Australia announced their T20I squad for their upcoming series against Scotland and England, with Perth Scorchers all-rounder Cooper Connolly earning his maiden T20I call-up. The post-David Warner era has begun for Australia, and a new opening pair will take the field for their white-ball series against Scotland and England. The Baggy Greens will play a three-match T20I series against Scotland in September. Australia will also play three T20Is and five ODIs against England later in the month.

The three T20Is against Scotland will be played on September 4, 6, and 7, and the England T20I series will begin on September 11.

In Warner’s place, Jake Fraser-McGurk has been included in the T20I squads for both series and in the ODI squad against England. Fraser-McGurk will look to establish himself as a long-term opening alternative for Australia.

Connolly has featured in 15 domestic T20s. He starred for Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League 2022-23 final with his quick-fire 25* off 11 deliveries. In his Sheffield Shield debut, he scored 90 against Tasmania earlier this year.

Mitchell Marsh will lead the side in the absence of Pat Cummins, who has been rested. Cummins is currently involved in the ongoing Major League Cricket with the San Francisco Unicorns.

The experienced duo of Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell will also miss the T20I series but will link up with the squad for the ODI series against England.

Matthew Short, who travelled with Australia’s T20 World Cup squad as a reserve player, will miss out on the T20I tour due to the birth of his first child.

“This tour gives us a great opportunity to bring in some new players in the absence of David Warner and Matthew Wade, as well as giving some senior players time to prepare for the home summer and a busy first half of next year. We are particularly pleased to offer Cooper his first opportunity in the T20 squad, having introduced the likes of Jake, Spencer, Xavier and Aaron in the past 12 months. They are exciting prospects to join the likes of Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis and Josh Inglis in the white-ball set-up,” national selector George Bailey said in a statement by Cricket Australia.

With the ICC Champions Trophy almost seven months away, Australia will try to find the right balance within the ODI team.

“With the Champions Trophy on our doorstep early next year, the white-ball series against Pakistan leading into the summer and a huge home Test series against India, there has been a lot of planning invested into these next six months. That has included gradual integration of new players into our white-ball squads who have earned international opportunities via excellent form in Big Bash or state cricket,” he added.

Australia T20I squad for Scotland and England: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Spencer Johnson, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Australia ODI squad for England: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis (wk), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.

Axar Patel left everyone stunned with a sensational catch© X (formerly Twitter)

India vs Australia Live: Squads –

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj.

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

Super Eight – Match 11 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2024 will be played between Australia and India (AUS vs IND) at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia on Monday. In the last match played by Australia, they lost to Afghanistan by 21 runs. The top fantasy player for Australia was Glenn Maxwell who scored 95 fantasy points. In India’s last match in this tournament, they beat Bangladesh by 50 runs. The top fantasy player for India was Kuldeep Yadav who scored 105 fantasy points.

Pitch Report and Weather Conditions

The pitch at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia is balanced. The average 1st innings score at this venue in the last 20 matches is 115 runs. The team batting first at this venue has won 40% of its matches, so the toss does not make much of a difference here. The team winning the toss may decide to bat or bowl depending on the ground conditions today.

Weather Report

Temperature is expected to be around 29.08 degree C and humidity is expected to be around 77%. 8.52 m/s winds are expected. Cloud cover is also expected, so expect some movement to aid the pace bowlers. There is light rain expected which may affect playing conditions.

Pace or Spin?

The pacers have taken 75% of the total wickets at this venue. Hence picking up pacers for your fantasy team should be a good idea. Based on the stats available, We predict that the pitch will continue to assist the pacers.

Head to Head

In the 31 matches played between these two teams, Australia bowlers have earned the most fantasy points for their team, while batters have earned the most fantasy points for India.

AUS vs IND Fantasy Top Captain and Vice-Captain Picks

Marcus Stoinis

Marcus Stoinis is a fairly consistent player in terms of fantasy points. He has an average of 58 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 8.8. Stoinis has smashed 167 runs in the recent six matches while the all-rounder has also taken eight wickets with the ball.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is a good-to-have player for your Fantasy Team. He has an average of 43 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 8.5. The right-handed batter has scored 66 runs in the recent five matches.

Axar Patel

Axar Patel is an all-rounder with an average of 55 match fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 8.5 and can be a good safe pick for your Fantasy Team. The spin-bowling all-rounder has scored 35 runs in three innings while he has also taken four wickets with the ball.

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya can be a good safe pick for your Fantasy Team. He has an average of 66 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 8.3. The star all-rounder has scored 89 runs in three innings at an impressive strike rate of 141.26 while also picking eight wickets with the ball.

Travis Head

Travis Head is a top-order batter with an average of 32 match fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 8.2 and can be a good pick for your Fantasy Team. The explosive left-handed batter has smashed 179 runs in the recent six matches at an impressive strike rate of 151.69.

AUS vs IND Possible Playing XI

Australia (AUS) Possible Playing XI: David Warner, Travis Head, Tim David, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh

India (IND) Possible Playing XI: Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube

AUS vs IND Fantasy Team Today

Wicket-Keepers: Rishabh Pant and Matthew Wade

Batters: Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh

All-Rounders: Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya

Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav and Pat Cummins

Captain: Jasprit Bumrah

Vice-Captain: Travis Head

Australia will lock horns with India in the Super Eights Match 11 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2024. The game is set to take place at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia on Monday. Former champions, India comes into this match with momentum, having defeated Bangladesh by 50 runs in their previous outing. Kuldeep Yadav was the standout performer for India, amassing 105 fantasy points. On the other hand, Australia faced a 21-run defeat at the hands of Afghanistan in their last game. Glenn Maxwell was the top fantasy performer for the Aussies, scoring 95 points.

Head-to-Head

Historically, India have dominated the head-to-head battle with Australia in the T20 format. The Men in Blue have won 19 matches while losing 11 games to Australia. The pattern suggests India will likely continue their dominance. The Indian batters have generally outperformed the Aussie bowlers, while the Australian batters have been their main contributors.

The last meeting between these teams was in the fifth T20I of Australia’s tour of India, in 2023, where Shreyas Iyer and Ben McDermott scored the highest fantasy points for their respective countries.

Key Players to Watch

Pat Cummins (AUS)

Star Australian pacer, Pat Cummins, has been in a stellar form with the ball in the tournament. The right-arm pacer has picked up nine wickets in four matches at an economy rate of 6.40, which also includes consecutive hat-tricks against Bangladesh and Afghanistan, respectively.

Virat Kohli (IND)

Former Indian skipper, Virat Kohli, has had a topsy-turvy campaign with the bat in this tournament. The right-handed batter has scored 66 runs in the recent five matches.

Marcus Stoinis (AUS)

Australia’s star all-rounder, Marcus Stoinis, has been enjoying decent form in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The right-handed batter has smashed 167 runs in the recent six matches while the all-rounder has also taken eight wickets with the ball.

Axar Patel (IND)

Bowling all-rounder, Axar Patel, has been a consistent contributor for the Men in Blue. Axar has scored 35 runs in three innings while he has also taken four wickets with the ball.

Travis Head (AUS)

Australia’s top-order batter, Travis Head, has been in red-hot form with the bat in this tournament. The explosive left-handed batter has smashed 179 runs in the recent six matches at an impressive strike rate of 151.69.

Hardik Pandya (IND)

Star Indian all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, has been having a dream run in the ongoing T20 World Cup for India. Hardik has scored 89 runs in three innings at an impressive strike rate of 141.26 while also picking eight wickets with the ball.

Following a setback against Afghanistan that left Australia speechless at Arnos Vale Ground, captain Mitchell Marsh has issued a warning to his teammates ahead of their final clash in the Super 8 against unbeaten India at the 2024 T20 World Cup. The spirited performance from Afghanistan left Australia in a peculiar situation. Australia will now step into Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Saint Lucia to face India in a must-win game. With the Baggy Greens looking to bounce back from their recent setback, Marsh emphasized the need to win against India.

“First and foremost, it becomes clear for us. We need to win, and no better team to do it against. Full credit to Afghanistan for tonight, and we move on quickly,” Marsh said in the post-match presentation.

Things didn’t fall in place for Australia as they looked to sneak away a win and seal their place in the semi-final.

Catches were dropped, and a couple of misfields led to boundaries. Ashton Agar misjudging the ball as it went away for a four was one such example of their struggles.

It eventually came back to haunt Australia as a couple of errors in the field allowed Afghanistan to put 148/6 on the board.

“They got 20 too many. And to be honest, they played a really good game of cricket. We were outplayed tonight,” Marsh added.

Marsh won the toss and decided to bowl. Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan admitted that they wanted to bat because the record indicated chasing a target on the surface was a taxing job.

“We did think about it. A lot of teams have bowled first at this World Cup to get an idea of the surface. Don’t think we lost at the toss. It was an off-night for us in the field, and we own that. We’ll be back next game. It wasn’t an easy wicket, but both teams played on this surface,” Marsh concluded.

With their fate hanging in balance, Australia will face India at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Saint Lucia, on Monday to fight for their semi-final spot.

Skipper Rashid Khan lauded Afghanistan for their “massive” win over heavyweights Australia in the T20 World Cup, saying such glorious moments were missing in the last couple of years and attributed the victory to the number of all-rounders at the team’s disposal. Afghanistan notched up a first-ever 21-run win over Australia in their must-win super 8 clash to keep their hopes of reaching the semifinals alive. “Massive win for us as a team and as a nation. Great feeling. It’s something we missed in last two years. Really happy with the win and super proud of the guys,” Rashid said at the post-match presentation.

Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (60) and Ibrahim Zadran (51) slammed half-centuries but Australia restricted them to a manageable 148 for 6.

However,all-rounder Gulabdin Naib produced his career-best figures of 4/20 to bowl out Australia for 127 in 19.2 overs.

“140 was a good total on this wicket. We didn’t finish as well as we should have.

“Opening partnership gave us best start. On this wicket, anything 130-plus, we were capable of defending it as long as we kept calm and had the belief. That’s the beauty of this team, having all-rounders and having options.” Heaping praise on Naib, Rashid said: “The way Gulbadin bowled today – the experience he has, it came good today. The way Nabi started – the wicket of Warner – was also pleasing to see.

“It’s so important for us back home and around the world. I’m sure they’re proud and would’ve enjoyed the game.”

We beat Australia at last! Our journey starts now: Naib

Naib, who was adjudged the Player of the Match, said the win took a long time to come and hoped it will start a new chapter for the team.

Afghanistan had come agonisingly close to beating Australia at the ODI World Cup last year but a special performance by Glenn Maxwell had denied them that joy.

“We were waiting for a long time. Great moment for me, my nation, my people. Big achievement for our cricket. Thanks to our fans for supporting our cricket journey. We worked hard for the last 2 months, and the result is in front of you,” he said.

“We beat Australia at last! It is a great achievement for Afghanistan cricket, our history isn’t too much so this is a great achievement.

“We played great cricket in the last World Cup, and this year we beat New Zealand in the group stage. Our journey starts now. We have great management and I’m very fortunate to have this team. Every game is important, we will rest tomorrow and think about it.” Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh said it was just an off day in the office.

“They probably got 20 too many. Lot of teams have bowled first in this tournament. Don’t think it was won or lost at the toss. We had an off night on the field.

“Wasn’t the easiest of wickets but both teams played on it. As I said, we got outplayed today. We just need to win and there’s no better team to do it against.”

History was created on Sunday (IST) as Afghanistan stunned the mighty Australia by 21 runs in their T20 World Cup 2024, Super 8 match in Kingstown. Asked to bat first, the Afghans were restricted to 148/6, despite a 118-run partnership between their openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. Chasing 149, Australia lost early wickets but Glenn Maxwell brought them back into the game with this 59-run knock. Maxwell, who earlier denied a historic win to Afghanistan during the ODI World Cup 2023, was guiding Australia to another memorable victory. But this time, the Afghans bounced back and bundled out Australia for 127.

This was Afghanistan’s first-ever victory over Australia in six international matches. As Afghanistan registered the historic win, social media got flooded with loads of good wishes and messages from fans for Rashid Khan and co.

Not this time Aussies – Take a bow Afghan boys#INDvsBAN #AUSvsAFG #AFGvsAUS pic.twitter.com/9SbsSVWZSg

— TCTV Cricket (@tctv1offl) June 23, 2024

These boys defeated the 6 time world champions. Take a bow, huge respect for the Afghanistan cricket team.#AFGvsAUS pic.twitter.com/JsDcHMaSE5

— Prayag (@theprayagtiwari) June 23, 2024

Dil Dil Afghanistan!!!

We’re witnessing a paradigm shift in the Cricket World Order!!

What a night! Congratulations to all Afghan brothers!! They truly deserved it.

Beating Aussies in a World Cup is a colossal achievement!!#AFGvsAUS @Attaullahsapi @WazhmaAyoubi pic.twitter.com/Wiq9AV4PAb

— Dr. Shubham Misra (@Shubham_Neuro) June 23, 2024

Well done Afghanistan afg vs aus #AfgvsAus pic.twitter.com/0IMrmQGK9k

— Anshul Bahuguna (@AnshulBahuguna2) June 23, 2024

Wherever I told Afghanistan will beat Australia in Super 8 everyone laughed at me Now Afghanistan won against Australia

Really Happy for Afghanistan

First time in history Afghanistan won against Australia #AusvsAfg #AFGvsAus pic.twitter.com/98b1FWX9iZ

— Cric Irfan (@Irfan_irru_17) June 23, 2024

Apart from Gurbaz and Zadran’s partnership, it was the bowlers’ contribution that led Afghanistan to victory. Pacer Gulbadin Naib was the star bowler with his magnificent four-wicket haul.

“We were waiting for a long time. Great moment for me, my nation, my people. Big achievement for our cricket. Thanks to our fans for supporting our cricket journey. We worked hard for the last 2 months, and the result is in front of you. The wicket wasn’t easy to bat on, the ball was too bouncy. I took two wickets early on, and carried that on later,” said Naib after the victory.

“Thanks to Rashid for trusting me. This was a complete team effort. The way Naveen bowled, the way Gurbaz and Ibrahim batted. We beat Australia at last! It is a great achievement for Afghanistan cricket, our history isn’t too much so this is a great achievement. We played great cricket in the last World Cup, and this year we beat New Zealand in the group stage,” he added.

Apart from him, Naveen-ul-Haq scalped three wickets while Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Rashid Khan also scalped one wicket each.

With this win, Afghanistan have kept themselves alive in the semi-final race. They will now take on Bangladesh in their last Super 8s clash on Tuesday.

Following his side’s five-wicket win over Scotland in their ICC T20 World Cup match, Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh said that facing a tough challenge brings the best out of team as a team and the WC will start once again in the Super Eights stage for them as they will be playing all the top nations throughout that phase. Half-centuries from Travis Head and Marcus Stoinis helped Australia end the group stage unbeaten and defeated Scotland by five wickets in their ICC T20 World Cup match at Saint Lucia on Sunday.

Speaking after the game in the post-match presentation, Marsh said, “We spoke about sticking to our game. We spoke as a group to stay really consistent in how we wanted to play. Having already qualified, there was little less pressure on us. Whenever our team is challenged, it brings the best out of us. Today we were challenged and it was a good experience and a good game of cricket. The World Cup kind of starts again now.”

Marsh also lauded Scotland’s progress over the years to have recorded their best performance in an ICC tournament, saying, “Scotland are a good team, they have improved a lot and we certainly wanted to respect them.”

On playing a much hectic schedule in Super Eights, Marsh said, “It’s going to be a busy schedule. T20 is a hard format. We are excited for what is to come.”

With this win, Australia tops Group B with four wins in four games and eight points. Scotland failed to qualify for the Super Eights, finishing third with two wins, a loss and a no result, giving them five points. Defending champions England have walked into the Super Eights with this big assistance from their arch-rivals, as they also have the same win-loss record and points as Scotland, just the higher net-run-rate.

Coming to the match, Australia put Scotland to bowl first. After losing Michael Jones early, George Munsey (35 in 23 balls, with two fours and three sixes) and Brandon McMullen (60 in 34 balls, with two fours and six sixes) put a quickfire 89-run partnership to put Scotland back in the game. A fine knock from skipper Richie Berrington (42* in 30 balls, with a four and two sixes) took Scotland to 180/5 in 20 overs.

Glenn Maxwell (2/44) was the pick of the bowlers for Australia. Ashton Agar, Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa got a wicket each.

In the run-chase of 181 runs, Australia lost some early wickets and were 60/3 at one point. Then, a 80-run partnership between Travis Head (68 in 49 balls, with five fours and four sixes) and Marcus Stoinis (59 in 29 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) took Australia to the brink of a win and Tim David (24* in 14 balls, with two fours and a six) applied some fine finishing to get the win with two balls left.

Mark Watt (2/34) was the pick of the bowlers for Scotland.

Stoinis took home the ‘Player of the Match’ award.

T20 WC 2024: Australia beat Scotland by 5 wickets© AFP