What to expect in the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup
DALLAS — Shaun Pollock's delivery was short of a good length, on the line outside the o -stump. Chris Gayle latched onto it and slapped it past the elder at point for four runs. That was the rst ball of the rst over in the rst match of the rst-ever T20 World Cup.
With the boundary, the West Indies opener didn't just smash the tournament into life, he broke new ground for the foundation of the future of cricket.
It didn’t look like that at the time, though. The inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup was a 12team a air played over 13 days. It was given two weeks of the calendar because it was a format many did not care a lot about, and though they went on to lift the title, India did not send their superstars to the event.
Seven years later, it had garnered enough popularity to be expanded into a 16-team showpiece played over three weeks. That number remained constant until the 2022 edition. The biennial tournament is now a 20-team a air. The number of participants isn’t the only thing that has evolved. Seventeen years ago, players approached the format as if it were 50-over cricket with fewer overs.
Led by the army of dissatis ed West Indian players seeking better payment, T20 specialists have blazed a trail that has set the format apart from its siblings. Discussions around swing planes, hitting arcs, intent, and long levers, are taking the focus away from the MCC Coaching Manual ascribed technique. And most importantly, with the proliferation of T20 franchise leagues, the format is now the vehicle for the sport’s growth.
Favourites
The 20-nation tournament is a testament to the game's growth beyond its strongholds and traditional outposts. The development is underlined, in bold, by Uganda's maiden appearance at an ICC event. However, as some things change, others remain constant. For instance, England come into this edition as one of the favourites to win.
It is an understatement to say that England failed to defend their ODI title last year in India. However, the originators of the format have several in-form players making the trip to the US and Caribbean.
Their captain, Jos Buttler has rediscovered his touch in the format. He was the only player to register two centuries in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League and scored a 51ball 84 in the only completed match of the England-Pakistan series. Will Jacks and Phil Salt have been carving their names on the T20 franchise circuit and will o er Buttler much-needed support at the top. The defending champions were also given a boost by Jofra Archer’s return to international cricket.
Perennial favourites, India, also come in looking like the team to beat. If you look past Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav’s dynamic batting, they have one of the best white-ball bowlers in Jasprit Bumrah. The pacer was unplayable in an IPL season that was a run-fest due to its at pitches.
Australia rounds up the list of favourites. Their ODI World Cup winning squad is as lethal in the shorter format. Compared to India and England, Australia’s squad might be a little more well-rounded.
They have some of the most explosive opening batters in Travis Head and David Warner. Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Cameron Green make for a hard-hitting middle order, while Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins lead a lethal bowling attack.
Dark horses
Though the Proteas are not out-and-out favourites, South African fans have a reason to be hopeful. Though their leading run-scorer in the format, Quinton de Kock, is scratching around for form, his opening partner, Reeza Hendricks, is playing some of the best cricket of his life. The Aiden Markramcaptained side also has a middle order that catches re easily. Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and Tristan Stubbs are some of the best batters in the 20-over format. The Proteas could surprise a few by going all the way.
When their golden age cricketers retired, West Indies’ T20 cricket seemed to be heading in the same direction as their test cricket fortunes went in the 2000s and 2010s. However, the integration of T20 World Cup-winning captain, Daren Sammy, in the coaching set-up has led to a resurgence. The co-hosts are ying under the radar but could cause some upsets.
Like South Africa and the West Indies, New Zealand and Pakistan are dark horses, inhabiting the nebulous space between favourites and teams there to give it a good run.
‘Just happy to be there’ teams
There are no surprises when we look at the extreme end opposite the favourites. There is a good chance that a Ugandan player who scores the rst T20 World Cup 50 for their country at the tournament will have praises sung in his name. A statue might be built for anyone who scores a century. There is no better description of a country simply happy to be at the showpiece than Uganda, followed by Nepal. The president of the Cricket Association of Nepal was so proud of his team’s quali cation he put himself on the o cial ICC travelling team sheet which is supposed to have players, coaches and support sta .
Venues and conditions
The opening match was played early morning today at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas, which is one of three venues in the US set to host 16 group stage matches. The other two venues are Central Broward Park & Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida and Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, Long Island, New York.
The other 41 matches will be played in the Caribbean across six di erent nations, with semi nals in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, before the nal scheduled to be played in Barbados on 29 June. Unlike the 2024 edition of the IPL, the T20 World Cup is expected to stay true to type when it comes to surfaces that provide balance between bat and ball. The USA leg of the tournament is expected to have surfaces more amenable to pace while the West Indian pitches will be have something for the spinners.
The 20 teams taking part will be in four groups of ve for the rst stage of the event, with each team playing a minimum of four matches against their other group members. The top two sides from each group will progress to the Super 8s. Here, the eight teams will be split into two groups, with sides to play three matches each to determine the semi nalists.
Players to look out for
Here is a short list of players to look out for during the tournament: India — Virat Kohli, who seemed to unlock a new level in this year’s IPL. T20’s new 360 batter, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah. Australia — The big-hitting Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell and Tim David. South Africa — Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs and Tabraiz Shamsi. Pakistan — Shaheen Afridi, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. New Zealand — Glenn Phillips, Trent Boult, Rachin Ravindra. England — Jos Buttler, Will Jacks, Jofra Archer. Andre Russell, Johnson Charles, Nicholas Pooran, and Shimron Hetmyer look set to have a productive tournament on home soil.
The ninth edition of the T20 World Cup is not only looking to be bigger in terms of participation numbers, it aims to be bigger as a product as the sport pushes its case for global acceptance.