The fate of the co-hosts hang by the thread as the two teams clash in Barbados in a virtual eliminator. West Indies emerged unscathed out of what was perceived as the group of death, beating New Zealand and Afghanistan, but faltered in the first Super 8 game against England. USA went down against South Africa in Antigua but not before giving the Proteas a mighty scare on the back of a heroic 91-run stand between Andries Gous and Harmeet Singh for the sixth wicket. While West Indies start favorite against USA, Rovman Powell’s men wouldn’t want to count their chickens before they are hatched as USA have shown time and again the threatening side that they are.
West Indies would be without the services of their regular opener Brandon King atleast for the game against USA. Brandon King’s unavailability pose a pertinent challenge for the Windies. To add to their woes, the next man in would be facing a red hot Saurabh Netravalkar who’s having a time of his life in the tournament. The Windies opener would be wary of Netravalkar who is making quite a habit of making early inroads with his new ball spell. The opening act becomes all the more imperative for the Windies in order to unleash their battery of burgeoning power hitters after dodging the perils of the new ball.
Monank Patel’s unavailability at the top of the order brings in added responsibility for their most experienced batter, Steven Taylor. The south paw has been a shadow of himself in the tournament. He did show signs of returning to his menacing best with a quickfire 24 in the previous game but the onslaught was cut short with a soft dismissal, which has been his nemesis throughout his career. Before the start of USA’s campaign, there was an overwhelming feeling about USA’s fortunes relying heavily on Corey Anderson. Four games into the tournament, Anderson has failed to take centrestage with the bat. USA would hope for him to come to the party with their semi final spot on the line.
When: USA vs Westindies, June 21, 8.30 pm Local, 12.30 AM GMT (June 22), 6 AM IST (June 22)
Where: Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
What to expect:The skies are expected to be clear. This will be the 6th game of this world cup game at the Kensington Oval. Pitches here, have started to show signs of slowing down. It took Suryakumar Yadav’s brilliance for India to cross the 180-mark against Afghanistan, in what looked like a slightly sluggish Barbados wicket.
Team Watch:
USA
There has been no word from team management on the extent of Monank Patel’s injury. Time is running out for the captain to take charge of USA’s spirited campaign hitherto. Shayan Jahangir’s toil of 3 off 9 deliveries on the back of his first-ball duck against India may force the team management to mull a different batting option in the form of Milind Kumar.
Tactics & Matchups: Steven Taylor has openly stated of how he’d be ‘hunting’ his good friend Akeal Hossein first in the pre-match press conference. The textbook T20 match up right at the beginning of the innings promises to be a mouth watering contest between two entertaining cricketers. Taylor’s verbal volley just adds the flavour.
Probable XI: Monank Patel (captain) (wk), Steven Taylor, Andries Gous (wk), Nitish Kumar, Aaron Jones, Corey Anderson, Shayan Jahangir/Milind Kumar, Harmeet Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar
West Indies
Brandon King’s unavailability may enthuse the West Indies to try Shai Hope’s luck at the top of the order again. Opting for Hetmyer over Hope may also be an option for Powell but that would also mean sending a makeshift opener in a high stakes game.
Tactics & Matchups:
Harmeet Singh returned figures of 2 for 24 in an innings that saw the score soar to 194. He was able to keep the lid on a raging de Kock. He’d once again have his task cut out against an equally destructive left hander in Nicholas Pooran.
Probable XI: Johnson Charles, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Rovman Powell (captain), Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Shai Hope, Roston Chase
What they said:
” We did not execute our plans [against England] well enough. But in a tournament, there’s a game where the opposition will get the better of you. But that doesn’t mean you’re out of it. Now, in order to win, we’ve got to win all our matches. And that’s what we’ll focus on. We will leave this game in St. Lucia.” – Daren Sammy
“It’s a wonderful feeling. I’m representing my parents, my Jamaican heritage. At the end of the day, I might be born American but I speak more Jamaican than I speak American sometimes. So, it’s a great feeling playing against West Indies, growing up, watching Laras, Chris Gayles, all the big fans and to have the chance of playing against them now and in a World Cup stage.” – Steven Taylor
