3 things USA need to do right to upset England in 2024 T20 World Cup
The United States of America (USA) will lock horns with England in their final Super 8 game of the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados on Sunday, June 23. With losses in their previous two games, the USA are eliminated from the semi-final race.
This game will certainly end the team's dreamy run in the showpiece event, where they prevailed over Pakistan and fought bravely against India to reach the Super 8 stage. The collective effort of the players has laid a foundation to grow the game in the country, which had never heard of a sport named, Cricket.
On that note, let's take a look at the three things the USA needs to do right against England to sign off from the T20 World Cup on a positive note.
#1 Get off to a strong start
One of the few negatives for the USA side has been their inconsistency at the top. The opening combination hasn't provided a big contribution to setting up the team's momentum.
Left-handed batter Steven Taylor has failed to convert his starts as he has only accumulated 62 runs in five innings at a paltry strike rate of 89.85. He was dismissed for 2 off 7 against the West Indies and scored 24 off 14 against South Africa.
On the other hand, in the absence of regular skipper Monank Patel, Andries Gous has been the opener for the team. He surely has lived up to the expectations by amassing 109 runs in two Super 8 games. The wicketkeeper-batter played a valiant knock of 80* off 47 in a losing cause against South Africa.
Coming at No. 3, Nitish Kumar has garnered only 28 runs in two appearances, with 20 off 19 coming against West Indies.
All three batters need to fire in unison to provide a platform for the side to post a strong total or chase down a stiff total.
#2 Find hefty contributions from middle-order
Although the middle order came in clutch during the group stage games for the USA, they haven't been proficient enough in the Super 8 phase. Chasing 195 against South Africa, the likes of Aaron Jones (0), Corey Anderson (12), and Shayan Jahangir (3) failed miserably.
The recent West Indies game saw experienced campaigners, Jones (11) and Anderson (7) struggling to get going and losing their wickets for low scores again. Milind Kumar, who was playing in his debut innings in the T20 World Cup, scored 19 off 21 balls.
Certainly, the middle order has been going through a rough patch for the USA side, and needs a serious push to help the team end the tournament on a high.
#3 Provide optimum support to Saurabh Netravalkar
Saurabh Netravalkar is the USA's finest bowler with six wickets in four appearances at an economy rate of 6.17. The last game was a rare occasion for him to get milked for more than 30 runs in less than three overs. Certainly, with the dismissals of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Mohammad Rizwan in the group stages, he needs support from the other end as well to put pressure on the opposition.
Harmeet Singh (four wickets), Nosthush Kenjige (three wickets), and Ali Khan (three wickets) need to come to the party to secure breakthroughs for the side. Meanwhile, Corey Anderson can also come in handy for the side with his medium pace.