World Cup Observations and Takeaways – Part Three

THE 2024 International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup, jointly hosted by the West Indies and the United States, ended with India crowned as the undefeated winner.

Here is a look at some of my observations, and takeaways, from the final two weeks of the tournament.

June 19 – SUPER EIGHTS – UNITED STATES vs SOUTH AFRICA

Observations: South Africa got their Super Eights campaign underway with an 18-run victory over the United States in Antigua.

South Africa, who were asked to bat first, amassed 194/4 with Man-of-the-Match Quinton de Kock smashing 74 (40 balls, seven fours and five sixes), captain Aiden Markram 46 (32 balls, four fours and a six) and Heinrich Klaasen 36 not out (22 balls, three sixes). Left-arm pacer Saurabh Netravalkar had 2/21 and left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh 2/24 for the US.

Opener Andries Gous made an undefeated 80 (47 balls, five fours and five sixes), Harmeet Singh made 38 (22 balls, two fours and three sixes) and Steven Taylor 24 (14 balls, four fours and a six) but the US were limited to 176/6. Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada had 3/18 for South Africa.

Takeaways: The US did not disgrace in their first Super Eights game but South Africa’s experience was key, especially during the first innings (to clarify, when South Africa were at the crease).

According to Markram, “Hopefully we can tidy up a few things and the win looks a little bit more comprehensive.” Stand-in US captain Aaron Jones commented, “I don't want to say disappointed, but it's hard to take the defeat after getting so close. I thought we could have been more disciplined bowling-wise.”

June 19 – SUPER EIGHTS – WEST INDIES vs ENGLAND

Observations: England burst West Indies’ bubble in St Lucia with a comfortable and convincing eight-wicket triumph.

West Indies were offered first strike and made 180/4 with contributions from Johnson Charles (38 from 34 balls with four fours and a six), Nicholas Pooran (36 from 32 balls with four fours and a six), captain Rovman Powell (36 from 17 balls with five sixes), Sherfane Rutherford (28 not out off 15 balls with a four and two sixes) and Brandon King (23 retired hurt, from 13 balls with three fours and a six).

Guided by an unbeaten 87 from Man-of-the-Match Phil Salt (47 balls, seven fours and five sixes) and 48 not out from Jonny Bairstow (26 balls, five fours and two sixes), who featured in an unbroken third-wicket stand of 97 off 7.2 overs, England cruised to 181/2.

Takeaways: Romario Shepherd conceded 30 runs off the 16th (and his last) over, which may spark debate as to whether or not he should have been recalled at the expense of Obed McCoy. Also, King suffered a side strain while batting, and his participation for Friday’s game against the United States is in doubt.

England captain Jos Buttler said, “That was a very good performance. We were practicing well (and) executed well today.” Powell noted, “Need to look back and evaluate. Our destiny is in our own hands, just for us to continue playing some good cricket.”

June 20 – SUPER EIGHTS – AFGHANISTAN vs INDIA

Observations: In their first World Cup game in the Caribbean, India showed they will be a force to be reckoned with, after whipping Afghanistan by 47 runs in Barbados.

After deciding to bat first, India tallied 181/8 with a top-score of 53 from Man-of-the-Match Suryakumar Yadav (28 balls, five fours and three sixes) and Hardik Pandya’s 32 (24 balls, three fours and two sixes). For Afghanistan, captain and leg-spinner Rashid Khan got 3/26 and left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi 3/33.

Afghanistan were bowled out for 134 off the final ball of their 20-over allotment, with Azmatullah Omarzai leading the way with 26 (20 balls, two fours and a six). Pacers Jasprit Bumrah (3/7) and Arshdeep Singh (3/36), as well as left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav (2/32) did the damage for India.

Takeaways: Afghanistan, who began the tournament with three wins on the trot, have not lost two straight; India showed enough to suggest they can be serious contenders for the title.

India’s captain Rohit Sharma commented, “We adapted well and got 180, which was a great effort from the batters. We had class bowlers who defended it perfectly.” Khan noted, “We’ve enjoyed our cricket everywhere but our mindset is what matters. If the conditions are helpful, we’ll use it depending on if it’s a batting or bowling track.”

June 20 – SUPER EIGHTS – AUSTRALIA vs BANGLADESH

Observations: A rain-affected match in Antigua, but Australia continued their unbeaten run in this World Cup with a 28-run victory, via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, over Bangladesh.

Sent in to bat first, Bangladesh were restricted to 140/8 with skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto scoring 41 (36 balls, five fours and a six) and Towrid Hridoy hitting 40 (28 balls, two fours and two sixes). Australian fast bowler, and Man-of-the-Match, Pat Cummins had the tournament’s first hat-trick, as he returned figures of 3/29, while leg-spinner Adam Zampa had 2/24.

Australia were 100/2 after 11.2 overs when the second and final rain stoppage resulted in the DLS method taking effect to determine the winners. David Warner struck 53 not out (35 balls, five fours and three sixes) and fellow left-handed opener Travis Head made 31 (21 balls, three fours and two sixes). Impressive leg-spinner Rishad Hossain had 3/23 for Bangladesh.

Takeaways: As has been the case during this competition, Australia were workmanlike and clinical in their displays. Bangladesh struggled to combat the Australian bowling, and only Hossain looked threatening with the ball.

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh said, “(A) really exciting bowling performance. (The) boys played well tonight.” Shanto pointed out, “I think it was very important today that the top order got some runs. We struggled last couple of matches.”

June 21 – SUPER EIGHTS – ENGLAND vs SOUTH AFRICA

Observations: South Africa moved a step closer towards a berth in the semi-finals with a tense seven-run victory over England in St Lucia.

South Africa, who were asked to bat first, posted 163/6 courtesy 65 from Man-of-the-Match Quinton de Kock (38 balls, four fours and four sixes) and 43 from fellow left-hander David Miller (28 balls, four fours and two sixes). Fast bowler Jofra Archer took 3/40 for England.

In reply, England were only able to reach 156/6, despite a valuable fifth-wicket stand of 78, off seven overs, between Harry Brook (53 off 37 balls with seven fours) and Liam Livingstone (33 off 17 balls with three fours and two sixes). Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj had 2/25 and pacer Kagiso Rabada 2/32 for South Africa.

Takeaways: With two victories in the Super Eights, South Africa are in a good position to move one step further, into the last four, while England will be looking to get a win against the United States on Sunday.

South Africa captain Aiden Markram noted, “I’d say we’re getting closer to that complete game of cricket. We’re not there just yet but we’re getting there.” England skipper Jos Buttler said, “We’re still very much in the competition. We’ve played really well today, just couldn’t get over the line.”

June 21 – SUPER EIGHTS – WEST INDIES vs UNITED STATES

Observations: The West Indies took advantage of home conditions, as well as the United States’ lack of star quality, to romp to a nine-wicket victory in Barbados, and keep their hopes alive of a spot in the semi-finals.

Asked to bat first, the US were skittled out for 128 with one ball remaining. Opener Andries Gous top-scored with 29 (16 balls, three fours and a six) while Nitish Kumar chipped in with 20 (19 balls, two fours). Off-spinner, and Man-of-the-Match, Roston Chase took 3/19 while pacers Andre Russell and Alzarri Joseph had 3/31 and 2/31 respectively.

Shai Hope justified his recall to the WI team with a masterful 82 not out (39 balls, four fours and eight sixes) while Nicholas Pooran was unbeaten on 27 (12 balls, one four and three sixes).

Takeaways: The West Indies upped their net run-rate and remained in contention for a spot in the last four while the US are out of the reckoning for a place in the semis.

West Indies captain Rovman Powell commented, “It’s very special. Credit has to be given to the boys, we set out to achieve our goals and we did.” His opposite number, United States’ Aaron Jones, said, “I think, maybe, we probably needed a score around 175-180 and we obviously finished under par.”

June 22 – SUPER EIGHTS – BANGLADESH vs INDIA

Observations: India have all but assured themselves of a place in the semi-final round, after blanking Bangladesh by 50 runs in Antigua.

India, who were offered first strike, amassed 196/5 due to an unbeaten 50 from Man-of-the-Match Hardik Pandya (27 balls, four fours and three sixes) while there were useful contributions from Virat Kohli (37 from 28 balls with a four and three sixes), Rishabh Pant (36 from 24 balls with four fours and two sixes), Shivam Dube (34 from 24 balls with three sixes) and captain Rohit Sharma (23 from 11 balls with three fours and a six). Pacer Tanzim Sakib and leg-spinner Rishad Hossain each took two wickets, for 32 and 43 runs respectively.

In response, Bangladesh were restricted to 146/8 courtesy 40 from captain Najmul Hossain Shanto (32 balls, one four and three sixes), 29 from Tanzid Hasan (31 balls, four fours) and 24 from Hossain (10 balls, one four and three sixes). Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav had 3/19 for India while Jasprit Bumrah had 2/13 and Arshdeep Singh 2/30.

Takeaways: Bangladesh never seemed keen to put up a fight, especially with the bat, and if Australia defeat Afghanistan tonight, then both Bangladesh and Australia will be out of the reckoning for a semi-final spot.

Sharma said, “We know what is expected out of us, and what we need to do, and how we need to play as well. We adapted to the conditions.” Shanto pointed out, “I think we had a lot of batting options today, but we didn’t show the intent we needed.”

June 22 – SUPER EIGHTS – AFGHANISTAN vs AUSTRALIA

Observations: Afghanistan blew the group wide open with a 21-run triumph over the previously unbeaten Australia in St Vincent.

Asked to bat first, Afghanistan posted 148/6 courtesy of a third century opening stand between Rahmanullah Gurbaz (60 off 49 balls with four fours and four sixes) and Ibrahim Zadran (51 off 48 balls with six fours). Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins took his second hat-trick of the competition, as he finished with 3/28 while leg-spinner Adam Zampa got 2/28.

Australia never got the measure of the varied Afghanistan attack and were bowled out for 127 off 19.2 overs. Glenn Maxwell offered lone resistance with 59 (41 balls, six fours and three sixes). Man-of-the-Match Gulbadin Naib had 4/20 and fellow pacer Naveen-ul-Haq 3/20 for Afghanistan.

Takeaways: Monday’s results will determine who from Afghanistan, Australia or India will move on to the last four. India will play Australia in the morning while Afghanistan will meet Bangladesh in the night contest.

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan said, “It’s a massive win for us as a team and (a) nation. Beating Australia is a great feeling. We have all the chances of making the semis.” Mitchell Marsh, Australia skipper, noted, “They got 20 (runs) too many and, to be honest, they played a really good game of cricket. We were outplayed tonight.”

June 23 – SUPER EIGHTS – ENGLAND vs UNITED STATES

Observations: England secured a place in the semi-finals with an easy 10-wicket victory over the United States in Barbados.

The US, who were sent in to bat first, were bowled out for 115 off 18.5 overs. Nitish Kumar struck 30 for the US (24 balls, one four and two sixes) while Corey Anderson made 29 (28 balls, one six) and Harmeet Singh 21 (17 balls, two fours and a six).

In front of his ‘home’ crowd, Barbados-born pacer Chris Jordan took the last four wickets, in his third over, including a hat-trick, as he finished with 4/10. Man-of-the-Match, leg-spinner Adil Rashid, had 2/13 and left-arm pacer Sam Curran 2/23.

When England replied, captain Jos Buttler made 83 (38 balls, six fours and seven sixes) and Phil Salt 25 (21 balls, two fours) as they reached 117/0 off 9.4 overs.

Takeaways: England will know later on today where they will play their semi-final match. For the US, they showed good spirit throughout, and they can only build on this experience.

Buttler said, “We paid USA a lot of respect, but we talked a lot about our intensity and if we thought if we took it on the field, we’d be too good.” Stand-in US skipper Aaron Jones pointed out, “We didn’t have a good last two games. That’s how it goes sometimes. We really enjoyed the World Cup.”

June 23 – SUPER EIGHTS – WEST INDIES vs SOUTH AFRICA

Observations: South Africa topped Group Two with a three-wicket win, via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method and, in the process, ended the West Indies’ participation in the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup.

In a rain-affected contest in Antigua, the West Indies, who were asked to take first strike, laboured to 135/8 with Roston Chase hitting 52 (42 balls, three fours and two sixes) and the recalled Kyle Mayers 35 (34 balls, three fours and two sixes). Man-of-the-Match, left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, took 3/27 for South Africa.

There was a rain interruption when South Africa were 15/2 in reply, after two overs. Play resumed with a revised target of 123 off 17 overs and South Africa reached 124/7 with five balls remaining.

Tristan Stubbs made 29 (27 balls, four fours), Heinrich Klaasen 22 (10 balls, three fours and a six) and Marco Jansen 21 not out (14 balls, one four and one six). Chase, with his off-breaks, took 3/12 while pacers Andre Russell and Alzarri Joseph, got 2/19 and 2/25 respectively.

Takeaways: South Africa advanced to the semi-final stage, and topped their group, while it will be ‘back to the drawing board’ for the West Indies, as they plan their quest for the 2026 title, when the next World Cup takes place in India and Sri Lanka.

South Africa captain Aiden Markram said, “A lot of relief to get through to the semi-final. Not going to be brainwashed by that.” West Indies skipper Rovman Powell commented, “Credit has to given to the boys, they fought till the very end. As a batting group, this is a performance you’d want to forget.”

June 24 – SUPER EIGHTS – AUSTRALIA vs INDIA

Observations: India continued their unbeaten run in the tournament, and guaranteed a place in Thursday’s semi-final in Guyana, where they will face England, after whipping Australia by 24 runs in St Lucia.

Once again, Australia chose to bowl first after winning the toss, and India took full advantage, as they piled up 205/5, due in part to captain, and Man-of-the-Match Rohit Sharma’s 92 (41 balls, seven fours and eight sixes), Suryakumar Yadav’s 31 (16 balls, three fours and two sixes), Shivam Dube’s 28 (22 balls, two fours and a six) and Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten 27 (17 balls, one four and two sixes). For Australia, pacers Mitchell Starc and Marcus Stoinis had 2/45 and 2/56 respectively.

Australia were restricted to 181/7 despite opener’s Travis Head scoring 76 (43 balls, nine fours and four sixes), captain Mitchell Marsh hitting 37 (28 balls, three fours and two sixes) and Glenn Maxwell making 20 (12 balls, two fours and a six). Left-armers - pacer Arshdeep Singh and spinner Kuldeep Yadav – had 3/37 and 2/24 respectively.

Takeaways: Even though there may be conjecture regarding the scheduling of their matches, India progressed to the last four, while Australia will have to rely on tonight’s result between Afghanistan and Bangladesh to know their future in this competition.

Sharma pointed out, “It’s quite satisfying, especially when you play like that. We knew the threat of this opposition, but we kept doing the things we know best, and we can take a lot of confidence from that.” Marsh stated, “It’s disappointing. Still technically a chance to go through, and today India got the better of us.”

June 24 – SUPER EIGHTS – AFGHANISTAN vs BANGLADESH

Observations: Afghanistan secured the final semi-final spot after defeating Bangladesh by eight runs, via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, in a rain-affected Super Eights clash in St Vincent.

After they decided to bat first, Afghanistan meandered to 115/5 with a fourth opening stand of at least 50 runs, in this tournament, between Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. Gurbaz led the way with 43 (55 balls, three fours and a six) while captain Rashid Khan and Zadran chipped in with 19 not out and 18 respectively. Impressive leg-spinner Rishad Hossain had 3/26 for Bangladesh.

At their turn at the crease, Bangladesh had to deal with two rain delays and, as a result, their target was revised to 114 off 19 overs. Despite an unbeaten 54 from opener Litton Das (49 balls, five fours and a six), Bangladesh were dismissed for 105 off 17.5 overs. Leg-spinner Khan had 4/23 and Man-of-the-Match, pacer Naveen-ul-Haq, claimed 4/26.

Takeaways: Afghanistan’s dream run in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup continues, but this result saw the conclusion for Bangladesh in this campaign, which had its ups and downs.

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan said, “It’s a dream for us to be in the semi-finals. The way we started the tournament, the belief came when we beat New Zealand. It’s unbelievable. The only guy who put us in the semi-finals was Brian Lara and we proved him right.” Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto noted, “I think we bowled really well. As a bowling unit we did a lot of good things. But, as a batting unit, we made some poor decisions, especially in the middle overs.”

June 26 – SEMI FINAL – AFGHANISTAN vs SOUTH AFRICA

Observations: An anti-climatic semi-final saw South Africa spank Afghanistan by nine wickets in a new but under-prepared pitch in Trinidad.

Afghanistan chose to bat first after winning the toss and that decision backfired badly as they were bundled out a record-low 56 off 11.5 overs. Azmatullah Omarzai was the only batsman to reach double figures, with 10. The wicket-takers for South Africa were left-arm wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (3/6), left-arm pacer, and Man-of-the-Match, Marco Jansen (3/16), and fellow fast bowlers Anrich Nortje (2/7) and Kagiso Rabada (2/14).

Quinton de Kock was dismissed by the consistent left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi for five, but Reeza Hendricks (29) and captain Aiden Markram (23) survived a couple alarms as they guided South Africa to 60/1, off 8.5 overs.

Takeaways: South Africa registered their seventh straight win in this World Cup, while Afghanistan’s fairytale run came to a halt. But the major talking point will be….the pitch!!!

June 27 – SEMI FINAL – ENGLAND vs INDIA

Observations: India strolled into Saturday’s final by virtue of a 68-run trouncing of England in Guyana. After a delayed start, by over an hour, there was another lengthy break (both due to rain) but the allocation of overs remained 20-per-side.

India, who were asked to bat first, tallied 171/7 with captain Rohit Sharma leading the way with 57 (39 balls, six fours and two sixes). There were useful knocks from Suryakumar Yadav (47 off 36 balls with four fours and two sixes) and Hardik Pandya (23 off 13 balls with a four and two sixes). Pacer Chris Jordan took 3/37 for England.

The England batsmen never came to grips with conditions and were skittled out for 103 with 3.2 overs remaining. The only players to reach double figures were Harry Brook (25), captain Jos Buttler (23), Jofra Archer (21) and Liam Livingstone (11). Left-arm spinners Kuldeep Yadav (3/19) and Man-of-the-Match Axar Patel (3/23) were too hot to handle, while fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah chipped in with 2/12.

Takeaways: India, the only team who played every single match at 10.30 am (Eastern Caribbean time) progressed to the final, as England’s title defence ended meekly.

June 29 – FINAL – SOUTH AFRICA vs INDIA

Observations: In a clash between the two remaining unbeaten teams in the tournament, it was India who prevailed, in a tense affair, by seven runs in Barbados.

After choosing to bat first India posted a score of 176/7 with a Man-of-the-Match knock of 76 from opener Virat Kohli (59 balls, six fours and two sixes) while left-handers Axar Patel and Shivam Dube made 47 (31 balls, one four and four sixes) and 27 (16 balls, three fours and a six) respectively. Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj took 2/23 and fast bowler Anrich Nortje 2/26 for South Africa.

In response, South Africa were only able to reach 169/8 with Heinrich Klaasen hitting 52 (27 balls, two fours and five sixes), Quinton de Kock 39 (31 balls, four fours and a six), Tristan Stubbs 31 (21 balls, three fours and a six) and David Miller 21 (17 balls, one four and one six). Hardik Pandya grabbed 3/20 for India while Player-of-the-Tournament Jasprit Bumrah had 2/18 and fellow pacer, left-armer Arshdeep Singh 2/20.

Takeaways: Kohli said in a post-game interview that he was retiring from T20 Internationals, and he went off on a high. For South Africa, the tag of chok…s will not go away, until a global trophy enters their cabinet.

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