Bridgetown (Barbados), June 5 – With the World Test Championship mace and the 50-over World Cup trophy already in their possession, Australia is poised to begin their quest to become the first team to simultaneously hold all three major cricket titles. The journey starts as they face Oman in their T20 World Cup opener.
To achieve this historic feat, Australia will rely on their vast experience, with several of their greatest modern-era players preparing for their international farewells. The T20 trophy had long evaded Australia until their maiden title win in 2021. However, they failed to progress from the league stage on home soil a year later.
Under newly appointed captain Mitchell Marsh, who will be a key player batting at No. 3, Australia boasts no shortage of match-winners. Travis Head, in red-hot form and a star performer in both the WTC final and ODI World Cup final, will also be crucial. Australia may experiment during the group stage to identify their best XI, with leg-spinner Adam Zampa and left-arm spinner Ashton Agar expected to play pivotal roles. The reliable pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood will lead the bowling attack.
Oman, having lost their opening game to Namibia in a Super Over, must see better performances from their batters to challenge the mighty Australians.
Squads:
- Australia: Mitch Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
- Oman: Aqib Ilyas (c), Zeeshan Maqsood, Ayaan Khan, Kashyap Prajapati, Shoaib Khan, Mohammad Nadeem, Pratik Athavale, Naseem Khushi, Khalid Kail, Mehran Khan, Bilal Khan, Kaleemullah, Fayyaz Butt, Shakeel Ahmad, Rafiullah.
Match starts at 6 am IST.
Pakistan Aims to Overcome Off-Field Drama Against USA
Last edition’s runners-up Pakistan will face co-hosts USA in the day’s other match. On paper, the Babar Azam-led side appears to be the outright favorite. However, Pakistan’s recent form suggests a tougher challenge. They lost a T20I in Ireland, suffered a 0-2 defeat in England, and drew 2-2 at home with New Zealand’s weakened squad.
The run-up to the tournament has been chaotic with changes in captaincy, top-order shuffling, and players coming out of retirement. Babar Azam was reinstated as captain after Shaheen Afridi briefly held the role. Babar and Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan’s most consistent T20 performers, have struggled with strike rates. Pakistan’s fiery pace department, including Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Mohammad Amir, will be crucial.
USA, buoyed by their seven-wicket win against Canada, will be looking to build on their momentum.
Squads:
- Pakistan: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
- USA: Monak Patel, Shayan Jahangir, Andries Gous, Nitish Kumar, Steven Taylor, Harmeet Singh, Corey Anderson, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Jessy Singh, Saurabh Netravalkar, Nosthush Kenjige.
Match starts at 9 pm IST.
PNG Takes on Uganda
In the third match of the day, Papua New Guinea will face Uganda. PNG put up a strong show against the West Indies, nearly upsetting the two-time champions. Led by Assad Vala, PNG will fancy their chances against Uganda, who are making their T20 World Cup debut and suffered a heavy loss to Afghanistan in their opener.
Squads:
- Papua New Guinea: Assadollah Vala, CJ Amini, Alei Nao, Chad Soper, Hila Vare, Hiri Hiri, Jack Gardner, John Kariko, Kabua Vagi Morea, Kipling Doriga, Lega Siaka, Norman Vanua, Sema Kamea, Sese Bau, Tony Ura.
- Uganda: Brian Masaba, Simon Ssesazi, Roger Mukasa, Cosmas Kyewuta, Dinesh Nakrani, Fred Achelam, Kenneth Waiswa, Alpesh Ramjani, Frank Nsubuga, Henry Ssenyondo, Bilal Hassun, Robinson Obuya, Riazat Ali Shah (vc), Juma Miyaji, Ronak Patel.
