Our final predictions for the T20 World Cup 2024. Pay attention to USA…
T20 cricket is the hardest form of the sport to predict.
The short, volatile format, where a single player having the day of their lives can turn a match in a matter of moments, means that only a fool would commit to paper their predictions for the competition… so here are ours.
RadioTimes.com offers up out hottest predictions for the T20 World Cup 2024.
Read on for our winners, dark horses and flops.
Winners
West Indies
This is both the romantic’s pick, but also a realistic one. The West Indies’ fall from their position as the once all-conquering cricketing nation of the world is well documented, but in T20 cricket, they have a very good team.
Led by the Jamaican Rovman Powell, they have won their last four series at home and beat South Africa three-nil in their final warm-up for the competition.
Superstars are everywhere to see in their team in the likes of Andre Russell and Nicholas Pooran, as well as solid proven international performers such as Brandon King and Akeal Hosein.
Their batting is stronger than their bowling, but they hope that fast-bowler Shamar Joseph, who burst onto the scene out of nowhere last year, could be part of the solution to address that.
Also, India. They haven’t won the T20 World Cup since 2007, but it doesn’t matter. They’re still India, and with their players arriving fine-tuned from the IPL, they will be ready to go.
Dark horses
USA
Not to win the tournament, but to spring a number of surprises. They just defeated Bangladesh in a three-match series two-one and are stronger than people realise.
Boosted by the additions of South African-born Andries Gous and former New Zealand international Corey Anderson, they have a strong core that is complemented by seasoned performers like Saurabh Netravalkar and Nosthush Kenjige, who are both excellent bowlers and will pop up on your social media feeds soon after dismissing big names.
They have Canada, Ireland, Pakistan and India in their group and could be good for two, or even three, wins. The latter would see them qualify for the Super 8s, in what would be a remarkable result for world cricket.
In terms of an outside chance of who could win the competition – New Zealand. They are always underestimated and have reached three World Cup finals in the last decade.
Flops
South Africa
A three-nil loss to the West Indies in Caribbean conditions was a wake-up call for the Proteas, who in their own words were “taught a lesson” of how to play in the conditions that will greet them in this competition.
They have played four T20 series under white-ball coach Rob Walter and are yet to win a single one. Batters such as Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen are two of the best in the world on their day, but too many of the squad are entering the tournament out of form for their liking.
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