A critical match is made appealing by high stakes and recent history.
In cricket terms, it’s perhaps the shortest flight. Between St. Vincent and St. Lucia, it takes exactly twelve minutes. It was therefore to be assumed that the Australians would not have been overly unhappy with their journey across the Caribbean Sea. But the fact that, in order to take the aforementioned 12-minute flight, they had to endure a 40-minute trip to the airport in St. Vincent and a 90-minute drive to the hotel in St. Lucia.
There was at least a ninety-minute delay in the flight. It took them more than fifteen minutes to get aboard once they arrived. Naturally, following their loss to Afghanistan, they had probably only made it to their quarters by one or two in the morning the night before. And they wouldn’t have arrived at their hotel on Sunday, June 23, until about 4 p.m., which is less than 16 hours before they play India in a match that is essential to their World Cup survival.
The Indians were taking the day off while Australia made the insane race to St. Lucia on the day of their final Super 8s match. Naturally, they arrived here one day early, having virtually assured themselves of a berth in the next round with their victory over Bangladesh in Antigua. Not to mention fired up by the prospect of defeating the squad that broke a billion hearts—as well as their own—in the 50-over World Cup final six months from now.
Even though Afghanistan’s victory over Australia in both formats in St. Vincent was a historic moment, it has left their group wide open as none of the teams have officially advanced to the knockout stages. Even if Rashid Khan and company ultimately gave themselves the best opportunity to accomplish so, Australia’s defeat has ruined what up until then appeared to be a rather flawless campaign. Additionally, it has allowed the Indian side, who are closer to a semi-final than any other team in the competition thanks to their higher net run rate, the chance to almost eliminate the Australians should they triumph over them on Monday morning (June 24) at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.
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When: June 24, 10.30 AM Local, 20.00 hours IST, 00.30 AM (June 25) Australia vs. India AEST
Where: Beausjour, Saint Lucia’s Daren Sammy Cricket Ground
What to expect: St. Lucia is the finest spot to bat in this World Cup and has remained the most humid of all the islands. The Daren Sammy Cricket Ground has been one where most teams have flourished in a tournament where the weather has had a significant influence. It is likely the best location to stage this highly anticipated match, especially given the high stakes at this point.
The island had a lot of rain during the course of the night, but it should clear up in the morning despite the forecast for some wind.
T20 World Cup head-to-head: played 5, India 3, Australia 2.
Australia:
As much as Ashton Agar’s selection was predicated, Mitchell Starc’s exclusion has generated a great deal of debate in Australia, particularly since he appeared to be in excellent form and had only surpassed Lasith Malinga as the fastest bowler with the most World Cup (50 overs and T20 combined) wickets in his previous match. Anticipate a straight switch when Starc returns for this crucial match.
Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh (c), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, and Matthew Wade (wk) are the likely members of the starting lineup.
India:
Once they relocated to the Caribbean from the USA, India essentially locked into what was regarded as their best XI before the event. Also, Kuldeep Yadav’s presence in an environment where the hitters would try to hit everything will be crucial because the left-arm wrist spinner had to wait for his turn to enter the World Cup. Given the lack of support from the pitch for fast bowlers, you would expect them to start with the same lineup that faced Bangladesh.
The likely starting eleven includes Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and Virat Kohli as captain and vice captain, respectively.
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