Men's World Cup T20 2024 United States vs England, 49th Match
United States vs England, 49th Match Men's World Cup T20 2024. England finds themselves in a precarious position after their dramatic collapse against South Africa, losing from a dominant position where they needed just 25 runs off 18 deliveries with 6 wickets in hand. The defending champions now face a scenario where merely defeating the USA might not suffice for a semifinal spot.
A win for both England and South Africa (against the West Indies) will secure England's qualification. However, if South Africa loses, the Net Run Rate (NRR) will come into play. Given the narrow NRR gap of approximately 0.2 between England and South Africa, an England win and a South Africa loss should be enough for England to advance, provided there are no extremely close finishes.
England desperately needs Jos Buttler to deliver. Buttler has had a lackluster World Cup, with a highest score of 42 in 5 innings. His performance becomes crucial, especially if England bats first, considering the early morning conditions that favor USA's pace spearhead Saurabh Netravalkar. Mark Wood's express pace could be a key weapon against the USA batters, who are unaccustomed to such speed at the associate level. The Barbados pitch might be slow, but Wood has the capability to negate this with his aggressive fast bowling.
On the USA side, Steven Taylor's poor form has been a concern. He showed promise with a quick 24 against South Africa but faltered with a score of 2 against the West Indies. Nitish Kumar's promotion to number 3 hasn't worked out either. To challenge another Test nation before ending their historic World Cup run, the USA must address their top-order issues.
**Match Details:**
**When:** June 24, 10:30 AM local time, 2:30 PM GMT, 8:00 PM IST
**Where:** Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
**Pitch:** The track is expected to favor batsmen, as evidenced by Shai Hope's explosive 82 off 39 balls recently. However, the first few overs might see some movement. A high-scoring match is likely if the USA's batting holds up.
**Team Watch:**
**USA:**
Nisarg Patel is the only squad member yet to play in the tournament. With little at stake, the USA might risk playing three left-arm spinners against England's predominantly right-handed lineup.
**Probable XI:** Steven Taylor, Andries Gous (wk), Nitish Kumar, Aaron Jones (captain), Corey Anderson, Milind Kumar, Harmeet Singh, Shadley van Schalkwyk/Nisarg Patel, Nosthush Kenjige, Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar
**England:**
Liam Livingstone was initially doubtful before the Super 8 game against the West Indies but played a crucial innings against South Africa. There might be a temptation to include Tom Hartley on a slow wicket, but England will likely rely on their pacers to pressure the USA with high-quality pace bowling.
**Probable XI:** Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (captain) (wk), Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley
**Squads:**
**England Squad:** Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (w/c), Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Tom Hartley, Chris Jordan
**United States Squad:** Steven Taylor, Andries Gous (w), Nitish Kumar, Aaron Jones (c), Corey Anderson, Milind Kumar, Harmeet Singh, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Nosthush Kenjige, Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar, Monank Patel, Jasdeep Singh, Nisarg Patel, Shayan Jahangir.
