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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

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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.

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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

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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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Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup match between Australia and England, scheduled to be played at the Kensington Oval on Saturday.

Cricketing powerhouses Australia and England will lock horns in match 17 of the 2024 T20 World Cup at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday evening.

Group B in this competition is an intriguing one and features the two most recent champions along with three spirited contenders in Namibia, Scotland and Oman.

Match preview

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Australia come into the T20 World Cup looking to etch their names in history as the first nation to hold the title in all three formats of the game, having secured the Test Championship and one-day international crown last year.

Despite failing to reach the final four stages of their home T20 World Cup in 2022, the Aussies are one of the favourites in this edition, owing to their track record of performing well in ICC events, while boasting a squad that includes several players in excellent form.

Australia survived a tricky first game in this competition, overcoming a courageous Oman side by 39 runs, with Marcus Stoinis putting in a Man of the Match performance with both bat and ball, top-scoring with 67* while also taking a team-high 3/19 in three overs.

David Warner also delivered with the bat, as Australia totalled a defendable 164/5, while Mitchell Starc was rapid with the new ball, getting it to swing at pace, which will be a massive asset for the Baggy Greens as the tournament progresses.

Andrew McDonald‘s side have now won seven of their last nine T20Is, including a 2-1 series win over the West Indies in February and a three-match clean sweep of New Zealand directly after that.

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Meanwhile, England secured a five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the final to clinch their second T20 World Cup title back in 2022, adding to their 2010 triumph, but their defence of their 50-over crown in India last year was a nightmare that saw them eliminated in the group stage.

England’s opening match in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 against Scotland was cut short prematurely. The Scots set England a target of 90, which was adjusted to 109 with DLS at this venue before rain intervened and brought an end to proceedings.

However, 10 overs were bowled in the match and the concerning point from an English perspective would have been that the side were unable to take a wicket and appeared sloppy at times. Mark Wood had a wicket denied due to a no-ball, while Chris Jordan failed to impress as George Munsey and Michael Jones punished his bowling with boundaries.

The abandonment resulted in both sides earning a point apiece from the game, meaning that a loss against Australia on Saturday would likely put massive pressure on England, making the final two games against Namibia and Oman must-win matches for the defending champions.

Jos Buttler will know that his side can ill-afford another sluggish start against the Aussies here and will need to refind the attacking Bazball style that worked so well for them when they surged to the white-ball titles in 2019 (ODI) and 2022 (T20) if they are to stand a chance of successfully defending their crown.

Team News

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The Aussies dodged an injury scare to strike bowler Mitchell Starc, who pulled up sore after a delivery in his final over last time out. The left-arm paceman was flagged as a minor doubt for this match but was cleared for selection in the week.

Pat Cummins was forced to withdraw from the first match due to an injury, but he is expected to return to the starting lineup for this crucial encounter, with Nathan Ellis being the most likely to drop to the bench to make way for him.

After a match-winning performance in the 50-over World Cup final and an impressive reintroduction into the Indian Premier League, which included a century off just 39 balls, Travis Head is quickly emerging as the key player for Australia and will be looking to make his mark on the competition in this match.

Jofra Archer‘s return to the England side in the country of his birth during the match against Scotland marked a significant moment, and the paceman will be crucial to the Three Lions’ success in the competition if he gets among the wickets.

The batting line-up is expected to remain unchanged, with Buttler and Phil Salt likely to open, followed by Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone. Buttler holds the record for the most T20 runs by any player since the beginning of 2023, with the England captain scoring over 50 runs on 22 occasions.

Australia squad: Mitchell 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

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

Australia

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

England

Match One: No result
Scotland – 90/0 (10)
England – DNB

© PA Photos

We say: Australia to win

England have been some way from the sort of form that saw them stride to the title in 2022 and a washed-out tournament opener was far from ideal in helping the side settle their nerves and get a feel for the pitch and conditions.

Australia, on the other hand, have been formidable in all formats over the last couple of years, wrapping up the Test and ODI titles in 2023, and now setting their sights on the T20 crown. We feel the Baggy Greens will be too good for the Three Lions in this one.

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

Group D leaders South Africa will face second-placed Netherlands in match 16 of the 2024 T20 World Cup on Saturday afternoon at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.

The Netherlands have become the Proteas bogey team at ICC events over the past two years, having defeated the South African national team in their last two World Cup encounters.

Match preview

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Netherlands have shown steady improvement in recent years, with their recent successes in both the ODI and T20 formats partly attributable to their successful recruitment of Dutch passport-holders from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the subcontinent.

The Flying Dutchmen will enter this match with confidence following a victory over Nepal in their T20 World Cup opening match where Max O’Dowd led the team with a stellar batting display, ending unbeaten on 54 en route to chasing down 106 with six wickets and eight balls to spare.

This is the seventh time the Dutch national side have reached the T20 World Cup, and they have earned several notable victories along the way, including two famous wins over England at Lord’s in 2009 and Chittagong in 2014, as well as recent triumphs against Zimbabwe and South Africa.

While direct qualification for this competition deprived the Netherlands of several potential fixtures in this format, 2023 proved to be a year primarily focused on their ODI campaign in which they qualified for the ODI World Cup and achieved victories over the Proteas and Bangladesh – both of whom are once again in their group in this tournament.

In fact, since the last World Cup 18 months ago, they have played only nine T20Is, winning a tri-series in Nepal, which included Namibia and the hosts in February-March and hosted another with Ireland and Scotland last month.

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Meanwhile, South Africa will be out for revenge here, after they buckled under the pressure the last time these sides met in the T20 World Cup when Brandon Glover (3/9) bowled the Netherlands to a famous victory that robbed the Proteas of a place in the 2022 semi-final.

The Proteas started their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign impressively with a dominant win over Sri Lanka, spearheaded by an outstanding bowling display from Anrich Nortje, who notched up a career-best 4/7, as South Africa limited Sri Lanka to a meagre total of 77.

Perhaps the one disappointment for the South Africans in that match was the performance of their top-order, who were dismissed cheaply, although Heinrich Klaasen and the dependable David Miller got the side over the line with a little over three overs to spare.

Klaasen has been in sensational form over the last year and was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad that recorded the highest total in Indian Premier League history last month, 287/3, against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Given the recent history between these sides, the Proteas will know better than any that they cannot afford to ease up against this opponent and will benefit massively from having had a taste of cricket in the Big Apple’s pop-up stadium on Monday.

Team News

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Against Nepal, Logan van Beek excelled with the ball, taking three wickets for just 18 runs, while Tim Pringle also impressed, claiming three wickets and finishing with figures of 3-20 off four overs. Both players are expected to lead the attack again in this match.

Sybrand Engelbrecht will be a player to keep an eye on in this tournament, having made an immediate impact since returning to cricket. The South African-born batsman had an impressive ODI World Cup campaign and currently averages more than 50 at a strike rate of over 150 in the shortest format.

The Proteas will be looking for a better foundation from their top order, particularly Quinton de Kock, who had a fairly average Indian Premier League campaign with the Lucknow Super Giants over the last two months.

After his excellent spell against Sri Lanka, Notje will almost certainly retain his place in the squad and will serve as the change-up to quicks Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada with the new ball. Keshav Maharaj is expected to carry the spin responsibilities, while Tabraiz Shamsi will be hoping to make the starting 11 after sitting out the first match.

Netherlands squad: Scott Edwards (c), Aryan Dutt, Bas de Leede, Daniel Doram, Fred Klaassen, Logan van Beek, Max O’Dowd, Michael Levitt, Paul van Meekeren, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Teja Nidamanuru, â â Tim Pringle, Vikram Singh, Viv Kingma, Wesley Barresi. Reserve: Kyle Klein

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

Series so far

Netherlands

Match One: Netherlands won by 6 wickets
Nepal – 106 (19.2)
Netherlands – 109/4 (18.4)

South Africa

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

© PA Photos

We say: South Africa to win

While the Netherlands have emerged victorious in the last two World Cup encounters between these sides, there have also been a couple of one-sided matches the other way too, with South Africa dominating the Dutchmen from gun to tape and the Proteas look like they mean business this year.

It is always an intriguing matchup when these two meet and it should be no different this time, but we feel the side from the Southern Hemisphere will get their revenge in this one.

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Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, scheduled to be played at Grand Prairie Stadium on Saturday.

Match 15 in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup will come from group D, with Sri Lanka taking on Bangladesh at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas on Saturday morning.

The Sri Lankans will enter this match looking to bounce back from an opening-round defeat to South Africa while the visitors are making their first appearance in this year’s tournament.

Match preview

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Since winning the T20 World Cup back in 2014, Sri Lanka have fallen off the radar in recent years and look likely to face a challenging task to emerge from this group, which also features the Netherlands, Nepal and South Africa.

After winning the toss and electing to bat first in their opening match, the Lions were taken apart by the Proteas, as they managed just 77 runs before being bowled out in 19.2 overs, with none of their batsmen posting a score of more than 20 runs.

A major problem that the Sri Lankans have faced in recent years has been their lack of batting depth and that was clearly evident again in their opening match with Wanindu Hasaranga, Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka contributing just six runs as a collective in the middle-order.

However, while their struggles with the bat are evident, the Lions would have taken some positives from their bowling performance, which, despite having only 77 runs to defend, managed to take the game to 17th over and knocked over four wickets in the process.

Although they lost their opening match, Sri Lanka will enter this contest with confidence, having won four of their last five matches against this opponent, including a series win in Bangladesh earlier this year.

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Meanwhile, Bangladesh have arguably had the best warm-up campaign of any side at the T20 World Cup this year, having arrived in the US early and played a series against the hosts to better prepare and adapt to the conditions.

Unfortunately, their performances during their prep games have been far from impressive, as they lost the series against the US 2-1, with their sole victory coming in a match that saw the co-hosts of this tournament rest several of their first-team players.

Thereafter, the Tigers were easily outdone by India in their final warm-up match, and now enter the main competition having won only one of their last four T20 games, including a nine-run defeat to Zimbabwe at the start of last month.

While Tanzid Tamim has been a breath of fresh air, scoring three half-centuries in his first seven games, a recurring issue the side has experienced in recent times has been their top-order’s inability to lay a platform for them to build on, with the likes of Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, and Nazmul Hossain Shantoof misfiring miserably this year.

Nonetheless, Bangladesh are never a side to underestimate and have more than enough class and experience in their ranks, such as Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan, who will need to step up and provide Najmul Hossain Shanto some much-needed support as he undertakes his first ICC tournament as the new captain.

Team News

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Kusal Mendis stamped his authority on last year’s 50-over World Cup in India and will be hoping to do the same in the Caribbean. The right-handed batter has scored nearly 1,200 runs in this World Cup cycle, nearly 500 more than the next Sri Lankan.

Angelo Mathews and Dasun Shanaka will bring huge experience as seam-bowling all-rounders, while captain Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage should provide the spin-bowling alternatives.

For Bangladesh, vice-captain Taskin Ahmed has been flagged as an injury doubt in the lead-up to this weekend’s fixture, and his fitness is expected to be assessed prior to the final team announcement.

Right-hander Towhid Hridoy has been tipped to have a good competition, coming off the back of two 400+ run seasons in the typically low-scoring Bangladesh Premier League, where he was striking at over 150 against pace bowling.

Sri Lanka squad: Wanindu Hasaranga (c), Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka.

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

Series so far

Sri Lanka

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

Bangladesh

Bangladesh are playing their first match of the competition.

© PA Photos

We say: Sri Lanka to win

While Sri Lanka’s opening match against the Proteas was well below expectations, the experience would have been invaluable and they will have a much better understanding of how to navigate the pitches and conditions here, which have proven difficult for even the best teams in the competition.

With two well-matched sides going head to head here, it would not surprise us if this match went down to the wire, but we are backing the Lions to come out on top and register their first points of the tournament.

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Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup match between New Zealand and Afghanistan, scheduled to be played at Providence Stadium on Saturday.

New Zealand will get their 2024 ICC T20 World Cup campaign underway this weekend when they take on Afghanistan at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Saturday morning.

These two sides faced each other once in the shortest format back in 2021 and the Black Caps won that encounter fairly comfortably by eight wickets and with 11 balls to spare.

Match preview

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Group C is widely considered the toughest in the tournament this year and New Zealand have been handed about the worst fixture list they could have received facing Afghanistan and West Indies in their first two matches.

On top of that, the Black Caps’ preparation for the competition was far from ideal, with rain restricting them to just two full training sessions, which included in-game scenarios in the absence of warm-up matches.

Gary Stead‘s side could have scheduled warm-up matches but chose not to, as their squad only fully assembled on Sunday with the arrival of Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson.

New Zealand’s last competitive T20 match ended in a nine-run defeat to Pakistan back in April, which ended a five-match series level at 2-2 after the opening match was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Still, despite their setbacks, the Black Caps always turn up at these types of tournaments and are no strangers to reaching the latter stages, having made semi-final appearances in the previous edition of this competition and the 50-over format last year.

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Meanwhile, Afghanistan came into the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 as a potential dark horse following an impressive ODI World Cup campaign in India, where they finished ahead of former champions England and Sri Lanka.

Since their debut in 2010, the Blue Tigers have reached the Super Eight stage in each of the last three editions of this tournament, which illustrates the steady improvement they have made over the years following first-round exits in their first three attempts.

With Jonathan Trott in the dugout alongside bowling coach Dwayne Bravo, the Afghans got off to the perfect start in this year’s competition, romping to a 125-run victory against tournament newcomers Uganda on Tuesday.

Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (76) and Ibrahim Zadran (70) forged a remarkable 154-run opening partnership, the second-highest in men’s T20 World Cup history, surpassed only by the 170 by England’s Jos Buttler and Alex Hales in 2022.

However, the standout performer of the match was Fazalhaq Farooqi, who shone with five wickets for a mere nine runs as Uganda collapsed to the fourth-lowest total in T20 World Cup history.

While the Blue Tigers will be brimming with confidence, the one criticism the side have faced is that their recent run of form has come against non-Test-playing nations, and it will be interesting to see how they fare here in their first proper challenge since their 2-1 series loss to Sri Lanka back in February.

Team News

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Finn Allen has been labelled as one to watch in this year’s tournament. The right-hander’s ability in the first half of the innings is remarkable, with his powerplay strike rate of 149 in the current World Cup cycle being the highest of any player in T20 history.

The Black Caps will be led on the field by the experience of skipper Kane Williamson, Tim Southee and Trent Boult, while Kyle Jamieson and Adam Milne are sidelined from the lineup due to injuries.

Afghanistan are likely to remain unchanged after their first-match performance and will look to the dynamic duo of Gurbaz and Zadran to lay the foundation at the top of the innings again.

Rashid Khan delivered an excellent 2/12 and Naveen-ul-Haq picked up 2/4 in two overs against Uganda both will need to support the opening pair of Farooqi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman to keep the Black Caps’ formidable top order at bay.

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

Afghanistan squad: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik

Series so far

New Zealand

New Zealand are playing their first match of the competition.

Afghanistan

Match One: Afghanistan won by 125 runs
Afghanistan – 183/5 (20)
Uganda – 58 (16)

© PA Photos

We say: Afghanistan to win

While New Zealand are the higher-ranked side, their preparation coming into this tournament has been far from ideal, and the pitches in the Caribbean so far have proven to be anything but straightforward.

This match will give us a clearer indication of what to expect from the Black Caps in this competition, but we feel that they may just suffer an against-the-odds defeat in this one.

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Sports Mole previews Tuesday’s T20 World Cup match between England and Scotland which is set to take place at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown.

England will begin the defence of their T20 World Cup trophy when they face Scotland at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.

To reach the Super Eight stage, England and Scotland will have to finish in the top two of a group which contains Australia, Namibia and Oman.

Match preview

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England are preparing to play their first match at the T20 World Cup since they beat Pakistan by five wickets in the 2022 final at the MCG.

A year after their success in Australia, Jos Buttler‘s men experienced a woeful campaign at the 50-over World Cup in India, finishing in seventh place after winning three and losing six of their nine matches.

Their desperate fortunes in the white-ball game continued with a series of defeats to West Indies in both the 50-over and 20-over format.

After experiencing a disappointing winter, England’s white-ball squad restored some much-needed confidence with a 2-0 win in the recent rain-affected T20 series against Pakistan.

They will now turn their focus to the main competition and the opening game against Scotland at the Kensington Oval – the ground where Paul Collingwood‘s men achieved a seven-wicket triumph against Australia to lift England’s first T20 World Cup in 2010.

Fourteen years later, England will have aspirations of going deep into the tournament after reaching the semi-finals at each of the last three T20 World Cups, but before they look too far ahead, they will focus on getting off to a winning start against Scotland.

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Scotland are preparing to make a third consecutive T20 World Cup appearance after breezing through the European section of qualifying.

They won all six of their qualifiers to finish top of the standings to punch their ticket to the West Indies and the USA alongside Ireland.

Scotland’s main objective would have been to secure qualification, but the shorter format of international cricket throws up more uncertainty and the chance to pull off a surprise or two.

They know that they will most likely have to beat at least one of England or Australia to have any hope of progressing to the Super Eight stage.

Scotland have never previously played England in a competitive T20 game, but they will have fond memories from the last time that they faced off in a 50-over match in 2018 when Calum MacLeod hit an unbeaten 140 to help his country clinch a memorable six-run victory.

The associate nation warmed up for the tournament with a losing final appearance in a tri-series with Ireland and the Netherlands, before they travelled to the Caribbean for an abandoned game against Uganda and a 55-run defeat against Afghanistan.

Team News

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England’s top order contains plenty of six-hitting power courtesy of Buttler, Phil Salt, Will Jacks and Jonny Bairstow.

Harry Brook will provide the firepower in the middle order, while Sam Curran could have an important role to play with both the bat and ball after being named as player of the tournament at the 2022 T20 World Cup.

The experienced Adil Rashid leads England’s spin options, boasting a bowling average of 25 in 106 international T20 matches.

Jofra Archer is one of the standout names in the pace department, having returned to fitness following a torrid time with injuries.

However, Archer will not be the only England player delivering rockets, with Mark Wood ready to unleash his express pace in the tournament opener.

As for Scotland, the pressure of facing Archer and Wood first up will likely fall on the shoulders of George Munsey and Charlie Tear.

Munsey was his country’s top scorer at the 2022 T2O World Cup after scoring 121 runs across his three innings in Australia.

At the age of 37, skipper Richie Berrington will look to provide some solidity at number four, while his captaincy will be crucial if Scotland are to negate England’s explosive batting lineup.

Sussex’s Brad Currie and Hampshire’s Brad Wheal will form part of the pace department, while Chris Greaves and Mark Watt represent the two main spin options.

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

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

© PA Photos

We say: England to win

England will enter Tuesday’s match as the overwhelming favourites to get off to a winning start, and we think that they will ultimately prove to be strong for Scotland thanks to their batting firepower and the lightning pace of Archer and Wood, which has the potential to blow the Scottish top order away.

ID:545034:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect9568:

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