ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 Fantasy: Best Fantasy XI for Set 7 | T20 World Cup Fantasy Tips
Set 7 of the official ICC Men's T20 World Cup Fantasy 2024 will begin with India and Bangladesh facing off at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua on Saturday, June 22.
Set 6 was another average outing, with the first game against Australia and Bangladesh cut short by rain. While there were decent returns from a few players like David Warner, Adam Zampa, and Andre Russell, the others had the potential to haul big, but could only manage middling scores.
Total Points: 4709
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Set 7 is the penultimate set in the Super 8s, with the West Indies and South Africa without a fixture. On that note, let's look at the best Fantasy XI for Set 7.
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Best Fantasy XI for Set 7 - ICC Men's T20 World Cup Fantasy 2024
Wicketkeepers: Phil Salt (SA) ($8) vs USA.
Batters: Travis Head (AUS) ($9.5) vs AFG, Jonny Bairstow (ENG) ($9) vs USA, and Rohit Sharma (IND) ($10.5) vs BAN.
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya (IND) ($9.5) vs BAN, Moeen Ali (ENG) ($7.5) vs USA, and Glenn Maxwell (AUS) ($10.5) vs AFG.
Bowlers: Adam Zampa (AUS) ($8.5) vs AFG, Arshdeep Singh (IND) ($7.5) vs BAN, Rishad Hossain (BAN) ($6.5) vs BAN, and Kuldeep Yadav (IND) ($9) vs BAN
Booster Used: None.
Set Preview
Two top teams in the West Indies and South Africa won't be a part of Set 7, and that does take plenty of quality Fantasy cricket options out of the reckoning. India take on Bangladesh first in Antigua, and of the three games, this should be least affected by rain. Since we also will know the outcome of the toss and the team lineups, picking five to six players from this one seems like a good idea.
Australia and Afghanistan face off at the Arnos Vale Ground in St. Vincent, and showers are expected during the clash. England and the USA face off in the set's final game in Barbados, and rain could also play a part in that match.
Team Selection
The wicket at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium isn't the most batter-friendly, and while it should yield a competitive total, it may be more productive to back bowlers and all-rounders. Rishad Hossain is my only pick from Bangladesh in this IND-BAN match-up. His leg-spin should trouble the Indian batters in favorable conditions, and there's a chance he gets promoted up the order once again.
Rohit Sharma has a great record against Bangladesh, and with the Indian openers coming under criticism for not delivering, the captain will look to lead from the front. Hardik Pandya has been a crucial figure for India throughout the tournament, and it's too much of a risk not to go without him for this one.
Arshdeep Singh is one of the most wicket-taking bowlers in T20Is, and while Bumrah outclasses him as a bowler on most fronts, from a Fantasy perspective, Arshdeep seems to have a slight edge. I could double up on the seamers by going for Bumrah, but Kuldeep Yadav has an X-Factor about him that makes him a more attractive pick to me.
Coming to the second match, I'm not backing any Afghanistan players against this dominant Australian unit. Adam Zampa should continue doing what he's so good at, with Travis Head likely to get a big score in this game as well. Glenn Maxwell certainly loves a game against Afghanistan, and with him looking back to form in his brief stay at the crease against Bangladesh, he could score big while also contributing with the ball.
Lastly, I expect England to comfortably trounce the USA in a bid to boost their Net Run Rate. They will require runs from the top to achieve that, and I'm backing Phil Salt and Jonny Bairstow to go all guns blazing for them. While I initially considered Adil Rashid as my England bowling option, watching Roston Chase rip through the USA middle-order made me feel that Moeen Ali is a potentially better alternative.
Captaincy: Glenn Maxwell is my captaincy favorite once again, but the potential of rain intervening in the AUS-AFG is the only factor stopping me from backing him confidently with the armband once again. Hardik Pandya, Travis Head, and Phil Salt are the other captaincy favorites, with Arshdeep Singh and Rishad Hossain a couple of differential alternatives.