🏏ICC T20I WC 2024: S8 - Match 51: India vs Australia, St Lucia 🏏 - Page 3

If India wins today then Afg has high chance of going to SF opposite SA. Afg and SA both are chokers so India just needs to beat England in SF and rest either of SA and Afg will be fine in final

yaay I got three badges. and I hope India also wins so double happiness 🥰. 

thanks for the tag .

Thanks for the tag 💙 

Starc in or out?

Australia played the extra spinner against Afghanistan, bringing in Ashton Agar and leaving out Mitchell Starc. They could yet continue with that combination - Agar featured in their one previous game in St Lucia, against Scotland - particularly with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli not too fond of facing left-arm spin in the powerplay, but given the nature of this contest, will they continue to leave out one of their most tried-and-tested match-winners?

Thanks for the tag ❤️

It seems unlikely India will tinker with their 3-3 bowling combination (with Hardik Pandya as one of their three seamers), but their two left-arm orthodox spinners may come under a bit of pressure if either Travis Head or David Warner bats into the middle overs. 

Pitch and conditions: Pace on, runs on

St Lucia has been the most batting-friendly venue of this T20 World Cup in terms of both scoring rate (8.92) and average (28.76). Fast bowlers have struggled to keep the runs down here, going at a worst-in-the-competition 9.42, but spinners have done relatively better, returning a better economy rate here (7.91) than in both Dallas and Antigua.

There is a good chance of rain in St Lucia, though, with forecasts predicting showers through Monday morning with the weather clearing up roughly between 10am and 4pm.

Stats and trivia

• India have a 3-2 edge over Australia in their T20 World Cup meetings so far. The last time they clashed in this tournament, however, was back in 2016.
• Virat Kohli (4103) and Rohit Sharma (4073) are separated by just 30 runs on top of India's run-scoring leaderboard in T20Is.
• If they both feature, Agar and Arshdeep will play their 50th T20Is. Agar made his T20I debut in March 2016, while Arshdeep made his in July 2022. New Zealand's Ish Sodhi (51) is the only player from a Full Member team to play more T20Is than Arshdeep since his debut.
• Australia could find a way to bowl spin to Kohli and Rohit in the powerplay even if they leave Agar out. Offspinners have bowled effectively to them in the powerplay so far at this World Cup, with Mohammad Nabi and Mahedi Hasan getting through quiet overs. Kohli has scored nine off 12 balls against offspin in the powerplay so far, and Rohit nine off eight. Glenn Maxwell, then, could be a useful option.

please win this india 🥺

It's probably the shortest flight, in the cricket world anyway. All of 12 minutes between St Vincent and St Lucia. And you would have expected the Australians to be not too displeased with their trip across the Caribbean Sea. But the fact that they had to endure a 40-minute drive to the airport in St Vincent followed by a 90-minute drive to the hotel in St Lucia while jumping on board the aforementioned 12-minute flight. 

The flight was delayed by at least 90 minutes. And then once they got there, it still took them over 15 minutes to get on. They had of course probably only got to their rooms the previous night by around 1 am after their defeat to Afghanistan. And they wouldn't have got to their hotel on Sunday (June 23) before around 4 pm, less than 16 hours before they take on India in a must-win match, that will decide whether they stay alive in the World Cup or not.

Hello! Welcome to the penultimate clash of the Super Eight - a heavyweight encounter of the crunchiest kind, as India seek to dot the 't's and cross the 'i's on their passage into the World Cup semi-finals and Australia *checks notes* fight for survival? It reads wrong, but it's most certainly right! The current ICC Test and ODI champs came here looking to unite the belts but one defeat in six has left them looking uneasily over their shoulders coming into this game. Win and they could still be overhauled by Afghanistan, lose and they are very likely heading out. Throw in the history between these two teams - yes, I'm afraid November 19 is going to get a mention - the friendships and rivalries, and varying routes to get to this point at the Daren Sammy International Stadium, and there's plenty to look forward to.