Can Australia continue to march their way to winning world titles? Will England defend the crown that they won in the last edition? What about Oman, Scotland and Namibia causing an upset in the group phase? Meanwhile, who will miss out from progressing to the next phase via the Group of Death? Here’s a lowdown on Group B and C of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Group B
Scotland
Strengths
Scotland impressed in both the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups by registering victories over Bangladesh and the West Indies respectively. One of their key strengths is the bowling line-up. Chris Sole is their fastest bowler. Meanwhile, Brad Currie, the left-armer, can move the ball both ways and is also adept at changing his angle by bowling from round the wicket. Mark Watt, the wily spinner, also adds to Scotland’s quiver.
Weakness
Scotland have tended to crumble under pressure. In the 2022 T20 World Cup, they faltered against Ireland in a crucial Group 1 game. Last year, in the 50-over World Cup qualifiers, they hurtled to a defeat in the do-or-die game versus the Netherlands. The Scotland set-up would be hoping to rectify that issue.
Player to watch out for – Geroge Munsey
The top order player hasn’t just scored 1882 runs with the willow, but he has also accumulated them at a healthy strike rate of 143.66. Richie Berrington, the captain of the side, also is a mainstay of the batting unit.
Where will they finish? Fourth in their group.
Namibia
Strengths
Namibia too have a balanced attack. Trumpelmann, who consistently swings the ball at a decent pace, is the attack leader. He also has the left-arm angle to trouble his opponents. The experienced David Wiese, Bernard Scholtz, Tangeni Lungameni and Gerhard Erasmus, the captain and also an all-rounder, come across as a good supporting cast. The bowlers also put up a strong show in Namibia’s opening game versus Oman; a match that they won in the Super Over.
Weaknesses
Namibia tend to depend on the likes of Erasmus, Nikolaas Davin and Wiese, lower down the order, to shore up the batting unit. In other words, the line-up is slightly vulnerable on paper. So, notching up massive scores may not be an easy task for the African nation.
Players to watch out
Erasmus is one of them. The Namibian captain has been a consistent performer for the side, having aggregated 1339 runs in 58 T20Is. He has also bagged 45 scalps with his spin bowling. The all-rounder has also been in reasonably good form with the bat in the recent past, having accumulated two fifties this year. Namibia also have Wiese. Both Wiese and Erasmus showcased the value of their experience in the Namibia-Oman game, with the duet collecting 21 runs in the Super Over. Wiese also used all his wisdom and tactical nous by executing his plans with the ball in hand.
Where will they finish? Third in Group B.
Oman
Strengths
The disciplined bowling attack is clearly their key strength. Mehran Khan and Bilal Khan, the two medium pacers, are known for not offering width by mostly zooming the ball on the stumps. Aqib Ilyas, their mainstay, and Zeeshan Maqsood form a handy spin attack.
Weakness
Lack of power-hitting. Barring Naseem Khushi, none of the top-order batters have a strike rate of over 130. So, it could be a bit of a struggle for Oman to compile scores in excess of 180. Oman also don’t have much experience of playing against the bigger nations, and that could act as a hurdle when they come up against either England or Australia.
Player to watch out for
The ever-present spinning all-rounder, Ilyas, will lead the West Asian nation. He has also been in fine form, having notched up a fifty in the recently concluded warm-up game versus Afghanistan. He has composed over 1100 runs and taken 38 wickets in T20Is.
Where will they finish? Fifth.
England
Strengths
After a disastrous 50-over World Cup campaign in India, the current T20 champions may not have the aura of old, but they still have enough batting arsenal in the storehouse. Jos Buttler and Phil Salt will be expected to come out all guns blazing at the top of the order, Will Jacks has made a name for himself with his power-packed shots. The middle and lower order too has the required batting depth.
Weakness
The question mark over England is will they crack the puzzle of batting on some of the slower decks? Even the Bridgetown deck, supposedly one of the quickest in the Caribbean, had variable/spongy bounce for the game played between Namibia and Oman. So, the onus would be on middle order batters – Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook and co. – to chisel out the right path.
Players to watch out for
The pace pair of Mark Wood and Jofra Archer. England may not have the best bowling attack of the competition, but they do possess the express pace duet of Wood and Jofra. Wood pounded the deck hard and bowled fast in the final T20I of the series versus Pakistan. Jofra, who is returning from the persistent elbow issue, seemed to be bowling within himself in that series. However, his pace was still around 90mph.
Where will they finish in the group? Second place.
Australia
Strengths
Australia too have formidable batting firepower. From Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Marsh, Tim David, David Warner to even Pat Cummins can land the big shots. The one slight worry is a couple of those batters aren’t exactly in form. There is a feeling that Australia missed a trick by not including Jake Fraser-McGurk, especially in the backdrop of the opener being at his explosive best in the IPL.
The pace attack too has plenty of heavy artillery. Another of their main strengths is the often-repeated-line – Australia raise their game for big tournaments. The most recent example being their triumph in the 50-over World Cup in India.
Weakness
Just like with England, there is a school of thought that the Australian batters aren’t exactly adept at playing on surfaces where the ball doesn’t come on to the bat. It would be interesting to see how their batters go about playing versus spin in the middle overs.
Player to watch out for – Glenn Maxwell
The Australian all-rounder had a poor time with the bat in the IPL, and he would be raring to bounce back from that chastening experience. On his day, Maxwell can be destructive against spin bowling. On the Caribbean decks, his off-spin might turn out to be a very useful weapon.
Where will they finish? First in the group.
Group C
Papua New Guinea
Strengths
PNG began on a bright note, as they put up a gallant fight against the West Indies in a low-scoring game, before slipping to a defeat. It was very much evident that spinners – Assad Vala, Sese Bau, Charles Amini and John Kariko – will play a substantial role on some of the slow decks in the tournament. All of them are adept at using subtle changes of flight and pace. The spinners also largely bowled to the fields that were set. PNG’s fielding too has won fulsome praise in the past.
Weakness
Just like other associate nations, they don’t have the required exposure of playing against the full-member sides. There is a touch of Calypso flair attached with their style of play, but just a touch too raw.
Players to watch out
Assad Vala, the captain and a spinning all-rounder, alongside Chad Soper, the mainstay in the pace attack. Meanwhile, Sese Bau shone brightly in the West Indies-PNG game by playing some well-timed shots.
Where will they finish? Fourth in the group.
Uganda
Strengths
Alpesh Ramjani, the all-rounder, Riazat Ali Shah and Dinesh Nakrani, the two batters, are the notable players in the squad. Bilal Hassan, who has over 50 T20I wickets to his name, is set to spearhead the pace attack.
Weakness
Uganda are partaking in their first-ever World Cup at the senior level. Obviously, the players don’t have much experience of playing at higher levels of the game.
Player to watch out for
Frank Nsubuga, who played as a 16-year-old in the ICC Trophy in 1997, is still plying his trade as an all-rounder. It will be a cherished moment for him when he makes his senior World Cup debut versus PNG on June 5. The spinner has 55 scalps at an enviable average of just over 16.
Where will they finish? Fifth in Group C
New Zealand
Strength
Depth in batting. New Zealand have once again covered most of the bases, especially when it comes to the batting side of things. If Kane Williamson, the skipper, is their sure-footed batter at the top of the order, then Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell and James Neesham provide New Zealand with considerable hitting power. Rachin Ravindra too can give quick starts at the top.
Weakness?
No real X-factor in the bowling unit? It is true that New Zealand have variety in the bowling department, but they seem to lack a bowler who can burst through the opposition line-up. All eyes would be one Trent Boult to make his presence felt with the new ball.
Player to watch out for?
On some of the slow decks of the West Indies, Mitchell Santner, in all likelihood, will give a good account of himself. The left-arm spinner is a thinking cricketer and is famous for outsmarting opponents with bowling smarts.
Where will they finish? Third in the group. They are in the ‘Group of Death’, with Afghanistan and the West Indies also in the mix. New Zealand have a great record at making it to the later stages of World Cups. However, their crucial fixture versus Afghanistan is on the slowest deck in the tournament – Guyana. And with Afghanistan having quality spinners in their ranks, it could be a tough match-up for the Black Caps.
The West Indies
Strength
The two-champions usurped PNG in their opening fixture, but the unheralded Asan side did give them a scare. Despite their power-hitters grappling with the slow nature of the wicket in Guyana, the think-tank would be confident of Nicholas Pooran, Sherfane Rutherford and others finding their mojo during the course of the tournament.
Weakness
Can West Indies’ batting stalwarts chart out an escape on tracks that offer spongy/variable? The way the duo of Roston Chase and Andre Russell blended big-hitting with a few singles in the PNG-West Indies match would have gladdened the home side’s fans and the think-tank.
Player to watch out for
Russell will be expected to pack a punch with the willow in hand. Going by his recent form in the 2024 IPL, Russell is also set to pick up key wickets. The explosive all-rounder kept pounding the deck hard and mixed up his pace superbly in the IPL.
Where will they finish? First
Afghanistan
Strengths
With Afghanistan, spin rules the roost. Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmed possess enough tricks to sow the seeds of doubt in the minds of the batters. Moreover, they are playing New Zealand in conditions that should suit their spinners.
Weakness
Under pressure, there is still a feeling that the batting unit might crumble. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah and Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai and Rashid Khan, lower down the order, need to make important contributions.
Player to watch out for
Noor Ahmed. The wrist spinner is basically the left-arm version of Rashid. Alongside variations, Noor also has the control to keep the batters on their toes.
Where will they finish? Second.