It has been an enthralling two weeks of the ICC T20 WC 2024 with upsets and thrilling games making the headlines. The exit of big teams – Pakistan and New Zealand – from the Super 8 round has shocked their fans. Both these teams were tipped to enter the Super 8 round. But the uncertain nature of T20 cricket made them exit prematurely, adding spice to the tournament, which is expected to witness another thrilling week as Super 8 awaits the qualifiers.
On behalf of zarooribaathai.in, we bring to you an insight into what lies ahead for teams in Group 1 of the Super 8 round. We will have a dedicated story for teams in Group 2 next.
ICC T20 WC 2024 Super 8 Round Split into Two Groups
The ICC T20 WC 2024 Super 8 round split into two groups of four teams each.
Group 1
India
Australia
Afghanistan
Bangladesh/Netherlands
Group 2
South Africa
West Indies
England
United States of America
Strengths & Weaknesses of Qualifying Teams in Group 1 of ICC T20 WC 2024 Super 8 Round
India Look Set to Dominate the Super 8 Round of ICC T20 WC 2024
India have come to Super 8 on the back of three back-to-back wins against Ireland, Pakistan and the United States of America (USA) with their last fixture against Canada abandoned due to rain.
Strengths
Team India’s strength lies in the self-belief that they can come back from any situation to win a game. Their win against arch-rivals Pakistan is a testimony to India’s ability to turn things around from nowhere. Defending 119 against a strong Pakistani outfit at Nassau Cricket Stadium, New York, sparks confidence and fighting spirit within the team.
Bowlers have been on song throughout the group phase by picking wickets at regular intervals. The leader of the pack has to be Japirit Bumrah who broke the back of both Ireland and Pakistan by chipping in with regular wickets.
Bumrah has taken 5 wickets so far and has been instrumental in handing India two crucial victories against Ireland and Pakistan upfront. He was well supported by Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya and Mohammad Siraj. Arshdeep Singh has scalped 7 wickets so far. While Siraj has not picked many wickets, he has been economical and piled pressure on the opposition batters, allowing other bowlers to make serious damage from the other end.
Weakness
The batting has not fired so far with Virat Kohli struggling to get into the double-digit mark. The middle-order looked brittle against a strong Pakistan bowling line-up in New York where India ended up at 119 from 89 for 3 at the end of 11 overs. The surface wasn’t easy to bat on though. However, given the momentum India gained courtesy of Rishabh Pant’s blitzkrieg, they should have got to 140 to 150.
There was not much thought applied by the batters when they were up against a strong bowling attack comprising Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Amir. Indian batters will have to be at their absolute best in the Super 8 round to make it to the semis.
Australians Would Like to Continue Their Winning Streak in ICC T20 WC 2024
Strengths
Australia as usual played like Champions by surpassing every challenge that came their way in Group B fixtures. They recorded victories against England, Oman, Namibia and Scotland to register eight points. Their batters are in serious form with the likes of Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis tearing the bowling attack apart with consummate ease. They have been the only team to register 200 runs in the ICC T20 WC 2024 so far. They did that against Ashes rivals England.
Weaknesses
Not much to take note of. However, they should have been more clinical against Scotland, which posted a massive 180 on board batting first and had Australia reeling at 60 for 3 at the end of 8.3 overs. Had Michael Jones taken the catch of Travis Head when the Australian opener scored only 15 runs, things would have been ominous for the 2021 T20 World Cup champions. He went on to register 68 off 49 balls and broke the back of Scotland in the company of Marcus Stoinis who also registered a quickfire half-century.
However, the match went into the last over. However, the match went into the last over. Australia may have had one testing game in their last Group B fixture. But it goes to show that they can be beaten on a given day, something the other teams will take note of.
Afghanistan are in Red Hot Form as Super 8 Arrives
Strengths
The surprise package of the ICC T20 WC 2024 has been Afghanistan, which beat New Zealand comprehensively. Something nobody thought before the game. They came out with intent by scoring 159 and wrapped up the Kiwis for a mere 75, leaving cricket pundits in awe and shock in equal measure. They are doing well in all three departments – Batting, Bowling and Fielding.
That’s precisely the reason they stand at the top of the points table with six points with one game remaining against the hosts West Indies on June 18, 2024. Afghanistan have always had a quality spin bowling attack with the likes of Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi. But with the rise of fast bowlers like Fazalhaq Farooqi, things have turned dramatically in favour of Afghan boys.
Weaknesses
So far, not many weaknesses have been detected as Afghanistan have been clinical against New Zealand, Uganda and Papua New Guinea. Maybe how they fare against West Indies in their last group game will give us a clue. However, in the Super 8 round, they will need to be at more than their best as they square up against top teams like India and Australia. They often put big teams under pressure before losing the grip in the final overs to lose games. Their loss against Australia in the 2023 Cricket World Cup is a testimony to this fact. They had Australia on the mat by restricting them to 90 for 7 before allowing Maxwell and Pat Cummins to add 200 runs to win the game for the Aussies. It’s something the Rashid Khan-led Afghanistan outfit will be mindful of.
Bangladesh Look on and off in ICC T20 WC 2024
Strengths
Their strength has been the belief that they can rise above the challenge to beat big teams. They started off the campaign on a winning note by defeating Sri Lanka at Dallas. They then faced South Africa and had the Proteas under enormous pressure by skittling them out for 113 runs. However, they could not chase as Keshav Maharaj bowled an excellent last over to win South Africa a thrilling game by 4 runs. They then beat the Netherlands comfortably by 25 runs. They have one game remaining against Nepal, which put South Africa on tenterhooks by restricting the Aiden Markram-led unit to a mere 114 while bowling first and almost got over the line. However, South Africa held their nerve to register a 1-run victory over Nepal. Bangladesh are favourites against Nepal, however, they must guard against any complacency as a loss would make it tough for them to qualify for the Super 8 round of the ICC T20 WC 2024.
Weaknesses
The batting has not been clinical. They were cruising at one stage against Sri Lanka before allowing the latter to come into the game by picking five of their wickets in quick succession. Bangladesh won that game by just two wickets. Their loss to South Africa in a low-scoring thriller is another example of their prominent weakness in batting. The likes of Shakib and Shanto will have to up their game against Nepal.
Wrapping Up
It has been a rollercoaster ride for teams in T20 WC 2024 so far. Expect another cracking week as teams gear up for Super 8. We have shared insights into the strengths of teams in Group 1 of Super 8. We will soon come up with an analysis of teams placed in Group 2. Till then, it’s goodbye!
