Having already lifted the World Test Championship mace and the 50-over World Cup trophy, Australia will be looking to go all-out in their bid to become the first team to win all three world titles simultaneously when they take on Oman in their first match of the T20 World Cup. To achieve this feat, the former champions will rely on their wealth of experience, with many of Australia’s greatest modern-era players preparing for their final farewell in international colours. The T20 trophy eluded Australia for a long time, but a first title in 2021 changed that. However, a year later, they failed to progress beyond the league stage on home soil.
However, Australia’s team has no shortage of match-winning players, starting with new captain Mitchell Marsh. The all-rounder will play a key role batting at number 3. Travis Head is in great form and performed brilliantly for the team in the WTC final and the ODI World Cup final.
Australia may experiment in the group stage to choose their best XI. Leg spinner Adam Zampa will play a key role while left-arm spinner Ashton Agar is also expected to be included in the team.
The reliable trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood will spearhead the fast bowling unit.
Oman lost their first match against Namibia. Although they performed well with the ball and took the match to the Super Over, the batsmen will have to show more responsibility if they are to achieve an upset win against Australia.
Teams: Australia: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
Oman: Aqib Ilyas (captain), Zeeshan Maqsood, Ayan Khan, Kashyap Prajapati, Shoaib Khan, Mohammad Nadeem, Pratik Athawale, Naseem Khushi, Khalid Kail, Mehran Khan, Bilal Khan, Kalimullah, Fayyaz Butt, Shakeel Ahmed, Rafiullah. Reserves: Jatinder Singh, Samay Srivastava, Sufyan Mahmood, Jay Odedra.
The match will start at 6 am Indian time.
Pakistan would like to put the off-field drama behind them
The runners-up of the last edition, Pakistan, will take on co-hosts USA in the second match. On paper, the Babar Azam-led side looks like a strong contender to win this encounter, but Pakistan’s recent performance suggests that this match will not be easy.
Pakistan lost a T20I in Ireland and then suffered a 0-2 defeat in England this week, which is not an ideal result ahead of the global event. Prior to that, they drew 2-2 at home with a New Zealand side that was missing several members of its World Cup squad.
The build-up to the big event has been tumultuous, with a change in captaincy, reshuffling of the top order and players coming out of retirement.
Babar was reappointed as the captain after Shaheen Afridi was briefly handed the T20 captaincy. The pacer was later offered the vice-captaincy but he declined to take it.
Babar and Mohammad Rizwan are Pakistan’s most consistent T20 performers but their strike rate has been a concern as the duo has struggled to score quick runs.
But if there is one thing that sets Pakistan apart is their unpredictability. They can surprise or demoralise their opponents at any time.
They will rely heavily on their pace attack comprising Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Aamir, who have returned from retirement.
The USA will be high on confidence after their seven-wicket win over Canada in the tournament opener.
Teams: Pakistan: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
USA: Monak Patel, Shayan Jahangir, Andries Gaus, Nitish Kumar, Steven Taylor, Harmeet Singh, Corey Anderson, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, JC Singh, Saurabh Netravalkar, Nostush Kenjige.
The match will start at 9 pm Indian time.
Uganda’s invasion of PNG
The third match of the day will be between Papua New Guinea and Uganda.
PNG performed brilliantly against West Indies. The two-time champion team was put under a lot of pressure by PNG’s bowlers.
Even though the Asad Walal-led side lost, they will fancy their chances in this encounter.
Meanwhile, debutants Uganda suffered a 125-run defeat at the hands of Afghanistan in their first match.
While their bowlers, led by skipper Brian Masaba, showed a fighting spirit, their batsmen completely surrendered and their fielding was also poor.
The African country will hope to improve on these aspects and register their first T20 World Cup win.
Team: Papua New Guinea: Asadullah Vala, CJ Amini, Eli Nao, Chad Soper, Hila Vare, Hiri Hiri, Jack Gardner, John Kariko, Kabua Wagi Morea, Kipling Doriga, Lega Siaka, Norman Vanua, Sema Kamea, Sese Bau, Tony Ura.
Uganda: Brian Masaba, Simon Ssezazi, Roger Mukasa, Cosmas Kyevuta, Dinesh Nakrani, Fred Achellam, Kenneth Waiswa, Alpesh Ramazani, Frank Nsubuga, Henry Senyondo, Bilal Hassan, Robinson Obuya, Riazat Ali Shah (VC), Juma Miyazi, Raunak Patel.
The match will start at 5 am Indian time.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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