As the highly-awaited ICC T20 World Cup 2024 kicks off this week, former cricket stars Michael Vaughan and Adam Gilchrist have shared their thoughts on the upcoming tournament.
A record-breaking 20 teams are currently vying for victory in the event, taking place across the United States of America and the Caribbeans. These teams have been organized into four groups, each containing five teams. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super 8s stage, ultimately determining the four semifinalists.
Though the outcome remains uncertain, Vaughan and Gilchrist have weighed in with their predictions. Vaughan is throwing his support behind his homeland, England, as well as Australia, envisioning them as finalists and ultimately tipping England to reclaim the title, a feat they achieved in the previous edition. Meanwhile, Gilchrist is favoring a Trans-Tasman showdown, anticipating Australia and New Zealand to face off in the final, with Australia emerging as the victor. Notably, England and Australia find themselves pitted against each other in Group B of the ongoing tournament, alongside Scotland, Namibia, and Oman, with both teams expected to progress to the next stage.
The USA has made a blazing start:
In the tournament opener on Sunday (June 2), co-hosts USA and Canada clashed in Dallas, with USA emerging victorious by a convincing margin of seven wickets.
Canada set a challenging target of 194 for 5 in their 20 overs, courtesy of impressive half-centuries from Navneet Dhaliwal and Nicholas Kirton, who scored 61 off 44 balls and 51 off 31 balls, respectively. Shreyas Movva’s unbeaten cameo of 32 runs from just 16 balls further bolstered their total.
Facing a shaky start, USA’s openers Steven Taylor (0) and Monank Patel (16) failed to make an impact. However, Aaron Jones and Andries Gous turned the tide with outstanding half-centuries. Jones remained unbeaten on a blistering 94 runs off just 40 balls, while Gous contributed 65 runs off 46 balls, forging a pivotal partnership of 131 runs for the third wicket, ultimately steering their team to victory.
