The Super 8s are in full swing, with all eight teams battling for a place in the semi-finals. The co-hosts’ fate hangs in the balance as the West Indies and the USA face off in Barbados in a virtual knockout game. Both teams suffered defeats in their first Super 8 matches, making this a must-win encounter for both. Although the USA have impressed everyone, West Indies are still favoured to come out on top.
Having remained unbeaten in the group stage of this World Cup, West Indies received a reality check from the England batters in St Lucia. This loss would have been a wake-up call for West Indies, who had won all their matches before the Super 8 stage. They could have done more with the bat, and their fast bowlers struggled with their lines and lengths. The last game proved that the two-time World Cup winners are light on pace-bowling resources. Alzarri Joseph was the only frontline pacer who played the last game, apart from the pace-bowling all-rounders in Andre Russell and Romario Shepherd.
In the last game, Phil Salt smashed Shepherd for 30 runs. This might prompt a change in the West Indies’ line-up. Possibly, Obed McCoy could come in to bolster their fast bowling. Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie have been doing a fine job in the spin department, but they need wickets from their fast bowlers as well. The West Indies will be without the services of their regular opener Brandon King, at least for the game against the USA. King’s unavailability poses a significant challenge for the Windies. Shai Hope is most likely to be recalled to the playing XI in King’s place. Given the slow nature of the Barbados wicket, Roston Chase will retain his place.
The USA surprised everyone by reaching the Super 8s in their debut T20 World Cup. However, their start in this stage wasn’t ideal as they suffered a defeat against South Africa.
Despite the loss, there were numerous positives the team can build on. Andries Gous shone with the bat, scoring his second half-century of the tournament, making him the second-highest run-scorer in the competition.
Gous has received solid support from Aaron Jones. However, Steven Taylor, Corey Anderson, and Shayan Jahangir have yet to fully showcase their potential. On the bowling front, Saurabh Netravalkar has been outstanding and could pose a significant threat to the West Indies batters.
For the USA, if their bowlers can restrict the strong batting line-up of the West Indies, they will have a great chance of winning the game. In their previous match, the USA almost shocked South Africa, falling just 18 runs short of the target against a high-quality Proteas bowling attack. They have enough attacking options to chase down any target.
Match details
USA vs West Indies, Kensington Oval (Barbados), 6AM IST
Playing XIs (likely)
USA: Steven Taylor, Andries Gous (wk), Nitish Kumar, Aaron Jones (c), Corey Anderson, Shayan Jahangir, Harmeet Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar.
West Indies: Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Roston Chase, Rovman Powell (captain), Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Obed McCoy/Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie.