The T20 World Cup gets underway in the early hours of Sunday morning with the USA facing Canada and the Windies taking on PNG. The Proteas and Namibia are in action on Monday against Oman and Sri Lanka respectively. James Richardson previews.
The co-hosts West Indies and USA headline the opening day of the T20 World Cup with their respective clashes against Papua New Guinea and Canada.
Southern Africa is in the spotlight on Monday with Namibia opening things up against Oman while South Africa take on Sri Lanka.
T20 World Cup match 1 | Group A | USA vs Canada | Sunday 2 June 2024 | Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium, Dallas | 02:30
Sunday 2 June
USA 42/100 | Tie 25/1 | Canada 39/20 (02:30)
USA got the better of Canada in their recent five-match T20I series which suggests that the hosts have moved well ahead of their northern neighbours.
Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas is also the home of Major League Cricket while several franchises bang out stadia agreements and it makes a fitting venue for this match given the part the tournament has played in the United States growing renown in the T20I arena.
Transplanted international Andries Gous and former Black Caps star Corey Anderson have been huge for the United States however homegrown talent Steven Taylor’s imposing physical presence makes him capable of destructive power-hitting and he cannot be ignored.
Canada’s secret weapon has been Pakistan-born Kaleem Sana Rehman whose Left-arm seam could be tricky to handle.
Verdict: USA 42/100
The USA’s dominance of Canada in their recent T20I series informs this tip. Get on the States to open their tournament with a win.
West Indies 1/50 | Tie 25/1 | Papua New Guinea 15/1 (16:30)
The West Indies would have been happy to see their IPL stars reintegrate into a group that picked up some momentum through a series win over South Africa.
Skipper Rovman Powell was among those coming back in for the warm-up match against Australia and he enjoyed a good hit against a changing bowling lineup.
Nicholas Pooran also unleashed during that warm-up match and could be ready to devastate going forward in the T20 World Cup.
The aggressive batting of Tony Ura has driven PNG to this World Cup but this match will be a big test of his ability to step up against world-class bowling.
Verdict: West Indies Highest Opening Partnership 5/10
No value in backing the Windies at 1/50 for the win. Instead, back them to nab the highest opening partnership.
Monday 3 June
Namibia 52/100 | Tie 25/1 | Oman 31/20 (02:30)
Nikolaas Davin has been the man that Namibia can count on to give them a good platform but he will be tested by an experienced Oman attack.
Bilal Khan is the man who will spearhead the attack for Oman assisted by Fayyaz Butt with the quicks splitting 60 T20I wickets in the last year.
Namibia have so often turned to Gerhard Erasmus to get them their wickets but left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz is also a threat if Namibia start to get the strangle on.
Opener Aqib Ilyas will be out to give Oman a fast start to allow his team to play the spinners on their merits.
Verdict: Namibia 52/100
The Southern Africans have made great strides in the T20I arena over the last few years and are tipped to get the better of this Oman outfit.
South Africa 9/20 | Tie 25/1 | Sri Lanka 7/4 (16:30)
South Africa’s piecemeal preparation has been in the spotlight and they have a chance to gain momentum and get their critics off their backs with a confident start against Sri Lanka.
The Proteas need to adapt to the game and really need to figure out how to relieve the pressure with the bat in hand and haul things back with the ball.
Reeza Hendricks has been the top-scorer for the Proteas in T20Is in the last year and could be someone to pay attention to in World Cup markets.
Matheesha Pathirana could be the name that comes to haunt South Africa if he can live up to his growing reputation as the next Lasith Malinga.
Verdict: South Africa 9/20
Sri Lanka will provide stiff opposition, but you’d expect a full-strength Proteas outfit to get the better of them. A confident start against their toughest round-robin-phase opponents could give them the shot in the arm they so desire.
