Aditya ChaudhuriAs we get to the business end of the Group Stage, we have some very important games lined up for Day 14 of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as two-time T20 champions England have their Super Eight qualification hopes on the line.
Other games also have tournament favourites India in action, while we also have New Zealand playing a crucial game for their tournament hopes.
Here’s my predictions for the games taking place on Day 14 of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Men’s T20 WC 2024 Match 31: Nepal vs South Africa | 05:00 IST, June 15
It’s a tale of two very different starts as the high-flying Proteas take on Nepal, the latter all but out of the tournament after having one game washed out and going down to the Dutch in the opener.
South Africa have already confirmed their Super Eight spot and will be looking to finish the Group Stage on a high and take care of the little chinks in their armour, while Nepal will be looking to play for pride as advancement isn’t in their hands.
This should be South Africa all day long, and we should see a clean end to the Proteas’ Group Stage.
Fantasy XI: Quinton de Kock, Sundeep Jora, Rohit Paudel, Aasif Sheikh, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ottneil Baartman, Abinash Bohara, Dipendra Singh Airee
Venue: Kingstown
Winner Prediction: South Africa
Men’s T20 WC 2024 Match 32: New Zealand vs Uganda | 06:00 IST, June 15
New Zealand take on Uganda in their third match of the 2024 Men’s T20 WC finding themselves in a spot of bother. After losing to the West Indies, the Kiwis’ qualification route to the Super Eights now sees them needing to win both of their remaining games.
Taking on Uganda, the Kiwis will fancy their chances, and in Tarouba, at a ground which suits their style, they will need to take their chance. Uganda, meanwhile, who have one win from three games, would look to finish the Group Stage with a win. Should they stun the Kiwis, it will boost their qualification chances.
An upset looks unlikely, though, and we should see the Kiwis sail through here.
Fantasy XI: Kane Williamson, Roger Mukasa, Simon Sseazi, Mark Chapman, Riazat Ali Shah, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Trent Boult, Matt Henry, Alpesh Ramjani, Brian Masaba
Venue: Tarouba
Winner Prediction: New Zealand
Men’s T20 WC 2024 Match 33: India vs Canada | 20:00 IST, June 15
After putting up a convincing win against co-hosts USA, India will be looking to finish their Group Stage flawlessly and also work on a couple of crucial things they’ve been struggling with, the main of them being Virat Kohli’s form. Kohli has three single-digit scores from the first three games opening alongside Rohit Sharma and has looked woefully out of form.
Along with Kohli, another factor the Indian team would like to address is their spin bowling department. Although they haven’t really been needed, India would want the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Ravindra Jadeja warmed up before they move to the West Indies leg of the tournament, which should assist the spinners more.
This should be a fairly easy game for India. Expect them to clean up the Group Stage going 4-0.
Fantasy XI: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Aaron Johnson, Nicholas Kirton, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Movva, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Dilon Heyliger, Jeremy Gordon
Venue: Lauderhill, Florida
Winner Prediction: India
Men’s T20 WC 2024 Match 34: England vs Namibia | 22:30 IST, June 15
The final game of the day sees England go up against Namibia, with the Brits in desperate need of a win in their final match of the Group Stage to keep their qualification hopes alive. After having their game against Scotland washed out and going down convincingly to their arch-rivals Australia, England’s advancement is no longer in their own hands.
Jos Buttler and his boys easily took down Oman and now need another win to stay in contention for the Super Eights. Against a lowly-ranked Namibia, England start as the overwhelming favourites and should have the game in the bag fairly easily.
Fantasy XI: Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Jean-Pierre Kotze, Nikolaas Davin, Moeen Ali, David Wiese, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Ruben Trumpelmann, Gerhard Erasmus
Venue: North Sound
Winner Prediction: England
