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Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup match between the United States and South Africa, scheduled to be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Wednesday.

The T20 World Cup 2024 Super Eight stage gets underway on Wednesday afternoon with co-hosts United States taking on South Africa at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

During the Super Eight stage, the eight qualifying teams are split into two pools of four and will battle in a round-robin format, with the top two sides progressing to the semi-final.

Match preview

© Imago

The United States qualified for the tournament as co-hosts with the West Indies, but they have made full use of their home advantage, creating an incredible first impression in their first-ever major cricket tournament.

They made the perfect start to the competition, beating neighbours Canada before pulling off the upset of the tournament, beating former champions Pakistan in a gripping super over by five runs in game two.

A defeat to India followed in game three before the rain in Florida washed out their final group match against Ireland at Broward County Stadium on Friday, giving them the point needed to edge the Shaheens to the second round.

Additionally, the USA’s progression to the Super Eight of this competition also sees them qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2026, which will be hosted in the sub-continent by India and Sri Lanka.

While the side will be brimming with confidence, they will now be playing their first away game of the tournament, and the fact they have never won a game outside of US soil will undoubtedly be playing on their mind.

© Reuters

Meanwhile, South Africa came through the group stage as one of the teams that had to battle the now-infamous Nassau County pitch where they played three games, including a particularly tricky one against Bangladesh.

The Proteas were one of only three teams that played and won all four of their group-stage matches, though their perfect record was in serious jeopardy last week when they just about staved off an almighty upset by Nepal, who came up just one run short to victory in Kingstown.

Still, most from a South African persuasion would likely agree that while the side did maintain an unbeaten record in the group, there is massive room for improvement, particularly in the performances of their top-order, who have largely failed to give the side a proper platform to work with.

The Protea’s bowling attack, though, has looked good, with the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen maintaining economical figures, while Anrich Nortje is the second-highest wicket-taker in the competition with nine scalps in 16 overs so far.

South Africa need to make quick adjustments to a better batting surface here in the Caribbean, and if their top order is able to re-find its form, they should be too strong for the US in this one.

Team News

© Reuters

The US were without the services of captain Monank Patel for their match against India due to an injury, but he has reportedly recovered fully and is expected to return to the starting lineup for this match.

Patel will also benefit from having the likes of South African-born players Andries Gous and Shadley van Schalkwyk in his side – both of whom have vast experience in the domestic game in their homeland.

South Africa, on the other hand, will have to be mindful of managing their player’s workload if they are to progress in the competition, but could be tempted to go with two spinners for this match, with the pitch in Antigua expected to favour slower bowling.

While the top order has failed to impress so far, the Proteas middle-order, particularly Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller have been rock solid, with the latter currently being the leading run-scorer in this World Cup for the team, and the only one who has registered a half-century.

United States 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

South Africa squad: Aiden Markram (c), Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs

Series so far

United States

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

South Africa

Match One: South Africa won by 6 wickets
Sri Lanka 77 (19.1)
South Africa – 80/4 (16.2)

Match Two: South Africa won by 4 wickets
Netherlands – 103/9 (20)
South Africa – 106/6 (18.5)

Match Three: South Africa won by 4 runs
South Africa – 113/6 (20)
Bangladesh – 109/7 (20)

Match Four: South Africa won by 1 run
South Africa – 115/7 (20)
Nepal – 114/7 (20)

© PA Photos

We say: South Africa to win

The US have been a joy to watch in this competition, but they showed against India that they are still some way from being able to go toe-to-toe with the elite cricketing nations in the world. Therefore, while South Africa have not been at their best, we feel they will be too good for the co-hosts in this one.

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Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup match between Australia and Scotland, scheduled to be played at the Beausejour Stadium on Sunday.

Australia and Scotland will face off in the final match of what has been an intriguing Group B contest in the 2024 T20 World Cup at Beausejour Stadium on Sunday morning.

The Aussies have already booked their spot in the Super Eight, but behind them, the race for the second qualification place is still red-hot between the two British sides in the group.

Match preview

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The buildup to this match has been steeped in controversy, with widespread reports from players, pundits and legends of the game suggesting that Australia could manipulate the outcome to deny England a chance of qualifying for the knockout stages.

Assuming England win their final group-stage match against Namibia on Saturday, the two British teams in this group would end tied on five points each heading into this match, meaning a Scotland win (or a no-result outcome) would see the defending champions head home at the group stage for a second World Cup competition in a row.

Indeed, Josh Hazlewood‘s tongue-in-cheek “in our best interests as well as probably everyone else [to knock England out of the competition]” comment did little to ease the tension around the situation, though Pat Cummins dismissed speculation of possible manipulation in a pre-match interview, insisting Hazlewood’s comment was merely banter.

Fair to say, emotions will be running high if this match approaches the final overs still in the balance and the likelihood that Australian head coach Andrew McDonald will consider resting players for the fixture with nothing on the line for his side, adds another layer of intrigue.

Speculation aside, the Baggy Greens are still massively fancied to win this match, having eased through their first three games in the tournament and losing only one of their last seven in the shortest format.

© Reuters

Meanwhile, with all the talks centred around the two Test-playing nations in this group, it is all arguably a little disrespectful to Scotland, who earned their shot at a spot in the Super Eight off the back of two very good performances against fellow associate nations Namibia and Oman.

Additionally, it is worth recalling that while their tournament opener ended in a no result outcome, they had shot out the blocks against England and were looking very good at 90/0 in the 10th over when the heavens opened up and ended play.

Another quick start with bat or ball will be crucial for the Scots here, while there also remains a scenario where a narrow win for the English and a loss for Scotland in this match could still see the latter progress given that net run rate is calculated as an average across all matches.

Scotland have only ever beaten four full members of the ICC in the white-ball format in the past, two of which were ODI victories. Their first T20 triumph came against Bangladesh in 2012, while they toppled the West Indies in the last edition of this tournament during the group stage.

Still, on any normal day, this should be a total mismatch, but given what is at stake and the undoubted pressure that Australia will now be under, this could easily turn into one of the most memorable matches in T20 history.

Team News

© Reuters

As mentioned, Australia may consider resting a few of their players for this match, which could allow the likes of Ashton Agar, Cameron Green and Josh Inglis to make the starting lineup here.

Mitchell Starc will likely be handed the new ball after being given the afternoon off against Namibia last time out, and it would not be surprising if we saw Mitchell Marsh opt to leave Hazlewood on the bench here given the reports earlier this week.

Scotland will undoubtedly send out what they consider their strongest 11 for this match and will look to the likes of Brandon McMullen and George Munsey to lay the founding with the bat after both players’ solid innings against Oman last week.

Mark Watt and Brad Wheal are likely to carry the new-ball responsibilities while Safyaan Sharif, who was the pick of the bowlers in the last match, should provide the change-up with his medium-paced leg-breakers.

Australia squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Scotland squad: Scotland: Richie Berrington (c), Matthew Cross, Bradley Currie, Chris Greaves, Oli Hairs, Jack Jarvis, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Charlie Tear, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal

Series so far

Australia

Match One: Australia won by 39 runs
Australia – 164/5 (20)
Oman – 125/9 (20)

Match Two: Australia won by 36 runs
Australia – 201/7 (20)
England – 165/6 (20)

Match Three: Australia won by 9 wickets
Namibia – 72 (17)
Australia – 74/1 (5.4)

Scotland

Match One: No Result

Match Two: Scotland won by 5 wickets
Namibia – 155/9 (20)
Scotland – 157/5 (18.3)

Match Three: Scotland won by 7 wickets
Oman – 150/7 (20)
Scotland – 153/3 (13.1)

© PA Photos

We say: Australia to win

Despite all the clammer in the lead-up to this encounter, we feel that Australia will treat this match like business as usual and assert their dominance as they usually do en route to a victory.

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Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup match between Namibia and England, scheduled to be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Saturday.

England will look to keep their 2024 T20 World Cup Super Eight hopes alive when they take on Namibia at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Heading into the final round of matches in the group stage, England are currently in third place with three points while Namibia are fourth and unable to qualify for the knockouts.

Match preview

© Reuters

Namibia will take their final bow at the 2024 T20 World Cup this weekend, although they have left their mark on the competition, having played in the first T20 World Cup super over since the 2012 edition.

That nail-biter came in their opening match of the competition against Oman when both sides scored 109 before the Eagles secured an 11-run victory in the tie-breaking over, thanks to a stellar performance from David Wiese, who blasted 13* off four balls.

The Eagles put in another impressive performance in match two against Scotland, setting a defendable target of 156, but the Scots dominated from the off in their run chase and secured the points with 1.3 overs to spare.

While any lingering hopes of reaching the Super Eight were dashed by Australia in midweek, Namibia will have a chance to make the headlines once more by taking the defending champions out with them.

© Reuters

Indeed, a defeat this weekend will mean that England will automatically exit a second consecutive World Cup competition in the group stage following their ODI World Cup disappointment in India last year.

After a no-result outcome in their opening match against Scotland and a heavy defeat to Australia in game two, England found themselves in a ‘must-win by a big margin’ situation against minnows Oman on Thursday.

Fortunately for the Three Lions, Adil Rashid (4/11), Jofra Archer (3/12) and Mark Wood (3/12) stepped up in a big way, sharing the wickets to bowl their opponents out for 47 runs in only 13.2 overs.

Jos Buttler then scored a quickfire 24 off eight balls to lead the side to victory in just 3.1 overs, giving their net run rate a massive boost from -1.800 to +3.081, significantly above Scotland’s +2.164.

A victory this weekend for England will see them draw level on five points with the Scots, who face Australia on Sunday. Should both British teams end level on points, the side with the better net run rate will progress alongside the Baggy Greens to the Super Eight, meaning that Buttler and co will have to aim for another solid victory in this one.

Team News

Gerhard Erasmus has undoubtedly been the standout batsman for Namibia in this competition, top-scoring for the Eagles in the last two matches, while also starring in the super over against Oman in game one.

Wiese will undoubtedly be handed the new ball after taking the sole wicket against Australia, while medium-pacer Ben Shikongo could drop to the bench after a couple of poor showings.

Reece Topley was brought in to open the bowling for England against Oman, and while he was the only one to end wicketless, an economical 12 runs in three overs may have been good enough to retain his spot in the starting 11 for this crunch match.

Phil Salt has yet to find the sort of form he showed in the recently concluded Indian Premier League and will be champing at the bit to get some time in the centre in this one.

Namibia squad: Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus (c), Zane Green, Michael Van Lingen, Dylan Leicher, Ruben Trumpelmann, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, Tangeni Lungameni, Niko Davin, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, JP Kotze, David Wiese, Bernard Scholtz, Malan Kruger, PD Blignaut

England squad: England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood

Series so far

Namibia

Match One: Namibia won the super over by 11 runs
Oman – 109 & 10/1
Namibia – 109/6 & 21/0

Match Two: Namibia lost by 5 wickets
Namibia – 155/9 (20)
Scotland 9 157/5 (18.3)

Match Three: Namibia lost by 9 wickets
Namibia – 72 (17)
Australia – 74/1 (5.4)

England

Match One: No Result

Match Two: England lost by 36 runs
Australia – 201/7 (20)
England – 165/6 (20)

Match Three: England won by eight wickets
Oman – 47 (13.2)
England – 50/2 (3.1)

© PA Photos

We say: England to win

England should be too good for Namibia in this match and we feel they will secure a comfortable victory before the nerves really kick in, as they hope that the rain stays away and for Australia to do them a favour by beating Scotland.

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Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup match between England and Oman, scheduled to be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

England go up against Oman in the T20 World Cup on Thursday knowing that only a win will do if they wish to have any chance of progressing from Group B.

Jos Buttler‘s side realistically need to produce one of their most dominant performances in the history of this competition to catch-up with Scotland’s superior net-run-rate.

Match preview

© Reuters

Before the tournament, the assumption was that England and Australia would breeze through Group B given the presence of Scotland, Namibia and Oman as their opponents.

However, England face the genuine prospect of an early exit, the persistent rain during their fixture with Scotland benefitting the minnows far more than the defending champions.

Scotland have since reached five points and accumulated a huge net-run-rate with one match remaining, a fixture against Australia on June 15.

Having lost to the Baggy Greens on Saturday, England must now post victories by wide margins against Oman and Namibia if they are to threaten the Tartan Army.

Although England can count themselves unfortunate against Scotland, Australia were deserved winners at the weekend, hitting over 200 runs with the bat and England simply failing to keep touch in their reply.

As for Oman, they can be satisfied with the account that they have given in this tournament, with the downside being they suffered a super-over defeat to Namibia in their opening fixture.

Respect was earned in only going down by 39 runs to Australia, but they were comprehensively outplayed by Scotland last time out, Scotland reaching their target of 151 with 41 balls to spare.

England are naturally clear favourites to make their extra class count in this contest, yet Oman causing some issues during periods in the game would not come as a surprise.

Team News

The places of several England players are at risk with Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone and Mark Wood potentially missing out.

Ben Duckett, Sam Curran and Reece Topley will all feel they can bring something to the side if handed an opportunity.

Meanwhile, Zeeshan Maqsood may drop out of the Oman side after scores of one and three respectively, with Kashyap Prajapati possibly being recalled in his place.

Mohammad Nadeem – who is 41 years of age – will also hope to be recalled for what may be his final game at this level of cricket.

England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood

Oman squad: Aqib Ilyas (c), Zeeshan Maqsood, Kashyap Prajapati, Pratik Athavale, Ayaan Khan, Shoaib Khan, Mohammad Nadeem, Naseem Khushi, Mehran Khan, Bilal Khan, Rafiullah, Kaleemullah, Fayyaz Butt, Shakeel Ahmad, Khalid Kail

Series so far

England

Match One: No result
Scotland – 90-0 (10)
England – did not bat

Match Two: Australia won by 36 runs
Australia – 201-7 (20)
England – 165-6 (20)

Oman

Match One: Namibia won super-over
Oman – 109 (19.4) and 10-1
Namibia – 109-6 (20) and 21-0

Match Two: Australia win by 39 runs
Australia – 164-5 (20)
Oman – 125-9 (20)

Match Three: Scotland won by seven wickets
Oman – 150-7 (20)
Pakistan – 153-3 (13.1)

© PA Photos

We say: England to win

Much could depend on the toss with England’s openers having the ability to take the game away from Oman before it has really started. The 2022 winners should come through with flying colours and they will want to win well given Scotland’s efforts versus the same opponents.

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Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup match between West Indies and New Zealand, scheduled to be played in Trinidad and Tobago on June 13.

West Indies square off against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup on Wednesday night knowing that they can put the Kiwis on the brink of elimination.

The tournament hosts would establish an insurmountable lead over their opponents in Group C if they can prevail at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago.

Match preview

© Reuters

Although West Indies were provided with a favourable group in comparison to some of the others, there was an acceptance that they might need some things to go their way to qualify for the final eight.

That slice of good fortune has already materialised with Afghanistan thrashing New Zealand, the Black Caps’ net-run-rate taking a battering in the process.

New Zealand still have three matches left to play and prevailing in each of them would keep them in the hunt for qualification, yet West Indies are in a position where they can guarantee that they finish above them in the table.

Daren Sammy‘s side were given the best start possible with fixtures against Papua New Guinea and Uganda, and they have taken full advantage, particularly last time out.

Having racked up 173-5 from their 20 overs, West Indies dismissed the minnows for just 39, currently giving them a superior net-run-rate of 7.774 compared to New Zealand.

From New Zealand’s perspective, they still have that double-header with the rank outsiders to come, with the assumption being they will deliver four points like West Indies.

Nevertheless, defeat here would result in Gary Stead‘s men reaching two matches to go with little chance of qualification. That scenario would only change if Papua New Guinea upset Afghanistan.

Team News

Barring any injury issues, there is no reason why West Indies should line up any differently to how they did against Uganda.

Brandon King only made 13 from eight balls, yet the opener has credit in the bank from his 34 versus Papua New Guinea and the remainder of the top six batsmen all made at least 22 runs.

Each of the five bowlers also picked up one wicket apiece, albeit with Akeal Hosein being the pick of bowlers with sensational figures of 5-11.

New Zealand have had time to stew over their heavy defeat to Afghanistan and it is now up for debate whether they should react with changes or stability.

The most likely alteration could see Rachin Ravindra brought back into the team at the expense of Michael Bracewell, who posted a first-ball duck and figures of 0-27 off three overs.

West Indies 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

New Zealand squad: Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee

Series so far

West Indies

Match One: West Indies by five wickets
Papua New Guinea – 136-8 (20)
West Indies – 137-5 (19)

Match Two: West Indies by 134 runs
West Indies – 173-5 (20)
Uganda – 39 (12)

New Zealand

Match One: Afghanistan by 84 runs
Afghanistan – 159-6 (20)
New Zealand – 75 (15.2)

© PA Photos

We say: West Indies to win

Although the belief levels will be at the opposite ends of the scale, New Zealand should not be discounted because of one defeat, particularly when West Indies have faced two minnows.

However, West Indies can exploit familiar conditions to heap further misery on New Zealand, albeit in a closer contest than the Afghanistan debacle.

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Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup match between the United States and India, scheduled to be played at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.

The pick of the matches in the T20 World Cup this Wednesday will see tournament co-hosts the United States taking on India at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.

The hosts have emerged as the biggest surprise package in the competition so far and are currently level on four points with India heading into the penultimate match of the group stage.

Match preview

© Reuters

In a group that features the pre-tournament favourites (India), former world champions Pakistan, and the steadily improving Ireland, few would have given the US a chance of progressing to the knockout stages of the T20 World Cup.

However, such is the format of 20-over cricket that nothing is a given, and at the halfway point of the group stage, the United States have their Super Eight destiny in their own hands, needing just one win from their next two games.

The tournament hosts made a flying start against neighbours Canada in their opening match, as they chased down 195 with 2.2 overs to spare. Aaron Jones led the charge with an unbeaten 94, which is the highest individual score by a player in the competition so far this year.

They then followed that up with a result that many have already dubbed the biggest upset in T20 World Cup history, beating Pakistan four days later in a match that came down to a super over, which they won by five runs.

Up next for the US is India and while a victory over the formidable Men in Blue will be a much more difficult ask, it will take a brave soul to write off the newcomers from pulling off another headline result.

Meanwhile, for India, it has been business as usual in this competition, as they currently lead the group with two wins in two games, while also possessing a very healthy net run rate of +1.455.

The Men in Blue kicked off their T20 World Cup campaign with a demolition of Ireland, where they bowled out their opponents for just 96 before chasing down the small total with more than seven overs to spare.

Rohit Sharma‘s side then took on a low-in-confidence Pakistan outfit over the weekend, and despite only managing to set the Shaheens a target of 120, they managed to claim a six-run victory thanks to an inspired bowling performance from Jasprit Bumrah, who bagged 3/14 in his four overs.

Along with Australia, India look like the side to beat in this year’s T20 World Cup, and like the Aussies, they require just one more victory from their remaining two games to stamp their ticket to the knockout stages.

While India will know not to underestimate the US here, the side from the subcontinent does have one major advantage, which is that they have played both their match on the low-scoring pitch here in Nassau County, while their opponents have played their first two matches in Texas.

Team News

© Reuters

Given their performances to this point, the US are likely to remain unchanged for this match with Steven Taylor and captain Monank Patel, who scored a half-century against Pakistan, making up the opening pair.

Nosthush Kenjige and Saurabh Netravalkar are likely to share the new ball, while Ali Khan, Jasdeep Singh and Harmeet Singh should provide the change of pace in the middle of the innings.

Virat Kohli‘s promotion to the top of the order for India has yet to pay off, with the former skipper managing just five runs across his two innings, and he will see this as the perfect opportunity to make his mark on the competition.

The pick of the Indian batsmen so far has been Rishabh Pant, who had an excellent IPL campaign for the Delhi Capitals and has already notched up 78 runs in his two innings in this competition.

United States 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 Nethralvakar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Steven Taylor, Shayan Jahangir

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

Series so far

United States

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

India

Match One: India won by 8 wickets
Ireland – 96 (16)
India – 97/2 (12.2)

Match Two: India won by 6 runs
India – 119 (19)
Pakistan – 113/7 (20)

© PA Photos

We say: India to win

This promises to be an intriguing battle between two very different types of teams. The US have adopted a gung-ho, all-out attacking style, while the Indians are much more meticulous in their approach and have the experience to boot.

Given the strength in the batting orders, this match could come down to the side that delivers a better bowling performance, and India undoubtedly have the upper hand in that department. Therefore, we feel the Men in Blue will come out on top in this one.

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Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup match between Australia and Namibia, scheduled to be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Wednesday.

Australia will look to maintain their perfect record in the 2024 T20 World Cup when they take on Namibia at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Wednesday morning.

The Aussies will enter this match in second place in Group B with two wins in two games, while Namibia are third and one point above the defending champions England.

Match preview

© Reuters

Group B has already delivered several surprises in this year’s competition, none more so than Scotland remaining unbeaten after three games, albeit that their most recent one was abandoned due to rain.

What has been unsurprising, though, has been the performance of Australia, who can book their place in the Super Eight with a victory here, after winning their first two matches with relative ease.

The Baggy Greens’ first victory came against Oman, where Marcus Stoinis put in a Man of the Match performance, scoring 67* to help his side set a target of 165 before bagging 3/19 with the ball to restrict the association side to 125/9.

Mitchell Marsh‘s side then took aim at the defending champions England over the weekend and managed to post the highest score in this competition to date of 201/7, which proved too much for the Three Lions, who only managed 165/6 in response.

The Aussies now have to take on Namibia, who they faced during their warm-up campaign and beat by seven wickets and a whopping 10 overs to spare.

© Reuters

Meanwhile, regardless of where Namibia end in this year’s T20 World Cup, they will have at least one fond memory of the tournament, and that came in their opening match, which they won in the first super over of the competition since 2012 against Oman.

Former South African and Sussex player David Wiese was instrumental with both bat and ball on the day and led his side to their fourth T20 World Cup win in the last two editions of the competition.

Unfortunately, despite another solid batting performance in match two, the Eagles were unable to maintain their unbeaten record, losing by five wickets to Scotland last week at the Kensington Oval.

While very few are giving Namibia a realistic chance in this match, the Eagles have won nine games against Test-playing nations, including seven against Zimbabwe, and one each versus Ireland and Sri Lanka.

Team News

© Reuters

After a fairly underwhelming Indian Premier League campaign, David Warner has looked very impressive at the top of the order for Australia in this competition, forming a solid partnership with Travis Head, who finished fourth in the leading run-scorer standings at the IPL.

Despite Stoinis’s excellent performance in the opening match, Adam Zampa has arguably been the pick of the bowlers for the Aussies over the first two matches. The spinner took two wickets in each game at an economy rate of just 6.5.

Namibia opted to bring in Jean-Pierre Kotze to open the batting in the last match against Scotland, but he was dismissed for a duck after just three balls, which could see him drop back to the bench for Michael van Lingen, who started in the victory against Oman.

Gerhard Erasmus became the first Eagles player to score a half-century in the competition this year and will need another captain’s knock here to give his side any chance of challenging the mighty Aussies.

Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), David Warner, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserves: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matthew Short.

Namibia squad: Namibia squad: Gerhard Erasmus (c), Zane Green, Michael Van Lingen, Dylan Leicher, Ruben Trumpelmann, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, Tangeni Lungameni, Niko Davin, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, JP Kotze, David Wiese, Bernard Scholtz, Malan Kruger, PD Blignaut

Series so far

Australia

Match One: Australia won by 39 runs
Australia – 164/5 (20)
Oman – 125/9 (20)

Match Two: Australia won by 36 runs
Australia – 201/7 (20)
England – 165/6 (20)

Namibia

Match One: Namibia won the super over by 11 runs
Oman – 108 & 10/1
Namibia – 106/6 & 21/0

Match Two: Namibia lost by 5 wickets
Namibia – 155/9 (20)
Scotland – 157/5 (18.3)

© PA Photos

We say: Australia to win

While this year’s tournament has already thrown up several surprise results, none of them have involved Australia, who are already looking like the team to beat. Indeed, Namibia are well capable of upsetting the odds against the bigger teams but we feel they will be no match for the Aussies in this one.

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Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup match between Pakistan and Canada, scheduled to be played at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.

Pakistan find themselves in a must-win situation as they prepare to take on Canada in match 22 of the T20 World Cup at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.

The Shaheens are yet to earn a point in the competition and enter this match second-bottom in the Group A standings, while the Maple Leafers are in third place with two points in as many games.

Match preview

© Reuters

Pakistan’s T20 World Cup campaign is in complete turmoil heading into game three, as they must defeat both Canada and Ireland to have a chance at advancing to the Super Eights, while also hoping that the group leaders slip up.

The Shaheens suffered arguably the biggest upset in T20 World Cup history in their first game, where they were beaten by hosts United States in a nail-biting encounter that went down to the Super Over.

Babar Azam‘s side then looked primed to overcome their arch-rivals India on Sunday after bowling the Men in Blue out for just 119 in 19 overs, marking India’s lowest total against Pakistan in 12 T20Is since 2007.

However, the victory was not to be, as Jasprit Bumrah turned the match on its head, knocking over Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam, while Hardik Pandya bagged 2/24, restricting Pakistan to 113/7, six runs shy of their target.

Pakistan have now lost each of their last four T20 internationals, barring abandoned matches, while the only Test-playing nation they have beaten in 2024 was New Zealand on home soil back in April.

The 2024 T20 World Cup has already tossed up several shocking results, including three first-time participants earning victories, while some of the big guns have struggled to hit top gear in challenging conditions.

Canada, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, experienced their best day in international cricket since defeating Bangladesh at the 2003 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup, when they produced an all-round effort to stun Ireland by 12 runs last Friday.

The groundwork for Canada’s first victory in a T20 World Cup was established by Nicholas Kirton‘s 49 off 35 balls, supported by Shreyas Movva, who made a workman-like 37 in 36 deliveries. The Maple Leafers were struggling at 53/4 when the duo joined forces in the ninth over, but they managed to stabilize the innings, forming a crucial 75-run partnership.

Canada’s bowling lineup then got them over the line with excellent spells from Jeremy Gordon and Dillon Heylinger, who took two wickets apiece while conceding just 16 and 18 runs respectively in their four-over allotment.

Such is this format of T20 cricket that the minnows have a real chance of beating the big guns, and while very few are giving the Canadians a chance in this one, they are the side entering the contest with confidence and cannot be overlooked with Pakistan yet to find any sort of rhythm in their play.

Team News

© Reuters

Despite their struggles in this competition, Pakistan’s bowling attack have fared well, with Naseem Shah and Mohammad Amir providing excellent support for Shaheen Afridi with the new ball.

Fakhar Zaman was dismissed cheaply yet again after a poor shot saw him edge the ball to Rishabh Pant behind the stumps in the last match, and his place in the middle order is likely to come under scrutiny unless he can produce a solid knock in this one.

While Canada will be over the moon with their performance in their last match, they will be hoping for bigger contributions for Aaron Johnson and Navneet Dhaliwal at the top of the order after the pair were dismissed for a total of 20 runs between them against Ireland.

Captain Saad Bin Zafar and Junaid Siddiqui both delivered economical spells of 1/22 and 1/27 in their four overs respectively last time out, although Kaleem Sana struggled with the new ball and may be given one more chance to shine before the side considers a change up front.

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Usman Khan.15 hours ago

Canada squad: Saad Bin Zafar (c), Dilpreet Bajwa, Navneet Dhaliwal, Aaron Johnson, Nicholas Kirton, Pargat Singh, Ravinderpal Singh, Shreyas Movva (WK), Rayyan Pathan, Nikhil Dutta, Junaid Siddiqui, Jeremy Gordon, Dillon Heyliger, Rishiv Joshi, Kaleem Sana

Series so far

Pakistan

Match One: Pakistan lost the Super Over by 5 runs
Pakistan – 159/7 &13/1
USA – 159/3 & 18/1

Match Two: Pakistan lost by 6 runs
India – 119 (19)
Pakistan – 113/7 (20)

Canada

Match One: Canada lost by 7 wickets
Canada – 194/5 (20)
USA – 197/3 (17.4)

Match Two: Canada won by 12 runs
Canada – 137/7 (20)
Ireland – 125/7 (20)

© PA Photos

We say: Pakistan to win

Pakistan are in a do-or-die situation from here on, and based on their performances in the competition so far, winning the next two games is certainly not a given.

However, the Shaheens do have a tendency to pull off big performances when they need them the most, and while we are not expecting a blow-out here, we do feel that the Green Shirts will remain in the qualification battle by winning this match.

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Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup match between South Africa and Bangladesh, scheduled to be played at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.

South Africa will look to set one foot in the Super Eight of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup when they take on Bangladesh at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Monday afternoon.

The Proteas currently lead ‘the group of death’ with a perfect two-for-two record, while the Tigers have got off to a promising start, beating Sri Lanka in their tournament opener on Saturday.

Match preview

© Reuters

South Africa have made the perfect start in their quest to earn their first T20 World Cup title, rattling off back-to-back convincing victories over Sri Lanka in their first match before overcoming bogey side the Netherlands on Saturday afternoon.

In the first match, the Proteas reduced the Lions to their lowest T20I total of 77 all out in 19.1 overs and chased it down in fairly straightforward fashion thanks to what many consider the side’s most stable middle-order of their white-ball era.

As it turned out, it was the South African middle-order that did the business again in match two, with David Miller scoring a meticulous and unbeaten 59 from 51 balls, helping his side recover from a shocking 12-4 start to claim a tense victory by four wickets with seven balls to spare.

Ottniel Baartman, who is the leading South African wicket-taker in T20s this year, delivered another stellar performance, taking four wickets and achieving his career-best figures of 4/11, as South Africa restricted the Netherlands to 103 for nine wickets in their 20-over allotment.

Up next for the Proteas are Bangladesh, a side that they have beaten in all eight of their previous T20I encounters, including in each of the last two editions of this tournament, and while another victory here will not guarantee their qualification just yet, it will put them firmly in the driver’s seat to reach the next round.

© Reuters

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s T20 record leading up to this tournament was far from convincing, as they suffered series losses to Sri Lanka and the United States before being blown away by India in their warm-up match at the start of the month.

However, all of those results will feel like a long time ago for the Tigers now after they upset the bookmakers by pulling off a two-wicket victory in a gripping encounter against the Lions in Texas over the weekend.

After a fairly poor start with the ball, Rishad Hossain changed the momentum of the innings by producing a brilliant spell of leg-spin, notching up his career-best T20I figures of 3/22 as Bangladesh fought back to restrict Sri Lanka to 124-9.

Liton Das (36) and Towhid Hridoy (40) then put Bangladesh in a commanding position in their run chase before some excellent pace bowling from Nuwan Thushara (4/18) in his second spell threatened a late twist in the plot. However, veteran Mahmudullah used all his experience to guide Bangladesh over the line with an unbeaten 16.

According to the pre-tournament odds, Sri Lanka were fancied to join South Africa in the next round of the competition, but owing to the Lions’ atrocious first two results, Bangladesh will now have the Super Eight firmly in their sights, and reaching that milestone will likely depend heavily on the result against the Flying Dutchmen, who they face on June 13.

Team News

© Reuters

Tristan Stubbs seems to have carried his excellent form in the Indian Premier League to this tournament, and his 33 off 37 in a crucial 65-run partnership was key to South Africa’s victory over the Netherlands last weekend.

Reeza Hendricks‘ spot in the side is now undoubtedly under scrutiny after he suffered another cheap dismissal at the top of the order on Saturday. The opener now has the lowest strike rate in T20Is among South Africa’s top six batsmen.

After producing his career-best numbers in match one, Anrich Nortje was rapid yet again in match two, adding another two wickets to his tally, and he should almost certainly retain his spot for this match.

Tanzid Hasan and Soumya Sarkar both failed at the top of the order, contributing three runs between them, and the pair will likely be given one more opportunity here before Najmul Hossain Shanto considers a few changes.

Youngster Rishad Hossain has emerged as one to watch in this competition and will likely carry the majority of the spin bowling responsibilities alongside veteran and the number-one-ranked T20 all-rounder in the world Shakib Al Hasan.

South Africa squad: Aiden Markram (c), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs. Reserves: Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi.

Bangladesh squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Taskin Ahmed, Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Shakib Al Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah Riyad, Jaker Ali Anik, Tanvir Islam, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib.

Series so far

South Africa

Match One: South Africa won by 6 wickets
Sri Lanka – 77 (19.1)
South Africa – 80/4 (16.2)

Match Two: South Africa won by 4 wickets
Netherlands – 109/9 (20)
South Africa – 106/6 (18.5)

Bangladesh

Match One: Bangladesh won by 2 wickets
Sri Lanka – 124/9 (20)
Bangladesh – 125/8 (19)

© PA Photos

We say: South Africa to win

South Africa have undoubtedly been the pick of the sides in Group D up to this point, and their player’s involvement in the recently completed IPL seems to have done wonders as they look fit and sharp both with the bat and ball.

While Bangladesh can never be overlooked in the shortest format of the game, their record against the Proteas is very poor, and we feel they will struggle to match the quality of the Southern Hemisphere side in this one.

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Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan, scheduled to be played at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.

Week two in the 2024 T20 World Cup will see arch-rivals India and Pakistan face off at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Sunday afternoon.

These two form one of the most intense rivalries in all sports, and the temporary 34,000-seat stadium in East Meadow is expected to be packed to capacity for what has been dubbed the ‘Super Bowl on steroids’.

Match preview

© Reuters

When India and Pakistan take to the field, it transcends sport and becomes pure emotion. Nearly 400 million TV and streaming site viewers in India tuned in to watch the previous encounter in October last year at the ODI World Cup, and there have been reports this week suggesting that re-sale platforms have priced tickets for this match at between $1000 and $5000 per seat – all of which are expected to be sold.

India came into the T20 World Cup looking to end their unwanted pattern of near misses in international competitions, having come painfully close to glory in recent tournaments but ultimately falling short at crucial moments.

Nevertheless, the Men in Blue look like they mean business this year and made a positive start to the campaign by bundling out Ireland for 96 runs within 16 overs in their first match, with their pace bowlers securing eight wickets at remarkably low economy rates. The Irish only managed three sixes and eight fours throughout their innings.

Despite the loss of an early wicket in the third over, India clinched victory by eight wickets and with more than seven overs to spare, with captain Rohit Sharma spearheading their pursuit with 52 runs before he had to retire hurt after sustaining an injury to his arm.

India have won six and lost only one T20 World Cup match against Pakistan, which included a famous final victory in the first-ever tournament held in South Africa in 2007, while the sole defeat came in the pandemic-delayed 2021 edition, which is also the first-ever World Cup win in any format that the Shaheens have managed against the Blue shirts.

© Reuters

Sharma’s injury has brought up a few questions about the state of the pitch here in Nassau County and both games played on the surface have ended as low-scoring affairs. India’s win against Ireland saw a total of 193 runs scored across both innings, which is only marginally higher than the average score in one innings in the recently concluded IPL season.

At first glance, it is a fairly flat and bouncy track that looks ideal for pace bowling, which is something that Pakistan will need to take advantage of after ending up on the receiving end of what many consider the biggest upset in T20 World Cup history when they lost their opening match of the competition to World Cup debutants the United States.

Batting first, the Shaheens bounced back from a shaky start at 26/3 in the fifth over to reach a defendable total of 159/7, with captain Babar Azam leading the charge, scoring a 43-ball 44, while Shadab Khan scored 40 runs off 25 balls, and Shaheen Afridi finished unbeaten with 23 runs off 16 deliveries.

However, the tournament co-hosts, whose only previous victories against Test-playing nations in T20Is were over Ireland and Bangladesh, matched the target set before pulling off a remarkable five-run victory in the super over where Saurabh Netravalkar conceded just 13 runs and claimed a wicket thanks to a catch of the tournament contender by Nitish Kumar.

After a dismal ODI World Cup where they only managed four wins in nine games, leading to an early exit in the group stage, the Shaheens face a similar fate here as a loss to their neighbours will leave them four points adrift of the top two places with three games to go, meaning they will likely have to win all of their remaining games and cross fingers that the group leaders have a complete meltdown in their last three games.

Team News

© Reuters

Rahul Dravid announced last week that he would be stepping down as the national T20 team head coach at the end of this tournament and the Indian batting legend will love nothing more than to lead his side to their first T20 title since the inaugural tournament in 2007.

After retiring hurt, Sharma’s participation in this match is in doubt, though he has not been ruled out as of yet. In the event he cannot take the field on Sunday, Yashasvi Jaiswal is the most likely to come into the side at the top of the order.

Virat Kohli, who just earned his second orange cap at the IPL, will almost certainly continue to open the innings despite his cheap dismissal in their opening match, while Rishabh Pant seems to have locked down the number-three spot after two solid knocks in the warm-up game and against Ireland.

Babar Azam has been a steady force leading the Shaheens batting lineup, but to have a chance of challenging India, he will need the likes of Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan and Fakhar Zaman to step up here after the top-order trio were dismissed for a combined total of 23 runs against the US.

With the pitch in Nassau County expected to favour the pacemen, Pakistan will likely look for a big contribution from Afridi with the new ball. The left-arm speedster has taken 34 wickets in powerplays since 2019, which is the second-most of any bowler in T20s over the period, only behind New Zealand’s Tim Southee (39).

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan

Series so far

India

Match One: India won by 8 wickets
Ireland: 96 (16)
India: 97/2 (12.2)

Pakistan

Match One: Pakistan lost the Super Over by 5 runs
Pakistan: 159/7 & 13/1
United States: 159/3 & 18/1

© PA Photos

We say: India to win

India come into this match off the back of a commanding performance against Ireland and look set to go deep in this tournament, with their players looking match-sharp, having only just completed the 2024 Indian Premier League season.

Pakistan, on the other hand, will arrive in New York likely still feeling the effects of their massive opening-game disappointment, and their performance in that match combined with their recent record suggests they will struggle to overcome the Men in Blue in this one.

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