In The Hindu’s countdown to the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which commences in the West Indies and USA on June 2, we take a look at the teams in Group ‘B’.

ENGLAND: The defending champion would have hoped that the four-match T20I series against Pakistan gives them ideal preparation, but rain has played spoilsport. Nevertheless, key pieces of the puzzle have started to fall in place.

Pace spearhead Jofra Archer has made a smooth comeback from injury, while captain Jos Buttler got into the groove with a 51-ball 84 against Pakistan at Birmingham last week.

All-rounder Liam Livingstone, who played his part in the 2022 triumph, will strive to overcome a recent slump in form.

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Key player: Phil Salt: The aggressive opening batter went at a strike-rate of 182 for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024. Salt’s PowerPlay hitting will be crucial to England’s success.

The squad: Jos Buttler (Capt.), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley and Mark Wood.

AUSTRALIA: As seen in the 2023 50-over Cricket World Cup, the Baggy Greens are at their best in big tournaments.

This time should be no different, as the squad is packed with efficient personnel. Travis Head and David Warner will smash it at the top of the order, while left-arm speedster Mitchell Starc will swing it around corners with the new ball.

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The Aussies will be happy to see fast bowler Josh Hazlewood and skipper Mitchell Marsh recover well from injury. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa should come in fresh, having opted out of IPL 2024. Glenn Maxwell’s horror run in the IPL, however, is a cause for concern.

Key player: Travis Head: Head plundered runs at an outstanding strike-rate for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024, rewriting the rules on a good PowerPlay score.

The squad: Mitchell Marsh (Capt.), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner and Adam Zampa.

NAMIBIA: With a dominant show in the Africa Region Qualifier, Namibia claimed its third straight T20 World Cup spot.

The country cannot be written off, having had some success at the highest level (wins over Sri Lanka and Netherlands in previous T20 World Cups).

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The side will hope that the first warm-up game, where it received a hiding from Australia, was an aberration.

Key player: Gerhard Erasmus: The captain has long been a consistent performer as a middle-order batter and off-spinner.

The squad: Gerhard Erasmus (Capt.), Zane Green, Michael Van Lingen, Dylan Leicher, Ruben Trumpelmann, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, Tangeni Lungameni, Niko Davin, J.J. Smit, Jan Frylinck, J.P. Kotze, David Wiese, Bernard Scholtz, Malan Kruger and P.D. Blignaut.

SCOTLAND: In 2018, Scotland made history when it upset neighbour England in an ODI.

Memories from that grand occasion will no doubt resurface when the teams meet on June 4 at Barbados.

Scotland is a regular participant on this grand stage, having competed in three ODI World Cups (1999, 2007 and 2015) and five T20 World Cups (2007, 2009, 2016, 2021 and 2022).

The side made it to the 2024 T20 World Cup with a six-match unbeaten run in the Europe Region Qualifier.

Key player: Brad Wheal: The 27-year-old fast bowler is the pick of the bowlers, backed by good shows for English county Hampshire.

The squad: Richie Berrington (Capt.), Matthew Cross, Brad Currie, Chris Greaves, Oli Hairs, Jack Jarvis, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Charlie Tear, Mark Watt and Brad Wheal.

OMAN: Making a third T20 World Cup appearance, the squad is primarily made up of players with roots in Pakistan and India. Oman has failed to make it past the group stage in a World Cup, though it has managed to get wins over Ireland and Papua New Guinea.

There is quality in the bowling ranks, as left-arm death over specialist Bilal Khan and the strapping Kaleemullah form a good pace duo.

Key player: Aqib Ilyas: The all-rounder, who took over from Zeeshan Maqsood as the new captain, is a reliable top-order batter and handy spinner.

The squad: Aqib Ilyas (Capt.), Zeeshan Maqsood, Kashyap Prajapati, Pratik Athavale, Ayaan Khan, Shoaib Khan, Mohammad Nadeem, Naseem Khushi (wk), Mehran Khan, Bilal Khan, Rafiullah, Kaleemullah, Fayyaz Butt, Shakeel Ahmad and Khalid Kail.

Captain Rohit Sharma shakes hands with English counterpart Ben Stokes after winning the fifth Test Match in Dharamsala.
| Photo Credit: Gareth Copley

Former England spinner Graeme Swann doesn’t believe Rohit Sharma’s captaincy was better than Ben Stokes’ in the five-match Test series. Rather, it was a lethal set of bowlers that “did the trick” for the India skipper.

While Stokes’ leadership style has attracted all the attention prior to and during the series, Rohit’s team emerged 4-1 winners in the end.

“I don’t think he has been superior as a captain because his bowlers have done the trick for him. I think he’s got more weapons at his armoury,” Swann told PTI Videos in an exclusive chat after India inflicted an innings and 64-run defeat on England in the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala on March 9.

“He’s been good don’t get me wrong, Rohit Sharma, but, I don’t think if you pick this apart and say Stokes has captained badly, I think you are barking up the wrong tree there.

“Rohit Sharma’s bowlers have really come to town for him, come to the party for him, in the last four Test matches, they didn’t in the first one but they have done for the last four,” Swann noted.

No blaming Bazball

Far from blaming ‘Bazball’ for England’s loss, Swann said Stokes and Co actually failed to play the brand of cricket that has brought them success in recent times.

Swann’s observation is in stark contrast to the views expressed by few other former players who attributed the drubbing to the visitors’ fixation with Bazball.

“I don’t think we have seen Bazball in this trip whatsoever, we saw it for one innings of this Test series, that’s when Ollie Pope got a 190, and that was the definition of bazball,” he said.

“I think England, where they have fallen flat in this series is, they have not been brave enough. I don’t think they have played what you guys in the media call Bazball.

“I think if they had, I think this series would have been closer if I am honest.” Bazball, which is derived from England Test coach Brendon McCullum’s nickname Baz, fell flat as the tourists capitulated inside three days in the fifth Test, helping India secure their 17th straight Test series triumph on home soil.

On the match getting over in under three days, Swann said: “I would say it’s a very good advertisement for Test cricket, because it was an exciting match.

“India were just too good for England in this game. It’s always at the end of a series if it’s already been won by one team, you worry that this will happen, the resistance will be completely blown away and it was in this Test match.

“So England will have to go home and shake themselves off wondering where it went so badly wrong. India are world class especially their bowling attack, and that was really shown again in this Test match.” As a former off-spinner himself, Swann applauded Ravichandran Ashwin’s stupendous performance on his 100 Test match.

“You know what it’s brilliant, to get a fifer on his hundredth Test match. I have not actually seen him, I was looking to go and congratulate him myself but I will have to do that at the hotel later.

“Bowling so well and making those early inroads, that was brilliant, possibly one of his best fifers in his 100 Test matches, so you have got to take your hat off to Ashwin,” he observed.

On James Anderson becoming the first fast bowler to reach 700 wickets, Swann said: “He’s a joke, Jimmy is an absolute joke, how he has kept going for all this amount of time.

“When I say it’s a joke I mean that in a good way, he’s been incredible, and to get 700 wickets, well you know it’s almost nonsensical the achievement and I love him to bits.

“I was kind of hoping when he almost bounced Kuldeep out, almost hit his gloves and bobbled in the air, that would have been the dream for Jimmy, because he has not bowled a decent bouncer for 10 years, but he has now.”

Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal plays a shot during the fifth Test against England in Dharamsala. Jaiswal won the player-of-the-series award by scoring 702 runs with two hundreds and three fifties averaging 89.
| Photo Credit: ANI

The Player-of-the-Series award winner Yashasvi Jaiswal on March 9 attributed his overwhelming success in the five-Test rubber against England to his uninhibited approach while opening the innings.

Jaiswal ended the series with 712 runs with two hundreds and three fifties, averaging 89 and striking at 80.

“I was just thinking if I can take a bowler down, I will take him down. That’s the plan and there was no backing out,” said Jaiswal during the post-series presentation.

However, the left-hander, who became only the second Indian to score over 700 runs in a series after Sunil Gavaskar, said he wanted to keep his feet planted on the ground.

“I really enjoyed the series. I am trying to take it one game at a time and always thinking of how I can contribute to my team so that I can keep the team in a winning position,” he added.

Skipper Rohit Sharma too reminded Jaiswal of the need to remain humble and focussed.

“He’s got a long way to go, but it’s amazing to be in this position. When a guy’s got talent like that who can put pressure on the bowlers from the word go, there will be lots of challenges going forward. He is a tough guy and loves the challenges,” said Rohit.

Was trying to keep ball on good length: Kuldeep

Kuldeep Yadav was adjudged player of the match for his seven-wicket haul and a feisty 30 down the order that helped India stretch the lead.

The left-arm wrist spinner said he was just trying to keep the ball on a good length throughout his spells.

“I just focus on keeping it on a good length and that is very important for a spinner in this format. I was not thinking too much about what the batter was trying to do,” he said.

Kuldeep picked the wickets of Ben Stokes at Ranchi and Zak Crawley here as his favourite dismissals from the series.

“I really bowled well in Ranchi. The wicket was slow and the way I used the drift over there was fantastic. I liked the Stokes wicket in Ranchi.

“I also liked the Crawley wicket here (Dharamsala), that was a beautiful ball. I really liked my rhythm,” he said.

Kuldeep bowled England captain Stokes with a delivery that spun in from off-stump while right-hander Crawley got castled by his stock ball that turned in sharply from the fifth-stump line to disturb his stumps.

Rohit Sharma heaped praise on Kuldeep’s work ethics.

“He’s got a lot of potential and when the chips were down in the first innings (here), he bowled really well. He came back and worked at NCA after his injury. He is putting in a lot of effort and the most pleasing thing was his (improved) batting,” said Rohit.

Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah are seen on day 1 of the fifth Test against England in Dharamsala on March 7, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

After playing a pivotal role in restricting England to 218 by taking five for 72, Kuldeep Yadav was quick to acknowledge the contributions of seniors like R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in Dharamsala.

Underplaying his efforts on the day, Kuldeep said, “I have been playing international cricket for 7 years and I have played a lot with Ash and Jaddu bhai. In some series, there were not many opportunities (for me). I have learnt a lot from Ashwin and Jadeja. In Hyderabad, I had a long chat with Ash bhai and he told me the changes that I needed to make in terms of the mindset. He gives a lot of ideas and he’s a special player.”

Asked about him and Ashwin prompting each other to lead the team into the dressing room after England’s innings, Kuldeep said, “I wanted him to lead the team since it was his 100th Test. But Ash Bhai reminded me that he had 35 balls (with which he took five or more wickets in a Test innings) and told me to keep this one and walk on.”

Kuldeep once again underplayed his effort of becoming the fastest to get 50 Test wickets in terms of the deliveries bowled. “I don’t think too much about records because they are meant to be broken. You are playing for India and you only want to put your skills to test. A lot of players don’t get opportunities, so I am grateful and lucky to have played for the country. I always want to contribute to the team’s success.”

Earlier, England’s assistant coach Marcus Trescothick admitted that his team did not put enough runs on the board. However, he did not miss the opportunity to sound rather brazen.

“We are a very unique side in how we go about things. I don’t think we will study what India does too much. We don’t get too down when we have bad days, we don’t get too high when we have good days.

“You just have to stay level and recognise what you can do better. Hopefully, we come back and improve,” he signed off.

Mighty impressed with Ravichandran Ashwin’s range, aggressive mindset and relentless pursuit of wickets, senior England batter Joe Root has said that the veteran Indian off-spinner is a constant threat who hardly believes in the concept of wearing the opposition down.

Ashwin, who recently went past the 500-wicket milestone in the traditional format becoming only the second Indian after Anil Kumble to do so, will play his 100th Test during the fifth match against England, starting on March 7 at Dharamsala.

“Ashwin is always trying to find ways of getting you out rather than trying to wear you down, over long periods of time,” Root said on Sky Sports cricket podcast hosted by former England captains Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain.

Root, who along with his teammates is currently enjoying a break in the series, said the infinite variety that Ashwin has in his bowling keeps the batters guessing.

“He uses creases differently from traditional off-spinners. He uses over-spin, side-spin, can get really tight to the stumps, can go wider and he has got the carrom ball, you know, a lot of different tricks.

“So, you will have to be really wary of different threats that he poses and make sure that you have very good skill sets to counter (him) and be on top of him,” said the ex-England skipper.

Giving an insight into the way Ashwin operates, Root said the Tamil Nadu man often bowls six different deliveries in an over.

“Ashwin is making sure that you don’t play the previous ball. He is very good at trying to drag you across the crease and get your head to one side of it and beat both edges quite frequently,” he said.

Root said Ashwin poses different threats while bowling with new and old balls.

“There are different things to contend with because of his seam position and how cleverly he can move around the shiny side that has got some extra skid.

“So, you have to make sure that you are in position a little bit quicker. He can also drift the ball away and bring the slip fielder into play,” he explained.

Root also offered a comparison between Ashwin and Nathan Lyon, the other premier off-spinner of this generation. The 36-year-old Australian has taken 527 wickets from 128 Tests.

“With Lyon it is all about, I think, especially in the first half of the Test match, to get over the top of the ball, get the bowl bounce, knee roll high, in between and try to bring short leg and leg slip into the game as much as he can.

“Then just slowly, get slower with his pace and drift wider into that. There are those footmarks, you know, Mitchell Starc has so kindly done for him for such a long period of time,” added Root.

England’s much-talked-about ‘Bazball’ approach has not really worked in this series against India, where the visitors are currently trailing 1-3.

But Root said frustration has not seeped into the England camp as yet.

“Don’t think there is too much frustration within the team. Our top order has been far more consistent than it has been for long, long years. But this part of the world can be quite tricky to do that (attacking batting), especially in the second innings.

“But the bigger picture is not about how we can blast ahead but to find the best in our game. There will be times when we need to play a bit pragmatic, but this team does not regret and we need to learn from every opportunity,” he detailed.

Jonny Bairstow, who is set to play his 100th Test in Dharamsala, has struggled with the bat, managing just 170 runs from four Tests and he is yet to score even a fifty.

However, Root backed his fellow Yorkshire man to come good sooner than later.

“I came across him when he was 12 at a Yorkshire scholarship programme with the rest of the boys. He was a superstar even then and had this tough task of living up to the name of his father (former England wicketkeeper David Bairstow).

“But Jonny has always excelled and went from strength to strength. He wears his emotions on his sleeve,” said Root.

Jasprit Bumrah returns to the Indian squad for the fifth Test against England in Dharamsala.
| Photo Credit: Gareth Copley

Senior India batter KL Rahul will not feature in the fifth and final Test against England in Dharamsala owing to an injury while pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will return to the team, the BCCI said on February 29.

Rahul, who continues to feel sore in his right quadriceps, has travelled to London to get an expert opinion on his injury.

The wicketkeeper-batter became unavailable after the series-opener in Hyderabad in January and as per the BCCI, he was 90 per cent fit before the third Test in Rajkot earlier this month.

“Mr. KL Rahul, whose participation in the final IDFC First Bank Test was subject to fitness, has been ruled out of the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala. The BCCI Medical Team is closely monitoring him and coordinating with specialists in London for further management of his issue,” the Board said in a release.

Meanwhile Bumrah, who was released from the squad for the fourth Test in Ranchi in line with the team’s workload management policy, will link up with the squad in Dharamsala for the final Test, beginning March 7.

India have already taken an unassailable 3-1 lead, following the victory in the fourth Test in Ranchi.

Rahul’s absence from the final Test means Rajat Patidar remained with the squad but the MP batter can’t be sure of his place in the playing eleven, having aggregated only 63 runs in six innings.

All-rounder Washington Sundar has also been released from the squad.

“He will join Tamil Nadu — his Ranji Trophy side — for their Ranji Trophy semifinal fixture against Mumbai, starting March 2, 2024. He will join the India squad after the completion of the domestic fixture for the fifth Test, if need be,” the BCCI said.

Rahul needs to be fully fit before the IPL where he will lead Lucknow Super Giants and is expected to bat in the middle order to bolster his chances of making the India squad for the T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean.

It is the same quadriceps injury that had sidelined Rahul for almost four months last year.

Having got injured during the IPL, Rahul returned to action during the Asia Cup in September last and made instant impact. In the Test tour of South Africa last year, Rahul was the only century-maker for India in the drawn series.

The BCCI also said senior pacer Mohammed Shami is recovering well after undergoing a surgery on February 26 for his right heel problem.

“He is recovering well and will soon head to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to commence his rehabilitation process,” the Board said of Shami.

India’s updated squad for fifth Test

Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Devdutt Padikkal, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep.