🏏ICC T20I WC 2024: Match 34: England vs Namibia @10.30 PM IST🏏

🏏ICC T20I WC 2024: Match 34: England vs Namibia, North Sound @10.30 PM IST🏏

England will take on Namibia in their final Group B match of the T20 World Cup 2024. They are currently placed behind Scotland at third spot and need to beat Namibia to keep their Super 8 hopes alive.

England will also have to hope for a Scotland defeat against Australia on Sunday morning. In case Scotland win, they will qualify for the Super 8 ahead of England who have a better NRR than them.

Namibia, on the other hand, are already out of the T20 World Cup 2024 after losing two of their first three matches. They lost their last match against Australia by nine wickets

Form guide

England: WLWWL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)

Namibia: LLTWW

In the spotlight - Adil Rashid and David Wiese

He took a couple of matches in this tournament to get fully back up to speed - which isn't entirely surprising seeing as his displays against Pakistan last month were his first competitive outings since February - but against Oman, Adil Rashid's game was in perfect working order. His analysis included a remarkable 20 dot-balls, as his command of flight and variation demanded guesswork from an inexperienced Oman middle-order, and if he can produce a similar four-over display against Namibia, that ought to be ample to expose the gulf between the teams. Looking ahead to the Super Eight (as England, tentatively, can now allow themselves to do), the sight of a settled Rashid, growing into his work, augurs extremely well for the defending champions' prospects.

Never say never, but at the age of 39, and with at least two years until Namibia's next shot at an ICC world tournament, this could be a last hurrah on the big stage for the mighty David Wiese - a mainstay of Namibia's fortunes since he transferred his allegiance back in 2021, having previously played 26 matches for South Africa, including a role at the 2016 World T20. He was integral to their only victory so far in this campaign, with three wickets against Oman allied to a stellar Super Over display, but he was less effective against Scotland and Australia. A reversion to his best could yet cause England a few jitters on Saturday.

Team news

England's attack nailed its brief in the Oman rout, with Reece Topley's inclusion for his first match of the tournament providing an awkward left-arm point of difference to complement the 90mph-plus pace of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood. It was all too hot to handle for Oman's line-up, although there may well be a temptation to rest either or both of the latter given the two-day turnaround between matches, especially now that any old victory will keep England on track for qualification. Sam Curran, the star of England's title win two years ago, is waiting in the wings for a first outing of the campaign, while Chris Jordan could slot back in too.

England (possible): 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 3 Will Jacks, 4 Jonny Bairstow, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Jofra Archer/Sam Curran, 9 Mark Wood/Chris Jordan, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Reece Topley

Namibia mixed things up in their last outing against Australia, with Ben Shikongo and Jack Brassell making their first appearances of the campaign - and potentially last as well, after being launched for a combined tally of 33 runs in ten balls in a one-sided run-chase. Of Namibia's 15-man squad, only the 20-year-old batter Dylan Leicher has yet to be given an outing. With their qualification hopes over, there may be a temptation to reconfigure once again.

Namibia (possible): 1 JP Kotze, 2 Nikolaas Davin, 3 Jan Frylinck, 4 Gerhard Erasmus (capt), 5 Malan Kruger, 6 Zane Green (wk), 7 David Wiese, 8 Ruben Trumpelmann, 9 JJ Smit, 10 Bernard Scholtz, 11 Tangeni Lungameni

Pitch and conditions

England found themselves pleasantly surprised by both the carry in the surface for the Oman game, as well as the degree of spin that Rashid extracted. After damp conditions in Barbados, the Antigua leg has been conducted under clearer skies, so another full contest is in prospect.

Stats and trivia

• Namibia have faced England just once before in a full international contest - at Port Elizabeth during the 2003 World Cup, when Rudi van Vuuren and Jan-Berrie Burger starred in a spirited 55-run defeat.

• Moeen Ali needs one wicket to reach 50 in T20Is.

• Erasmus has the potential for twin milestones: he needs three wickets to reach 50 in T20Is, and 60 runs to reach 1500.

Pitch Report and Conditions

The pitch at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is quite balanced; the pitch will help both the batters and the bowlers, but as time goes on, the pitch is known to settle and help the batters. Opting to bowl first could be a wise decision.

Probable Best Performers

Probable Best Batter: Jos Buttler

England’s Jos Buttler could be the best batter in the upcoming game against Namibia. With 350 runs in his last 10 matches, Buttler has been in brilliant form, and he will aim to put in a brilliant showing in the upcoming game as well.

Probable Best Bowler: Adil Rashid

England’s Adil Rashid could be the best bowler in the upcoming clash against Namibia. With 17 wickets in his last 10 matches, Rashid’s spell could be crucial for the Three Lions against Namibia.

England to win the match

Scenario 1

England win the toss and opt to bowl first

Powerplay score: 25-35

Namibia - 125-145

England win the match

Scenario 2

Namibia win the toss and opt to bowl first

Powerplay score: 40-50

England: 165-185

England win the match

Thanks for the tag Parm.

May the best team win.

Cheers..

Thanks for the tag 💙

Thank you Parm for the thread and for tagging me.

Best wishes to both the teams.