Captain Rohit Sharma poses for a picture with the trophy after Team India won the ICC Twenty20 World Cup against South Africa, at Kensington Oval in Barbados.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Rohit Sharma held the T20 World Cup trophy like a new-born baby as he walked towards the beach here for the triumphant captain’s post-tournament photo shoot, a serene smile refusing to leave his face and the feeling of being a world champion yet to fully sink in.

He couldn’t be faulted for being a bit dazed. After all, a jinx that lasted over a decade had been broken.

“It’s surreal. It feels like a dream. It feels like it hasn’t happened. Although it has happened but it feels like it hasn’t happened,” Rohit laughed trying to process his thoughts after 24 hours while talking to BCCI.TV.

The coastal city of Bridgetown is battling a hurricane. The same could also be said about the Indian captain, only that his is a battle to control a gamut of emotions threatening to overwhelm him like a huge sea wave every now and then.

“Last night we had a good time, we had a blast with the teammates till the early morning,” he couldn’t stop grinning before becoming a touch emotional. I would say I didn’t sleep properly but that’s absolutely fine by me. There is a lot of time for me to go back and sleep.

“I want to live this moment, each minute, each second that is passing by and will try to make the most of it,” he said describing how it felt to lead an Indian team to its first ICC title in 11 years.

“It’s been a great moment right from the time the game got over to till now. That’s the emotions and feelings you have,” said the skipper.

His marauding run at the top, especially in the knockouts, fetched Rohit a place in the team of the tournament but all he can think about for now is a sense of joyous relief.

“We have dreamt about this for such a long period of time, we worked hard as a unit for such a long period of time and to see this (the trophy) with us, it feels quite relieved as well.

“When you have worked hard for something and eventually at the end you get it, feels really, really nice,” the skipper reiterated.

People were amazed and amused to see Rohit walk to the 22-yard strip at Kensington Oval and put a tiny speck of soil in his mouth, just like Novak Djokovic does after winning the Wimbledon.

The 37-year-old said it was a spur of the moment act.

“Nothing was scripted. It was all coming instinctively. I was feeling the moment,” Rohit said about his ode to the turf that gave him the best moment of his life.

“When I went to the pitch, that pitch gave us this trophy. I will remember that ground forever in my life and that pitch as well. I wanted to have a piece of it with me.

“Those moments are very special, the place where all our dreams came true and I wanted something of it,” he concluded.

India captain Rohit Sharma poses for a picture with the ICC Mens T20 World Cup 2024 trophy at a beach, in Barbados on July 1, 2024.
| Photo Credit: ANI

The first T20 World Cup featuring 20 Teams will go down in history for several reasons. The tournament ended with Team India ending their ICC trophy drought, securing a seven-run win over first-time finalists South Africa in an edge-of-the-seat thriller at Barbados.

Here is a closer look at some amazing feats and records broken in the West Indies and the USA.

With two unbeaten sides meeting in the final, it was clear that the champion would set a new record for most wins in a tournament. In fact, India and South Africa both finished with eight match wins — with India missing out on a possible victory due to one of their matches (against Canada in the group stage) being a washout.

India’s 176/7 in the final, however, was the highest by any team in the final of a Men’s T20 World Cup — edging past Australia’s 173/2 against New Zealand in 2021.

At the age of 37 years and 60 days, Rohit Sharma became the oldest man to captain a side to T20 World Cup glory, as per ICC. It was a tournament that was great for the bowlers, and both Fazalhaq Farooqi of semifinalists Afghanistan and Arshdeep Singh of champions India took 17 wickets, the most in a single edition, one more than previous record-holder Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka.

The sensational Jasprit Bumrah of India finished with the best bowling average in an edition, with 8.3 – ahead of Anrich Nortje’s figures of 8.5 in 2022. Bumrah, who also went at an economy of 4.17, was a unanimous decision for the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award.

And it was England’s Chris Jordan who has the record for the best bowling strike rate in a tournament, with 8.3 — ahead of Fazalhaq Farooqi (8.9) and Tabraiz Shamsi (9.2) this year, as well as previous record-holder Jacques Kallis (9.4) from 2012.Jordan claimed four wickets in an unseen quadruple-wicket maiden over against the USA. Curtis Campher, who claimed four wickets in four balls against The Netherlands in 2021, conceded two in his over.

New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson also created history as the first man to bowl four maiden overs in a T20 World Cup spell. He finished with figures of 3/0 (4) against Papua New Guinea in the Kiwis’ last group-stage match at the tournament.

There was plenty of big hitting as well — and 2024 recorded the most boundaries in an edition of the T20 World Cup thus far, with 1,478, eclipsing 2021’s 1,349. Unsurprisingly, within that, 2024 also had the most sixes — 515, more than 100 more than 2021’s 405.And West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran hit the most sixes in a T20 World Cup — his 17 beating the record of 16 set by his legendary compatriot Chris Gayle.

Afghanistan’s captain Rashid Khan with teammates acknowledges fans after Afghanistan won the ICC Twenty20 World Cup cricket match against Bangladesh, at Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, on June 24, 2024.

West Indian batting great Brian Lara had predicted Afghanistan would reach the T20 World Cup semifinals nearly a month before the tournament began and now that the giant-slayers have made it, skipper Rashid Khan said he is immensely proud to have proved the legend right.

Afghanistan continued their brilliant run at the T20 World Cup as they marched to their first-ever World Cup semifinal with an eight-run win over Bangladesh in the last Super 8 clash here.

“The only guy who put us in the semifinals was Brian Lara and we proved him right. When we met him at a welcome party, I told him we won’t let you down,” Rashid said at the post-match presentation.

“I think when you get the kind of great, great statements from a legend, as a team, I think it gives you lots of energy as well. We are capable,” he added.

Lara, in an interaction with PTI editors at its headquarters last month, had predicted that Afghanistan would be among the semifinalists in the mega-event.

“Afghanistan, they are capable of getting into the (last) four,” Lara had said, while picking his tournament favourites.

Rashid said the conviction that they could advance to the semifinals was ignited by their triumph over heavyweights New Zealand in the group stage.

“It’s a dream for us to be in the semifinals. The way we started the tournament, the belief came when we beat New Zealand. It’s unbelievable,” he recalled.

Afghanistan also picked up a historic win over Australia before beating Bangladesh in the final Super 8 fixture to set up semifinal date with South Africa on June 27.

Against Bangladesh, Afghanistan were restricted to 115/5 but the bowlers led by Naveen Ul Haq and Rashid propelled them to a thrilling eight-run win.

“We thought 130-135 was a good score but we fell 15 runs short. We knew they would come hard at us and we knew that is what we could take advantage of. We didn’t need to do anything extra, just be clear in our plans.

Pacers Naveen and Fazalhaq Farooqi have excelled with the new ball all through the campaign and Rashid couldn’t be happier.

“In T20s if you get a good start, it helps us in the middle overs. They have given great starts to us in the whole competition. It makes it easier for us to go harder at the batsmen.

“They have delivered, they were very clear in their minds,” Rashid said.

On the several rain interruptions that eventually led the match to be truncated, Rashid said they were mentally ready to pick all 10 wickets.

“Rain is something not in our hands but mentally we knew we have to play 20 overs and take 10 wickets.

“That’s the only way we could win. But Gulbadin, he had some cramps. But his wicket was invaluable to us,” he said.

The skipper reckoned there will be huge celebration back home.

“It’s a big achievement for us as well. We have done that at U-19 level but at this World Cup, I don’t have any words to describe the feeling back home. We have to go into the semis with a very clear mind and make sure we enjoy the occasion,” he said.

Shanto blames batters

Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto conceded the team was once again let down by its batters.

“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,” he admitted.

“Whole tournament, we bowled really well, especially Rishad the new guy came and bowled really well, I am really happy for him. As a batting unit we really need to improve a lot.”

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan celebrates a wicket during the ICC Twenty20 World Cup match against Bangladesh in Kingstown on June 24, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Afghanistan spinner and skipper Rashid Khan registered a remarkable record as he became the player with the most four-wicket hauls in the Twenty20 internationals.

Rashid achieved the milestone during Afghanistan’s eight-run win over Bangladesh in the Super Eights match of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Arnos Vale Ground. Currently, the 25-year-old has nine four-wicket hauls in the T20Is.

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan stands in second place on the chart with eight four-wicket hauls.

Uganda’s Henry Ssenyondo holds the third place with seven four-wicket hauls in the 20-over format cricket.

In the game against Bangladesh, the Afghanistan spinner picked up four wickets and gave 23 runs in his four-over spell at an economy rate of 5.80. He removed Soumya Sarkar, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, and Rishad Hossain from the crease in the second innings.

In the super 8 match against Bangladesh, Naveen-ul-Haq and Rashid Khan picked up four wickets each in their respective spells. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Gulbadin Naib also bagged one wicket each in their respective spells and helped the Afghan side win the match by eight runs.

After the defeat, Mitchell Marsh-led Australia are also out of the tournament. The Aussies ended up in third place in the Group 1 table of the Super Eights with just two points.

Former T20 World Cup champions Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and regular contender New Zealand failed to advance to the Super 8, rather shockingly, in the ongoing edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Pakistan, along with India, was expected to progress from Group-A, but a shock Super Over loss to USA to USA and a failed run chase against its neighbour ruined its chances.

The Lankans and Kiwis were in tougher groups. While the former was in Group-D with Bangladesh and South Africa, Kane Williamson’s men were drawn with two-time champion West Indies and Afghanistan.

Both teams would have hoped to advance, but sub-par performances meant that they were on the flight back home before the Super 8 stage.

All three sides will rue the missed chances. The precarious nature of the pitches in the United States will definitely be a point of discussion for the teams that played their group stage games in New York.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka were rattled by the inconsistent surface at the Nassau County Stadium and would believe that different circumstances might have yielded different results. Not only the wickets, the weather gods also intervened in a few matches.

Some tactical blunders, like dropping Tim Southee — the all-time top wicket-taker in T20Is — in the crucial encounter against Afghanistan and a poor performance in the death overs against Rovman Powell’s men, sealed the Kiwis’ fate as they suffered reverses in their first two fixtures.

It was almost a similar script for Wanindu Hasaranga’s men who, after two losses and a No Result against Nepal, finished third in their group with three points.

Even as the heavyweights faltered, the lesser-fancied teams punched above their weight. No one would have backed USA to qualify at the start of the tournament, but a spirited show saw the co-host defy expectations and beat the 2009 champion Pakistan while making it to the Super 8.

Rishabh Pant’s simplistic approach to batting makes him the X-factor in the super 8s and is the most successful among his teammates. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Even at nets, there is a marked difference between how Rishabh Pant goes about his business when compared to other batters in the Indian team.

The slow, low pitches in New York – both at the match and practice venues – makes timing difficult. Virat Kohli does all the right things with technique, backlift, and feet movement, but in following traditional methods, is unable to adapt to this new challenge.

Pant, often batting next to Kohli in the adjacent net, is doing the opposite. There are only reactions to each delivery; there are no predetermined classical triggers. Pant uses the wrist to send a length ball to fine-leg. A short ball outside off is crunched flat-batted through cover. All by standing still with minimal feet movement. When it is time to get adventurous, there is full commitment. A full walk outside off, crouched low, body twisted to paddle a leg-stump inswinger over the wicketkeeper. Watch the ball, react, repeat.

It is this simplistic approach that has made Pant the top run-scorer among Indian batters in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup group stage which concluded in the USA. If Pant had gotten the chance to go up against Canada here on Saturday, his preparedness for the Super 8 stage would have been complete.

Paying rewards

The team management’s decision to move him up to three and maximise his attacking abilities has paid rich rewards. The southpaw was at his best in the game against Pakistan, making a match-winning 31-ball 42. After a shaky start, Pant came into his own in the 10th over bowled by pacer Haris Rauf. The crowd went berserk went Pant tumbled over as he lapped Rauf to the fine-leg fence. The next ball needed only a slight turn of the wrists get another four to fine-leg.

Pant’s comeback to international cricket from a serious road accident is a remarkable feat. His batting abilities have remained at a high level, and his wicketkeeping has improved. The smooth sideways movement and athletic takes with the gloves is reward for the strenuous rehabilitation he had to undertake.

Former India coach Ravi Shastri summed up Pant’s inspirational return in a moving dressing room speech. “I had tears in my eyes when I read about his accident, and when I saw him in hospital, it was even worse. Batting – everybody knew what you were capable of. But your wicketkeeping – the range of movement that you have got so quickly after the operation is a tribute to your hard work. It’s an inspiration to millions that from adversity, from jaws of death, you can snatch a win,” Shastri said in the bcci.tv video.

India now needs Pant to carry this form into the Super 8 stage in the West Indies. The 26-year-old is the ‘X’ factor who carries the team’s hopes in this tournament.

Sri Lanka’s captain Wanindu Hasaranga.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Sri Lanka captain Wanindu Hasaranga believes they’ve extensively discussed their repeated mistakes in big tournaments and now it’s time to shift their focus towards rectifying those faults, following the ignominy of another group league exit.

Hasaranga termed his team’s 83-run win against the Netherlands as something that came “too late” after losing their games against South Africa and Bangladesh in the group stage of the T20 World Cup.

“After every tournament, we gather around and discuss that we committed several mistakes. As a team, we should decide if we have to rectify those mistakes. I think we have not rectified our mistakes yet.

“As a captain, I feel very sorry about this,” Hasaranga didn’t beat around the bush after another inglorious first round exit having finished ninth in the ODI World Cup last year.

“We have discussed our mistakes in this World Cup and from previous ODI World Cup as well. So as we have not rectified those we had to get out of this tournament this soon.” The leg-spinner felt that it was the batting that led the team down.

“When we think of the bowing battalion, we are on the top in this tournament as well. Unfortunately, I know our batting wasn’t good enough as we expected and that’s why we had to get out of this tournament this early,” the skipper put the blame squarely on batters.

Hasaranga, however, didn’t want to read too much into social media comments where there has been an outpouring of emotions by the Sri Lankans cricket fans.

“As a player, we should not look at social media posts. What’s on social media is (posted) done by a small group of people to make (instigate) other fans angry. (Genuine) Sri Lanka fans are with us even if we lose the matches. We must be very lucky to have such kind of fans in Sri Lanka.” While Sri Lanka arrived in the United States at least 10 days prior to the start of the tournament, Hasaranga felt that there was no similarity between training pitches and match decks.

“We should thank the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board for bringing us 10 days prior and organising a training camp like that. But I think from the locations that we have practised, the conditions (for matches) are not the same.

“So, we adjusted ourselves as every possible way. Unfortunately, we had our first match in New York and it was not successful. And then we went to Dallas to the next match and we could not adjusted to the pitch there as well. I think as a team and as a captain, we take the full responsibility.” But Hasaranga doesn’t want to hide behind the below-par USA tracks and paper over the dismal performance of his own team.

“Yes you can (put the) blame on pitches and make up stories when you lose a match. But as professional cricketers, we can’t do that. All the other countries are also playing in the same pitches so we have to adjust ourselves to that. We have to admit that. That’s why we come to these tournaments representing a country.

“We should have improved our cricket and not blame others,” he concluded.

Players of the two teams greet each other after the ICC Twenty20 World Cup between India and Canada was called off due to wet outfield in Lauderhill on June 15, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

An hour after scheduled start of play, umpires Richard Kettleborough and Sharfuddoula took a brisk walk across the Central Broward Park & Broward County Stadium outfield here and called off proceedings.

India’s last Group ‘A’ match, against Canada here, was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

The umpires had an easy decision, as the outfield was nowhere near ready for play. There was no rain on match day, but a heavy downpour on the previous night did the damage.

India (7 points) finished on top of the group, and will face Afghanistan in its first Super 8 fixture at Barbados on June 20.

Canada (3 points) lost the chance to go up against the fan favourite side, and exited the tournament.

“As an associate nation, we would have loved to play against the Indian team. But nature cannot be stopped. There was heavy rain in the last two days, so it was tough to get the ground ready,” Canada head coach Pubudu Dassanayake said.

“We were pumped up for the game. For many of our guys, their heroes are in the Indian team. But even though we not could play the match, it was great to spend time with the Indian team and chat with them.

They gave us tips on how to improve our game, which was a great takeaway,” Dassanayake said.

The Indian team’s focus, meanwhile, will now shift to tackling different conditions in the West Indies. The pitches in the Caribbean will not heavily assist the pacers, as seen in New York. Team combinations, batting approach, a par score – these are some of the aspects that skipper Rohit Sharma will have to reassess.

India batting coach Vikram Rathour stated that it was disappointing to not get a game here.

“It is disappointing for fans who have turned up to the stadium, and for us too. We were looking forward to playing the game. It was important for us to get match practice. But the rain is something we cannot control,” Rathour said.

Concerns regarding sustaining injuries on a wet outfield had to be considered, Rathour added.

“The concern about sustaining an injury is always there when you play in less than ideal conditions. We are already in the Super 8, and you do not want any injuries ahead of important matches. Of course, the decision to call off play is with the match officials. We did not have any say in that,” Rathour said.

On releasing two travelling reserves from the squad, Rathour said, “That was always the plan. We wanted to keep two reserves, and release two.”

Indian batter Rishabh Pant plays a shot against Bangladeshduring T20 World Cup 2024 warm-up match at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, Saturday, June 1, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

India ticked multiple boxes during their 60-run victory over Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup warm-up match here on Saturday, but none bolder than a fifty by Rishabh Pant which has all but sealed his place as the first-choice wicketkeeper batter in the ICC showpiece.

Pant’s 53 (32b, 4×4, 4×6), who was making his India comeback after that horrific car accident in December 2022, and Hardik Pandya’s equally pleasing (40 not out, 23b, 2×4, 4×6) led India to a competitive 182 for five after opting to bat first.

India faced little trouble in defending the total as left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh found his bowling wares, leading the restriction of Bangladesh to 122 for nine.

There was a token fightback from Mahmudullah Riyaz (40 retired out; 28b, 4×4, 1×6) and Shakib Al Hasan (28), who milked 75 runs for the sixth-wicket.

But it helped Bangladesh only to reduce the margin of defeat after they were reduced to 41 for five.

Arshdeep, who had a less than satisfactory outing in the IPL for Punjab Kings, struck twice inside the Power Play, ousting Soumya Sarkar, caught behind by Pant, and Litton Das, who was bowled by a lovely in-curler from over the wicket.Fellow pacer Mohammed Siraj added the wicket of Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (0) as they slipped to 10 for three in 3.5 overs, and it was too deep a hole to claw back against a competent bowling unit, which has good variety through the ranks.

The Indian bowlers also showed excellent skills to exploit a slow pitch which was also aided by an equally sluggish outfield where the ball did not roll along. Pacer Shivam Dube also chipped in with two wickets (2/11).

For Bangladesh, the defeat was a continuation of their gloomy build-up to the World Cup as they had recently lost the three-match T20I series against the USA 1-2.

The insipid batting effort by Bangladesh also provided a better perspective to the innings of Pant and Pandya earlier.

It was their gumption that led India to an above-par score on a slow pitch, and something that will come very handy once India embrace the tournament proper from June 5 with a match against Ireland at this venue.

Pant has an edge over Sanju Samson after the knock

Pant retired after making 53 but not before nullifying a plethora of Bangladeshi slow bowlers.

But the knock has certainly given him an edge over Sanju Samson in the perceived competition for the wicketkeeper-batter slot.

Samson came in as opener ahead of Yashasvi Jaiswal along with skipper Rohit Sharma (23, 19b, 2×4, 1×6) as Virat Kohli, who was expected to open, skipped the match after he arrived here only on Friday.

However, Samson, who had a fine run in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals, was trapped in front of the wicket for a 6-ball 1 by left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam as he struggled to come to terms with the nature of the track.

There were also handy contributions by Suryakumar Yadav (31, 18b, 4×4) and Pandya (40) as India moved to a competitive total despite not having any single big partnership in their innings.

But the primary architect of that fighting total was Pant.

Pant, who returned to competitive cricket during the IPL 2024, had shown excellent touch for Delhi Capitals while making 287 runs from 13 matches with three fifties and at a strike-rate of 155.

The left-hander continued his fine touch here too, carting Bangladesh bowlers around.

There were those typical Pant shots, which are hard to describe, such as a stand-still flick off medium-pacer Soumya to fine-leg for a boundary or that one-handed six while he was out of balance off off-spinner Mahmudullah Riyadh.

Pant, who smashed Shakib Al Hasan for two successive sixes, brought his fifty in 32 balls with a boundary off Shakib before retiring to the pavilion.

Dube, who was dropped on four, could not exploit the let-off and was dismissed for a 16-ball 14 and at that stage India were 130 for four after 14.4 overs.

India were in need of some acceleration and Pandya provided just that.

Pandya, who was dropped on 26, slammed three consecutive sixes off left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam which were a treat to watch for their power and neat execution.

His innings and confidence might have immensely pleased the team management and himself after a modest outing as Mumbai Indians’ captain in a season where he was subjected to intense professional and personal scrutiny.

Bangladesh also suffered an injury scare as Shoriful walked off just before bowling the final ball of the innings, as Tanzim Hasan completed the over.

More than eight years after Carlos Brathwaite’s four sixes at Eden Gardens gave them their second T20 world title, a wounded West Indies will look to redeem themselves at home when they begin their campaign in the event’s ninth edition by taking on Papua New Guinea, in Georgetown on June 2.

Brathwaite had slammed Ben Stokes for four successive sixes in the final over to pull off one of the most astonishing chases that made the West Indies the first team to win the T20 World Cup twice. Their maiden triumph was in 2012.

But what followed was years of agony as the team found itself lost in transition. In 2021, they endured four defeats in five games to make a Super 12 exit.

Worse was in store in the 2022 edition in Australia when they failed to qualify for the main round after shock defeats to minnows Scotland and Ireland.

It’s been 2982 days since the memorable night at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, something they would be desperate to reclaim especially when the tournament is at home.

Darren Sammy as coach

Their two-time T20 World Cup winning skipper Darren Sammy is back as a coach and the Rovman Powell-led side already made its intention clear with a ruthless win over Australia in a warmup match.

But that Australia was a depleted side as only nine players from their squad were available for the match.

Nicolas Pooran will play a pivotal role in the middle-order, but West Indies boast additional firepower with Powell, Andre Russell, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, and Romario Shepherd, making them one of the most formidable batting line-ups in the tournament.

Russell has been in exceptional form, both with bat and ball, after aiding Kolkata Knight Riders in clinching their third IPL title recently.

West Indies will also be looking to become the first team to win a T20 World Cup at home.

They have replaced the experienced but injured Jason Holder with left-arm fast bowler Obed McCoy.

McCoy was the leading wicket-taker during the West Indies A’s recent tour to Nepal, grabbing eight wickets in five matches.

Papua New Guinea loaded with all-rounders

Assadollah Vala-led PNG will make their second appearance after 2021 after sealing their spot via the East Asia-Pacific regional final in July 2023.

Vala is one of 10 players from their 2021 campaign, with that edition’s reserve member Jack Gardner picked in the 15-player group this time. Leg-spinning all-rounder CJ Amini will be his deputy.

The side boasts no fewer than eight recognised all-rounders, with both right and left-arm bowling options.

Left-arm quick Sema Kamea and Kabua Vagi Morea both enjoyed qualifying action, with the latter taking a hat-trick in the game against the Philippines.

Teams (from)

West Indies: Rovman Powell (c), Alzarri Joseph (vc), Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Obed McCoy, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd.

Papua New Guinea: Assadollah Vala (c), Alei Nao, Chad Soper, CJ Amini, Hila Vare, Hiri Hiri, Jack Gardner, John Kariko, Kabua Vagi Morea, Kipling Doriga, Lega Siaka, Norman Vanua, Sema Kamea, Sese Bau and Tony Ura.

Match starts: 8 pm IST.

USA favourites vs Canada

A team full of expatriates, tournament co-hosts USA, coached by former Australian batter Stuart Law, will promise some surprises when it kicks off the T20 World Cup taking on qualifiers Canada in a battle of debutants.

The USA have proved that they will be no pushovers, having beaten the full-member side Bangladesh 2-1 in the build up to the tournament.

They will also have the edge having beaten Canada 4-0 recently.

2015 WC finalist Corey Anderson in USA squad

The side will be boosted by former New Zealand player and 2015 World Cup finalist Corey Anderson. The hosts will be led by wicket-keeper batter Monank Patel.

Born in Anand, Monank played for his home state at age-group level before making the US his home in 2016.

He was the top-scorer in the World T20 Americas qualifier 2018 with 208 runs from six innings and made his T20I debut against UAE in 2019.

The team will also feature some familiar names in former Mumbai and Rajasthan Royals left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh and ex-Delhi and Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Milind Kumar.

They also have Saurabh Netravalkar, the most capped USA player, Aaron Jones, and opener Steven Taylor, their highest run-scorer in international cricket.

Tearaway quick Ali Khan is also fit for the tournament, shaking off a hamstring injury which kept him out of the Canada series.

Batting all-rounder Nitish Kumar, who played 18 T20Is for Canada from 2012 to 2019, has now switched sides and will be seen in the USA jersey. He made his T20I debut for the USA against Canada in April this year.

Left-arm orthodox spinner Saad Bin Zafar brings a wealth of experience to the Canada team, with top-order batter Aaron Johnson and left-arm seamer Kaleem Sana also expected to feature heavily in a side with just four players under the age of 30.

Teams (from)

USA: Monank Patel (c), Aaron Jones (vc), Andries Gous, Corey Anderson, Ali Khan, Harmeet Singh, Jessy Singh, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Nitish Kumar, Noshtush Kenjige, Saurabh Nethralvakar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Steven Taylor and Shayan Jahangir.

Canada: Saad Bin Zafar (c), Aaron Johnson, Ravinderpal Singh, Navneet Dhaliwal, Kaleem Sana, Dilon Heyliger, Jeremy Gordon, Nikhil Dutta, Pargat Singh, Nicholas Kirton, Rayyankhan Pathan, Junaid Siddiqui, Dilpreet Bajwa, Shreyas Movva and Rishiv Joshi.

Match starts: 6 am IST (June 2).