, who put together a formidable partnership to win the game with 15 balls remaining.
After suffering their first defeat of the tournament, captain Rovman Powell knows that his side need to beat the USA if they are to have a realistic chance of reaching the semi-finals as they look to keep their hopes alive of winning the tournament for the third time.
Meanwhile, as an associate nation, the United States have already surpassed expectations by making it to the Super Eight stage in their first-ever appearance at the T20 World Cup.
They began the tournament with a seven-wicket victory against Canada, before they pulled off a major upset to beat Pakistan in a Super Over.
Although they were beaten by India, the USA still managed to secure a top-two spot after their final group game against Ireland was washed out due to the heavy rain in Florida.
The United States continued their memorable tournament with a competitive display in their Super Eight match against South Africa, falling just 18 runs short in their chase of 194 to reinforce the belief that the associate nations belong at these tournaments.
While securing a semi-final berth seems an unthinkable proposition, the USA will attempt to spring a surprise against their tournament co-hosts and claim a win that would set up a dramatic final game against England.
West Indies opener Brandon King is a doubt for the rest of the tournament after being forced to retire hurt against England due to a side strain.
If King is ruled out of the World Cup, West Indies could call up one of their stand-by players, with Andre Fletcher and Kyle Mayers among the contenders to come into the main squad.
Nicholas Pooran will be key to his side’s batting efforts, having racked up 200 runs in his five innings, making him the highest run scorer at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Romario Shephard may see his position come under threat after he conceded 41 off his two overs against England, including 30 off one over to the destructive Salt.
Meanwhile, USA skipper Monank Patel remains a doubt, having been forced to miss the last two matches against India and South Africa due to injury.
Aaron Jones will captain the USA for a third consecutive match if Patel remains unavailable for the second Super-Eight match.
Wicket-keeper Andries Gous will be looking to produce another meaningful contribution with the bat after hitting five fours and five sixes on his way to scoring 80 not out in the defeat to South Africa.
Saurabh Netravalkar has been the USA’s standout bowler in the tournament, and he showcased his skills by recording bowling figures of 2-21 in the defeat to South Africa.
Team A squad: Monank Patel (c), Aaron Jones, Andries Gous, Corey Anderson, Ali Khan, Harmeet Singh, Jessy Singh, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Nitish Kumar, Noshtush Kenjige, Saurabh Netravalkar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Steven Taylor, Shayan Jahangir
Team B squad: Rovman Powell (c), Alzarri Joseph, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd
Group stage
Match One: West Indies won by five wickets
Papua New Guinea – 136/8 (20)
West Indies – 137/5 (19)
Match Two: West Indies won by 134 runs
West Indies – 173/5 (20)
Uganda – 39 (12)
Match Three: West Indies won by 13 runs
West Indies – 149/9 (20)
New Zealand – 136/9 (20)
Match Four: West Indies won by 104 runs
West Indies – 218/5 (20)
Afghanistan – 114 (16.2)
Super Eight
Match Five: West Indies lost by eight wickets
West Indies – 180/4 (20)
England – 181/2 (17.3)
Group stage
Match One: USA won by 7 wickets
Canada – 194/5 (20)
USA – 197/3 (17.4)
Match Two: USA won the super over by 5 runs
Pakistan – 159/7 & 13/1
USA – 159/3 & 18/1
Match Three: USA lost by 7 wickets
USA – 110/8 (20)
India – 111/3 (18.2)
Match Four: No Result
Super Eight
Match Five: USA lost by 18 runs
USA – 176/6 (20)
South Africa – 194/4 (20)
West Indies would have been disappointed with their overall performance against England after they failed to maximise their solid start with the bat and struggled to stop the flow of runs when it came to their bowling effort.
However, they still have a destructive batting lineup and a solid bowling group, who should all do enough to outclass the USA in Friday’s contest.
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