Super Eight Group 1 preview: India, Australia headline competitive group amidst battle for semi-final berth

By Aranyak Mojumder

With the stage set for an exciting Super Eights phase of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, the two groups exhibit the potential for intense competition to secure the semi-final berths.

In Group 1, India, Afghanistan and Bangladesh will be joined by the Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 champions, Australia, with each team set to go all out for the top two spots on the group table.

Let’s dive deeper into what Group 1 has to offer in the second round of the tournament.

India

The champions from the inaugural Men’s T20 World Cup will step into the Super Eights unbeaten, having gathered all possible points from the first three matches against Ireland, Pakistan, and USA. An unfortunate downpour at the Central Broward Park Stadium in Florida saw their fixture against Canada washed out and their only dropped point from the first round.

Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, the Men in Blue are desperate to get their hands on the coveted trophy which has eluded them since their glorious 2007 campaign.

Having returned low scores with the bat on challenging surfaces, India have relied on their fast bowlers to steal wins from unexpected situations.

Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh have both claimed seven wickets each in their three first round matches, closely followed by Jasprit Bumrah, with five wickets to his name.

Although Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, and Rohit Sharma have displayed glimpses of brilliance with the bat, the fans will expect a higher volume of output from the batting order with the semi-final spot in mind.

Squad

Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Fixtures

vs Afghanistan– Thu, 20 June 2024, Barbados, 10:30 AM local time

vs Bangladesh– Sat, 22 June 2024, Antigua and Barbuda, 10:30 AM local time

vs Australia– Mon, 24 June 2024, St. Lucia, 10:30 AM local time

Key Player – Hardik Pandya

After a poor campaign in the Indian Premier League 2024, Pandya has proved why he is still an instrumental presence in the squad.

In India’s opening fixture against Ireland, he picked up three crucial wickets in Lorcan Tucker, Curtis Campher, and Mark Adair, conceding 27 runs in his 4 overs.

Against Pakistan, Pandya dismissed Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan, conceding 24 runs in his 4 overs, ensuring India’s successful defence of a low target.

Taking the pitch against co-hosts USA, Pandya took the all-important wickets of Aaron Jones and Corey Anderson, conceding a mere 14 runs in his 4 overs.

In the unique conditions of the Caribbean, where all remaining tournament matches will be held, Pandya’s ability to pick up wickets as the team’s additional pace option could be pivotal.

Australia

The Aussies came through the first round of the tournament with flying colours as they registered a perfect return with victories over Oman, England, Namibia and Scotland.

Under the leadership of Mitchell Marsh, Australia have displayed clinical all-round performance with a well-balanced squad, dominating with both bat and ball, alongside exceptional fielding.

Against Oman, Australia took a comfortable 39-run win courtesy of an exceptional all-round performance from Marcus Stoinis, who contributed 67 runs in 36 balls through an explosive innings. To go with it, Stoinis picked up three wickets in exchange for 19 runs in his three-over spell.

In a mouthwatering fixture against England, the Aussies secured yet another comfortable win, defeating the defending champions by 36 runs. This time, it was a team effort from Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tim David and Matthew Wade, with the bat, combined with two-wicket spells from Adam Zampa and Pat Cummins, that led them to the win.

Australia breezed past Namibia by chasing a target of 73 runs in just 5.4 overs, with David Warner (34 runs in 17 balls), Travis Head (20 runs in 8 balls) and Mitchell Marsh (18 runs in 9 balls) playing explosive knocks with 200+ strike rates. Adam Zampa stole the show with the ball with a four-wicket haul conceding just 12 runs.

Taking on Scotland in their last match of the first round, the Aussies chased a target of 181 runs in 19.4 overs, with Marcus Stoinis (59 runs in 29 balls) and Travis Head (68 runs in 49 balls) stealing the show with the bat.

Squad

Mitchell Marsh (c), 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.

Fixtures

vs Bangladesh– Thu, 20 June 2024, Antigua and Barbuda, 8:30 PM local time

vs Afghanistan– Sat, 22 June 2024, St. Vincent, 8:30 PM local time

vs India– Mon, 24 June 2024, St. Lucia, 10:30 AM local time

Key Player – Marcus Stoinis

Stoinis has justified his status as one of the world’s leading all-rounders with masterclass performances with both bat and ball.

Brilliant with the ball against Oman, he picked up three wickets for just 19 runs while on the batting front, Stoinis hit a quickfire 67 runs off just 36 balls.

In their following fixture, against England, the all-rounder played yet another explosive innings with the bat, registering 30 runs off 17 balls.

Against Namibia, the Australian top order finished off the game before Stoinis could get his chance, but with the ball he picked up a couple of wickets in his three overs, conceding just nine runs.

In the final fixture against Scotland, he continued his blistering aggression with the bat, scoring 59 runs in 29 balls, amassing a cumulative 156 runs in the first round of the Men’s T20 World Cup. He also claimed a total of six wickets thus far in the tournament.

His versatility with the ball and the bat will be crucial for the Aussies in their hunt for a second ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title.

Afghanistan

The Afghans displayed a stunning performance in the group stage to secure their spot in the Super Eights. With the exception of the West Indies, they dominated every other opponent, including the higher-ranked New Zealand.

Both the highest run scorer and the highest wicket-taker of the tournament so far are from Afghanistan in Rahmanullah Gurbaz (167 runs) and Fazalhaq Farooqi (12 wickets) respectively.

Afghanistan kicked off their campaign with a dominating 125-run win over Uganda, following it up by demolishing New Zealand with an 84-run win, where they bowled out the Black Caps for just 75 runs.

Against Papua New Guinea, they chased a 96-run target in just 15.1 overs, before eventually falling to West Indies, suffering a 104-run defeat.

Squad

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik

Fixtures

vs India– Thu, 20 June 2024, Barbados, 10:30 AM local time

vs Australia– Sat, 22 June 2024, St. Vincent, 8:30 PM local time

vs Bangladesh– Mon, 24 June 2024, St. Vincent, 8:30 PM local time

Key Player – Fazalhaq Farooqi

The 23-year-old has had a breakthrough tournament with the Afghans in the Men’s T20 World Cup, picking up 12 wickets in his four matches, establishing himself as the highest wicket taker thus far.

The left-arm medium-fast bowler got himself a five-wicket-haul in their opening match against Uganda, in exchange for just nine runs, in his four overs.

Continuing his stellar form against New Zealand, Farooqi picked up four wickets for just 17 runs in his 3.2 overs.

Against Papua New Guinea, the youngster took three more wickets to his name conceding only 16 runs in his four overs.

Although Farooqi did not shine quite as much in their final game of the first round, against West Indies, his wicket-taking capability will be a matter of concern for the opponents.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh started strong in the first round of the tournament, registering a win over Sri Lanka in their opening fixture, chasing down 125 runs in 19 overs. Mustafizur Rahman and Rishad Hossain picked up three wickets each while Towhid Hridoy played an explosive innings of 40 runs in 20 balls.

The Asian side suffered their only defeat in the first round against South Africa, narrowly losing by a four-run margin in a game they would feel they should have won.

Bangladesh got back to winning ways when they locked horns with the Netherlands in a decisive battle for the second place on the group table. An exceptional batting display from Shakib Al Hasan led them to a 25-run win.

To wrap up their first round, the Bangladeshis downed Nepal with a 21-run win, courtesy of a remarkable four-wicket spell from Tanzim Sakib, and made their way into the Super Eights with their eyes set on the possibility of lifting a maiden ICC Trophy.

Squad

Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Taskin Ahmed, Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Tanvir Islam, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib

Fixtures

vs Australia– Thu, 20 June 2024, Antigua and Barbuda, 8:30 PM local time

vs India– Sat, 22 June 2024, Antigua and Barbuda, 10:30 AM local time

vs Afghanistan– Mon, 24 June 2024, St. Vincent, 8:30 PM local time

Key Player – Tanzim Hasan Sakib

The 21-year-old has scalped nine wickets thus far in the tournament including an exceptional four-wicket haul against Nepal.

Against South Africa, even though the results didn’t go in his favour, the youngster picked up three wickets at the cost of just 18 runs in his four overs.

Sakib also picked up a wicket each against Sri Lanka and Netherlands.

Bangladesh has not quite impressed so far with the bat, burdening the bowlers with more responsibility. Sakib’s impact with the ball will be pivotal given the team’s lack of batting firepower compared to some of their group opponents.