The Super 8 round of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 is about to get underway with some big names of the cricketing world set to clash against each other.
Inaugural champions, India will start their quest in the Super 8s on June 20 against Afghanistan, following which they will be facing an inform Bangladesh side on June 22 before taking on the mighty Australians in their final Super 8 game on June 24 in St. Lucia.
Australia will by far be the toughest opponent for Rohit Sharma and team in the Super 8s. The Aussies, under the leadership of Mitchell Marsh have been a formidable side in the ongoing tournament so far, winning all four of their group stage games
On the other hand, the Indians have also managed to stay unbeaten in the competition so far, with three victories against Ireland, Pakistan and USA. Their final group stage game against Canada in Lauderhill was abandoned due to wet outfield.
Pitch conditions at St. Lucia
Unlike most of the pitches in the tournament so far, the Darren Sammy Cricket Stadium has favoured the batters. In the three games played at the venue so far, two games have witnessed teams touching the 200-run mark (Sri Lanka and West Indies) while Australia chased down a target of 181 runs against the Scottish.
St. Lucia will also be hosting the Super 8 matches, which include blockbusters like India vs Australia, West indies vs England and South Africa vs England.
MATCHES IN ST LUCIA IN THE T20 WORLD CUP 2024 🏆
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) June 18, 2024
Sri Lanka scored 201/6 vs NED
West Indies scored 218/5 vs AFG
Australia chase down 181 runs vs SCO
This venue will host IND vs AUS, ENG vs SA, WI vs ENG in Super 8 🥶🔥 pic.twitter.com/ik1bfJq4pn
Will Australia’s power hitters have an advantage over the Indians?
Taking a look at both the teams, Australia seem to possess a better mixture of experience and talent when it comes to the batting order.
The Indiand have the experienced duo of Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma at the top of the order, followed by the explosive Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav. Following them are Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel who are likely to act as finishers as the end of the innings approaches.
Meanwhile, bolstering the likes of Travis Head, David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and skipper Mitchell Marsh form a very strong batting order for Australia already, not forgetting Tim David and Matthew Wade, who are excellent finishers.
Despite the advantage, the game is very well poised with two top-level teams stacked with players who could the difference. The Indians will be relying on the stunning Jasprit Bumrah to control their flow of runs.
Where to watch T20 Cricket World Cup 2024 in Australia
For Australian cricket fans not making the trip to the T20 Cricket World Cup, their options for streaming will be unusually limited.
This year's T20 World Cup will only be shown in Australia on Amazon Prime, with the streaming platform claiming exclusive rights to the tournament.
There will be no free-to-air Australian broadcast of the World Cup.
If the T20 Cricket World Cup is not available to watch live in your location or if you’re travelling abroad, you can use a VPN.
VPNs provide a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favourite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.
