Aditya ChaudhuriThe Super Eight games are getting underway and we have a blockbuster double-header ahead of us on Day 19 of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Defending champions England face the explosive co-hosts West Indies in the day’s first game, while tournament favourites India go up against the dark horses of Afghanistan in the second game.
Here’s my prediction for two matches.
Men’s T20 WC 2024 Super Eights Group 2: West Indies vs England | 06:00 IST, June 20
Double champions and co-hosts West Indies go up against the other two-time champions England in one of the most-awaited games of the Super Eight stage.
England have had a rocky campaign and could well have been on the flight back home had their arch-rivals Australia not bailed them out. Coming into the Super Eights, though, England are not to be taken lightly given the quality of their squad.
Going up against them are the West Indies, who have been in explosive form. They come into the Super Eights unbeaten and off the back of a rout of Afghanistan.
At Gros Islet, which is a high-scoring ground with some early purchase for the pace bowlers, we should be in for a high-scoring affair, especially given the batters in the two line-ups.
Remarkably, England have never lost a T20I game at Gros Islet, so despite the Windies’ better form, I reckon England hold the slight edge here.
Fantasy XI: Brandon King, Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Jofra Archer Akeal Hossain, Alzarri Joseph, Reece Topley
Venue: Gros Islet
Winner Prediction: England
Also watch: Is this Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli’s final T20 World Cup?
Men’s T20 WC 2024 Super Eights Group 1: India vs Afghanistan | 20:00 IST, June 20
The tournament favourites, and the team which all cricket fans around the world will have their eyes on, are India. The Men In Blue start their Super Eight campaign against the extremely dangerous Afghanistan.
India come into the Super Eights unbeaten, though they did have a scare against Pakistan which they did well to work their way through. They were tested against co-hosts USA as well but managed to sail through again. If there is one thing you don’t want to do, it is to give an Indian team time to get into the groove in an ICC event.
However, India do have a couple of issues that still linger, Virat Kohli’s form being the main one. The Indian star batter has failed to score big in all the games so far, and with his opening partner and captain, Rohit Sharma, not having the best of times either, India need their big guns further down the batting order to step up.
Kohli’s form is crucial for India as they move to the West Indies leg of the tournament given his prowess over the spinners. India will expect him to bounce back after a string of low scores. With the games moving to the Caribbean, we also might get to see India bring in the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal on these spin-friendly wickets.
On the other hand, Afghanistan’s spin attack of Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi will be looking forward to this encounter. The Afghans have taken everyone by surprise with their performance this tournament, though their stock has been on the rise for a while now and it seems like the time has come for them to make the world take note.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran’s strong starts have been key to the Afghan success, and Fazallaq Farooqi’s wickets early on have also given them the edge.
While India are the favourites, we should be in for a tight encounter here, albeit with slight preference to the Men in Blue.
Fantasy XI: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rahmanullah Gurbaaz, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Fazallaq Farooqi, Jasprit Bumrah
Venue: Bridgetown
Winner Prediction: India
