Tag: T20 World Cup 2024

The United States of America (USA) pace bowler Ali Khan has reflected on his side’s stunning victory over Pakistan during the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, questioning the batting intent of the Green Shirts.

Former champions Pakistan had a disastrous start to their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign as they endured a shock loss against the USA in the Super Over as they failed to chase down the 19-run target.

Senior pacer Mohammad Amir bowled the Super Over for Pakistan and conceded 18 runs. In response, the Green Shirts only managed 13/1.

Ali Khan, who picked one wicket for 30 runs against Pakistan, stated that the USA team had more self-belief, which led to the famous victory.

“Our belief was bigger than them. I think Pakistan took us lightly. It was their first game, and they hadn’t played on that ground before while we’ve played there often,” Khan said while talking on a YouTube channel.

The pacer also criticized Pakistan’s batting approach and raised questions over their intent, especially in the powerplay.

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“We were used to the conditions. When they started batting, we didn’t see intent from them, and they batted very slowly in the powerplay. Yes, Rizwan got out early but we didn’t see much intent after that. Fakhar Zaman hit a six and showed some intent but luckily I got him out. Pakistan didn’t play attacking cricket there and went into their shell,” he added.

Following the defeat against USA, Pakistan succumbed to a frustrating six-run defeat against arch-rivals India.

The back-to-back defeats put Pakistan on the verge of an early exit from the tournament. The former champions got on the winning track when they registered a hard-fought seven-wicket victory over Canada to keep Super Eights hopes alive.

However, USA’s match against Ireland was abandoned without a ball bowled due to persistent rain in Florida, resulting in Pakistan getting knocked out of the tournament as USA progressed from Group A along with India.

Pakistan then edged past Ireland in another stiff challenge to bow out of the T20 World Cup 2024 with a win.

READ: Usman Khawaja regrets not seeing Afghanistan play in Australia

ANTIGUA: South Africa have won the toss and elected to bowl first against the West Indies in a crucial Super Eights fixture of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 here at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Sunday.

PLAYING XIs

Left-handed opener Usman Khawaja lauded Afghanistan on their historic victory over Australia but expressed regret over not seeing them playing in his country.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Khawaja congratulated Afghanistan on beating Australia in the Super Eights fixture of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

The opening batter did not shy from terming Afghanistan “the better team on the day” before expressing his contradiction with Cricket Australia’s (CA) decision against playing the bilateral series with the Asian side.

“Well done Brother. Better team on the day. You boys are an inspiration for so many back home and abroad. So sad we can’t see you all play in Australia,” Usman Khawaja wrote.

For the unversed, the CA has thrice postponed a bilateral fixture or a series with Afghanistan, citing restrictions on women’s rights in the country.

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In 2021, Australia postponed the one-off Test against Afghanistan, scheduled to be played in Hobart before withdrawing from an ODI series, supposed to be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in March 2023.

The postponement drew massive outbursts from the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and the Afghan players but the CA remained firm on the stance.

In March 2024, the CA, in consultation with the Australian government, made the decision to shelve the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan and stated that it would continue to engage with the ACB in “anticipation of improved conditions for women and girls in the country”.

“Over the past twelve months, CA has continued to consult with the Australian Government on the situation in Afghanistan. The government’s advice is that conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse. For this reason, we have maintained our previous position and will postpone the bilateral series against Afghanistan,” stated CA.

READ: Afghanistan’s win over Australia spices up Group 1 semi-final race

BRIDGETOWN: Experienced right-arm pacer Chris Jordan on Sunday, made history as he became the first England bowler to take a hat-trick in men’s T20Is.

Jordan achieved the feat in England’s crucial ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Super Eights fixture against the co-host United States of America (USA) here at Kensington Oval.

Chris Jordan amassed the landmark in the penultimate over of the USA innings.

He dismissed experienced all-rounder Corey Anderson on the first delivery of the over before bowling a dot to Ali Khan.

He then proceeded to castle Ali with a pacy delivery and trapped Nosthush Kenjige leg before wicket before cleaning up Saurabh Netravalkar to complete the hat-trick.

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For the unversed, Jordan’s hat-trick is the third in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 after Australia’s Pat Cummins’ back-to-back hat-tricks against Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Furthermore, this is only the second edition of a T20 World Cup after the 2021 edition in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in which three hat-tricks were taken.

His four-wicket over resulted in the USA losing five wickets in the span of just six deliveries, thus, slipping from 115/5 to all out on the same score.

It was only the third instance in the history of the men’s T20Is when a team lost five wickets with the same score on the board.

BRIDGETOWN: Chris Jordan’s hat-trick, followed by Jos Buttler’s swashbuckling half-century led England to crush the co-hosts USA and qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final.

The defending champions chased down the 116-run target with 10 wickets in hand and 62 balls to spare.

England skipper Jos Buttler was the core aggressor of the match-winning stand while Salt was anchoring through.

Buttler smashed six fours and seven sixes on his way to an unbeaten 83 off just 38 deliveries while Salt made 25 not out in 21 balls, laced up with two fours.

Put into bat first, the USA could register 115 runs on the board despite a flying start.

The USA had a shaky start to their innings as in-form batter Andries Gous perished in the first over after scoring eight off five deliveries.

Following the early blow, Nitish Kumar and Steven Taylor formed a crucial partnership and kept the USA in control.

The pair added 34 runs off just 27 deliveries before Tom Curran dismissed Taylor to open the floodgates.

Taylor scored a scratchy 12 off 13 balls with the help of two boundaries.

The USA then lost two more wickets, including their mainstay Nitish Kumar,  in quick succession and consequently slipped to 67/4 in 10.4 overs.

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Kumar remained their top-scorer with a 24-ball 30 which featured one four and two sixes.

Coming out to bat at No.5, Corey Anderson, knitted important partnerships with Milind Kumar and Harmeet Singh before he eventually fell victim to Chris Jordan on the first delivery of the penultimate over.

Anderson scored a cautious 29 off 28 deliveries while Singh made a 17-ball 21.

Chris Jordan then ran through the USA’s batting tail with a hat-trick and returned with magnificent bowling figures of 4/10 in 2.5 overs.

Besides him, Adil Rashid and Sam Curran bagged two wickets each while Reece Topley picked one.

The 10-wicket victory lifted England to the top of Group 2 of the Super Eights stage of the T20 World Cup 2024 with four points in three matches while the USA remained at rock bottom as they finished the stage with three defeats.

READ: Spirited Afghanistan upset Australia to stay alive in T20 World Cup 2024

SAINT VINCENT: Afghanistan’s stunning 21-run victory over Australia on Saturday has ignited the semi-final race of Group 1 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Super Eights.

Australia’s victory over Afghanistan would have propelled them, alongside India, into the semi-finals of the ongoing mega event but the Asian side avenged their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 defeat to make things tough for the former champions.

Inaugural champions India currently lead the Group 1 standings with four points in two matches and a net run-rate of +2.425.

Whereas, Australia, despite their loss against Afghanistan are second in the standings with two points in two games, ahead of Afghanistan, who boast a similar record but an inferior net run-rate.

The upset brought Afghanistan back into contention to seal their first-ever semi-final berth in Men’s T20 World Cups as they now need to beat Bangladesh in their last Super Eights fixture, scheduled on June 25.

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If Afghanistan beat Bangladesh and Australia lose to India then they, alongside India, would advance into the knockouts.

But if Australia defeat India in their remaining Super Eights fixture on June 24 they would be favourites to advance into the semi-finals regardless of the Afghanistan-Bangladesh fixture’s result, considering their superior net run-rate.

Notably, India are all but certain to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final as a defeat against Australia would not dent their chances much unless the Mitchell Marsh-led side humble them with a hefty margin and Afghanistan blow away Bangladesh in a similar manner.

Mathematically, India can only crash out of the semi-final race if Australia and Afghanistan win their respective Super Eights matches with a margin of over 120 runs.

READ: Mitchell Marsh hopeful for a turnaround in “must-win” India game

SAINT VINCENT: England have won the toss and elected to bowl first against the United States of America (USA) in a must-win Super Eights fixture of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 here at Arnos Vale Ground on Sunday.

PLAYING XIs

USA: Steven Taylor, Andries Gous (wk), Nitish Kumar, Aaron Jones (c), Corey Anderson, Milind Kumar, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjinge, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar.

England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley.

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Speaking at the toss, England captain Jos Buttler shared that the tacky nature of the surface was a big reason behind his decision to field first.

He further acknowledged the USA for playing “fantastic” cricket throughout the tournament before sharing his excitement to compete against the side for the first time.

“Early morning start, a bit tacky, that’s the reason,” Buttler on his decision to bowl first.

“Getting ready for the business end, a quick turnaround but everyone’s excited. Bring out full intensity today. Tough game, USA have played some fantastic cricket throughout the tournament but excited for first game against them,” he added.

USA’s captain Aaron Jones shared that he would have bowled first too but vowed to go hard against the defending champions.

“I wanted to bowl first to be honest, but it’ll be a good wicket and we’re going to go hard for sure. Let’s see how we come up. We need to be more disciplined, but we had a few meetings [after WI game]. Looking forward to facing Jofra,” Jones said.

FORM GUIDE

The USA, who impressed with their skillset in the group stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, have been far from their best in the Super Eights as they have suffered two defeats.

On the other hand, England, who scripted a triumphant start to the Super Eights with West Indies thrashing succumbed to a gut-wrenching defeat against South Africa in their previous fixture.

USA: L, L, NR, L, W

England: L, W, W, W, L

READ: Mitchell Marsh hopeful for a turnaround in “must-win” India game

SAINT VINCENT: Australia’s T20I captain Mitchell Marsh expressed his confidence in his team’s ability to force a turnaround in the must-win ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Super Eights fixture against India.

Australia suffered a massive blow to their semi-final hopes after they succumbed to a shock loss against Afghanistan at Arnos Vale Ground here on Saturday.

A victory over Afghanistan would have taken Australia, alongside India into the semi-finals. But, they now need to beat India in their final Super Eights fixture, scheduled on June 24, to advance into the knockouts.

However, if India beat Australia and Afghanistan defeat Bangladesh then India and Afghanistan would go through, marking the end of Australia’s campaign.

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh, consequently, termed their match against India a “must-win game” and asserted that the pressure would bring the best out of his players.

“First things first, (we have to) recover. We have a lot of belief in our group. We are a very good cricket team. Yes, tonight we had an off night but I guess there’s also a positive in the fact that in 36 hours we go again. It’s a big game, it will be against India obviously and it’s a must-win game,” stated Marsh during the post-match press conference.

“I think if you look back at the short history of this team, I know for a fact that it brings out the best in our guys, so the boys will certainly be up and about for it.

“We’ve got a good bunch of people and I believe our best is up there with the best. So, we need to bring that on whatever day it is, in a couple of days’ time and move forward pretty quickly.”

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Australia, who have done exceptionally well with the bat and ball this tournament, were sloppy in the field against Afghanistan as the former champions put down five catches but Mitchell Marsh remained confident in his team’s ability in the department.

“There’s a lot of things you can look at, the reality is there’s small margins here when the scores are low,” said Marsh.

“We don’t want to have too many off nights in the field but I also believe that at our best we’re an unbelievable fielding side.

“It’s easy to look at tonight and, yes, it was disappointing but ultimately, we have 36 hours to turn it around and I still believe that our best is very good in the field.

“We certainly pride ourselves on our fielding. Can’t question the boys putting in the work. I think it’s no different to any other skill set. We put in the work, we didn’t execute in the field tonight and ultimately it played a part in us losing the game.”

READ: Mitchell Marsh reveals reason behind shock loss against Afghanistan

SAINT VINCENT: Australia’s T20I captain Mitchell Marsh opened up after his side’s shock loss at the hands of Afghanistan in a crucial ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Super Eights fixture here at Arnos Vale Ground on Saturday.

Marsh, while addressing the post-match press conference after Australia’s 21-run defeat, stated that his team had an off-night and also that they allowed the opposition to score freely.

“They probably got 20 too many. Lot of teams have bowled first in this tournament. Don’t think it was won or lost at the toss. We had an off-night on the field,” stated Marsh.

“Wasn’t the easiest of wickets, but both teams played on it. As I said, we got outplayed today. We just need to win, and there’s no better team to do it against,” he added.

Australia were sloppy in the field against Afghanistan as the former champions put down five catches but Mitchell Marsh remained confident in his team’s ability in the department.

“There’s a lot of things you can look at, the reality is there’s small margins here when the scores are low,” said Marsh.

“We don’t want to have too many off nights in the field but I also believe that at our best we’re an unbelievable fielding side.

“It’s easy to look at tonight and, yes, it was disappointing but ultimately, we have 36 hours to turn it around and I still believe that our best is very good in the field.

“We certainly pride ourselves on our fielding. Can’t question the boys putting in the work. I think it’s no different to any other skill set. We put in the work, we didn’t execute in the field tonight and ultimately it played a part in us losing the game.”

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Marsh then went on to defend Australia’s decision to rest Mitchell Starc, stating that they pick a team that can win games in certain conditions.

“Any time you make a decision like that, Starcy’s unlucky in a sense,” said Marsh. “But we’ve said right from the start of the tournament that we’ve got 15 guys here and we’ll pick a team that we think can win us the game in those certain conditions.

“Everything pointed towards Ash tonight and I thought he did a brilliant job. Four overs, one for (17). He was outstanding. The reality is when you’ve got this much talent, someone’s always unlucky to miss out.

“… I don’t think the game was won or lost in the Powerplay tonight.”

READ: Pat Cummins takes back-to-back hat-tricks in T20 World Cup 2024