The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 has reached its final stage as the Providence Stadium in Guyana is all set to host Semi-Final 2 between India and England on June 27. Defending champions England have had a roller-coaster ride in the tournament but finally became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals. As they take on a heavyweight side like India on Thursday, let’s take a look at England’s probable playing XI against the Asian giants.
England Predicted XI against India, T20 World Cup 2024 Semi-Final 2
Phil Salt
Phil Salt could be the biggest threat for India as the explosive opener has scored 574 runs in 14 T20I innings in the West Indies. He has continued his IPL 2024 form into the T20 World Cup as well, scoring 183 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 179.93.
Earlier this year, Salt was included in the Kolkata Knight Riders squad as a replacement for Jason Roy. The England hard-hitter scored 435 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 182. He will be desperate to play a big innings against the Indian bowlers on Thursday.
Jos Buttler (Captain and Wicketkeeper)
England captain Jos Buttler recently smashed USA bowlers in the Super 8 match, scoring 83* off 38 balls. Moreover, Buttler is the leading run-scorer for England in the ongoing T20 World Cup, scoring 191 runs in six innings at a brilliant strike rate of 159.16.
The wicketkeeper-batsman has enjoyed batting against India in the past as well, scoring 475 runs in 18 innings against the Men in Blue. Buttler’s form will be crucial to England’s success in the semi-final clash on Thursday.
Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow played a match-winning innings of 108* while chasing a target of over 250 against hosts Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. He was expected to play similar cricket in the T20 World Cup, but Bairstow’s performance so far has been disappointing.
Batting at number three, he has managed only 110 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 139.24 and will hope for a better performance against India in Semi-Final 2.
Harry Brook
Young Englishman Harry Brook is currently the only batsman among the semi-finalists to have an average of over 100. England’s think tank has been investing in him as a middle-order batsman for a long time and the result has been that he has performed well in the T20 World Cup 2024.
Brook has so far scored 120 runs in just three innings at an impressive strike rate of 164.38 and would look to continue his fine form in the tournament.
moeen ali
All-rounder Moeen Ali has not been in his best form in T20Is this year. In IPL 2024, Moeen managed to score only 128 runs in eight matches for Chennai Super Kings and surprisingly took only two wickets with the ball.
The left-handed batsman has also struggled with the bat in the ongoing T20 World Cup, scoring only 63 runs in seven matches and taking only three wickets with the ball. However, he will be the X-factor against India on the spin-friendly pitches in Guyana.
Liam Livingstone
After constant injury scares this year, Liam Livingstone has finally started performing well with the bat. In the current tournament, Livingstone has scored 61 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 184.84. Apart from this, he is also looking confident with the ball, taking three wickets in three innings.
Overall, Livingstone has scored 680 runs in 36 T20I innings at an impressive strike rate of 151.78. His spin bowling skills could prove to be useful against India.
Sam Curran
‘Player of the Tournament’ Sam Curran in the 2022 T20 World Cup is struggling to cement his place in England’s starting XI this time. Curran scored only 10 runs while batting in this tournament and took only two wickets with the ball.
Earlier, he was made the captain of Punjab Kings in the absence of Shikhar Dhawan in IPL 2024. Karan led from the front, scoring 270 runs and also taking 16 wickets for his team. Hopefully he will be able to do something special in the match against India on Thursday.
chris jordan
Chris Jordan is one of the most experienced players in England at the moment. He has played 94 T20 matches, taking 105 wickets at an economy rate of 8.71.
The Barbados-born pacer has played four matches in the tournament so far and has taken seven wickets at an economy rate of 8.95. Given his vast experience in the T20 format, Jordan can still pose a threat to the Indian batsmen.
If Chris Jordan gets a chance, Mark Wood will be out of the team. England captain Jos Buttler will have to take a big decision.
jofra archer
England fast bowler Jofra Archer came into the limelight just before the T20 World Cup after being out of the field for a long time due to injury. Archer has taken nine wickets in seven matches at a remarkable economy rate of 7.02 and is currently the joint-highest wicket-taker for England in the tournament.
Overall, Archer has taken 30 wickets in 24 T20Is at an economy rate of 7.48. He will be the one to watch out for against the Indian batsmen on Thursday.
Adil Rashid
Adil Rashid, one of England’s greatest white-ball leg-spinners of all time, has been the main source of wickets for the English in this tournament.
In this T20 World Cup, Rashid has taken nine wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 6.70 and is currently the joint-highest wicket-taker for them in the tournament. The leg-spinner will play a key role in England’s bowling unit against India.
Reece Topley
Another injured England player, Reece Topley, is also under question in this tournament, who has so far been able to take only one wicket in five matches.
However, his 6/24 performance against India at Lord’s in the 2022 ODI series cannot be overlooked as the tall pacer has often troubled the Indian batsmen in the powerplay overs.
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