- ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
- Sunday June 2 - Saturday June 29, 2024
- Caribbean and the United States of America, Nine venues
Cards on the table, I may not be very popular come the end of this tournament preview. If you are patriotic, you may want to read this from behind the sofa.
Look, I expect England to be better than they were in the 50-over World Cup in India before Christmas. They’ll cruise through their group and will likely make the semi-finals. From there, anything could happen.
But, when pushed in this preview, honestly, I don’t expect them to defend the title they won in Australia 18 or so months ago.
I really like the look of Australia. They have power to burn with the bat and quality with the ball, too. BetVictor have them at joint second favourites with England at 4/1, behind India, and that’s a price I would be taking.
This has the looks of being a fascinating tournament. Australia look strong, while England and India are high up the list of runners and riders. West Indies are an improving force and could be dangerous on home soil, while South Africa are in the similar mould to the Aussies and England - they have power to burn with the bat.
Surprise to be sprung in semi-final race
South Africa will qualify for the semi-finals, that’s my first tip. They are 11/8 with betway to achieve that feat.
Captained by Aiden Markram, who has just led Sunrisers Hyderabad to the IPL final, the likes of Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen catch the eye in their batting line-up, while the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi are bowling weapons to be wary of.
Yes, they have just been beaten 3-0 in a T20 series by the West Indies, but they were missing those involved in the IPL final such as Markram and Klaasen and should be better for the experience of playing in Caribbean conditions.
I do think the West Indies will reach the semis too. They are 7/4 to do so with bet365.
They have won four of their last five bilateral series dating back to early 2023, including against England on home soil just before Christmas.
Captained by Rovman Powell, the likes of Brandon King, Shai Hope and Nicolas Pooran with the bat could light this tournament up, as could Obed McCoy and Gudakesh Motie with the ball, amongst others. We haven’t even mentioned Andre Russell yet.
So, Australia, England, India, South Africa and West Indies. Five doesn’t go into four for the semi-finals. Who misses out?
India is my answer. I have concerns. They look an ageing team, led by the desperately out-of-form Rohit Sharma. The fact Shubman Gill is only a reserve for their squad is absolutely crazy. That ageing squad may not be at their best after a long IPL.
There doesn’t seem to be a stage of elimination bet anywhere. If I could find one, I’d say Super Eights stage for India.
Competition format
It is worth briefly laying out the format here before looking for more value.
Twenty teams split into four groups of five, each team playing four group matches. The top two teams in each group qualifies for the Super Eights stage.
That consists of two groups of four, with the top two advancing to the semi-finals before the final on June 29.
Group winners
My group winners in the order of prices……
South Africa for Group D at 8/13. I wouldn’t be taking that price as a single. Their most likely challengers are Sri Lanka.
Australia will win Group B, at 9/10 with SportingIndex, ahead of England. I’d be taking that.
West Indies will win Group C in front of New Zealand, at 7/4 with betway.
Pakistan will win Group A ahead of India, at 13/5 with betfair.
Go on, let’s have a go at the group winners four-fold, which Paddy Power have available at 23.86/1.
Individual success
I will give you four top-team batter bets for this tournament and two top bowlers. All of these are with bet365.
The first, with the ball, is for Shaheen Shah Afridi to be Pakistan’s top bowler at 2/1. He’s in sensational form at the moment.
I like opener Brandon King to be the West Indies top batter at 5/2.
I took a look at the list of leading run-scorers in T20I cricket through 2024 the other day, and he’s not that high up the list. But only because he’s not played much.
He has scored 217 in five matches at 43.40.
Quinton de Kock would be my pick to be South Africa’s top bat at the same 5/2 price, while Phil Salt is 11/4 to be England’s top bat.
bet365 also have Daryl Mitchell at a juicy 9/2 to top the charts for New Zealand. He can achieve that from the middle order in a team who I’d be surprised to see reach the semi-finals.
And, finally, Jofra Archer is 5/1 to be England’s top bowler. Yes, he might miss the odd game for workload management, but in fairness that will probably be the case with most bowlers in the competition.
Home heroes final bound?
Before you think, ‘This man’s crazy’, no I don’t think the USA will reach the final.
It’s the West Indies who could well be the ones to make June 29 in Barbados one heck of a party. They look such a dangerous side to me, and their price of 4/1 on them to reach the final, available with LiveScoreBet amongst others, is one I’d be seriously considering.
For the more adventurous amongst you, how about naming the two finalists? Bet365 are offering 14/1 on Australia and West Indies to reach the showpiece. That’s enticing.
Proteas power and putting the Win in WIndies
I remember tipping South Africa to hit the highest total of the 50-over World Cup in India just before Christmas, and they brought home the bacon for us by scoring 428-5 in a match against Sri Lanka.
Well, they are a decent price to do the same again at this tournament.
They are 15/2 with bet365 to post the highest team total of the event.
Another team who could achieve that feat are the West Indies. They are 10/1 with the same firm. Why not have a couple of quid on both.
Brandon King could become King Brandon
If Brandon King brings home my final bet of this preview, he would be seen as royalty in my eyes.
Before that, I’m going to go for Mitchell Starc of Australia to be the leading wicket-taker in the tournament. He’s 12 away from 200 in his T20 career (not just internationals) and looked to be finding form towards the end of the IPL with champions Kolkata Knight Riders.
He claimed five wickets in his last two games, and the left-arm quick could well lead Australia to glory.
He’s 14/1 with BetMGM to be the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.
I also like West Indies opener Brandon King at 25/1 with the same company to be the top tournament run-scorer.
Going for the favourites in these markets is no fun, and in-form opener King is some way down the pecking order despite recent scores of 79, 36 and 44 in their warm-up series win over South Africa.
He’s worth siding with at short stakes given he looks quite significantly overpriced.
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