Group B of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 is a blend of cricketing powerhouses and spirited associates. The group comprises the two most recent champions, England and Australia, along with the energetic teams of Namibia, Oman, and Scotland. The top two teams will advance to the Super 8s phase of the tournament.

While the spotlight will be on Australia and England, the potential of Namibia, Oman, and Scotland could lead to some surprising results.

Australia

Despite not reaching the final four in the 2022 T20 World Cup at home, Australia is considered a favorite in this edition. The team boasts a rich history in ICC events and features several players in top form with recent ICC success.

Squad

Mitchell 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

Fixtures

• Wednesday, 5 June 2024: v Oman, Barbados, 08:30 PM Local
• Saturday, 8 June 2024: v England, Barbados, 01:00 PM Local
• Tuesday, 11 June 2024: v Namibia, Antigua, 08:30 PM Local
• Saturday, 15 June 2024: v Scotland, St. Lucia, 08:30 PM Local

Watch out for

Travis Head has been Australia’s star performer in recent ICC tournaments, as demonstrated by his stellar performances during the ICC World Test Championship final and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup semi-final and final. With two ICC titles under his belt since June 2023, Head will be aiming for a hat-trick with his dynamic display on the field. His explosive form in the IPL, where he has scored over 500 runs at a strike rate just below 200, adds to his impressive repertoire.

England

The defending champions, England, will once again rely on their aggressive style of play that has served them well in the limited-overs format. The return of pace spearhead Jofra Archer is a significant boost to a squad that seems to have all the key bases covered.

Squad

Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood

Fixtures

• Tuesday, 4 June 2024: v Scotland, Barbados, 10:30 AM Local
• Saturday, 8 June 2024: v Australia, Barbados, 01:00 PM Local
• Thursday, 13 June 2024: v Oman, Antigua, 03:00 PM Local
• Saturday, 15 June 2024: v Namibia, Antigua, 01:00 PM Local

Watch out for

Mark Wood, despite not featuring in the business end of England’s successful 2022 campaign, left his mark on the tournament with his ability to unsettle opposition batters. His raw pace serves a dual purpose, extracting extra zip from the wicket and reducing the batter’s shot-making time, thereby affecting their shot selection.

Namibia

Namibia qualified for the T20 World Cup on the back of a stellar run at the Africa Regional Qualifier stage. They were undefeated in the tournament, securing wins over six teams including co-qualifiers Uganda and Test-playing Zimbabwe. The Eagles, who stunned Sri Lanka in the last edition of the T20 World Cup, will be aiming to repeat the feat in the upcoming event.

Squad

Gerhard Erasmus (c), Zane Green, Michael Van Lingen, Dylan Leicher, Ruben Trumpelmann, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, Tangeni Lungameni, Niko Davin, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, JP Kotze, David Wiese, Bernard Scholtz, Malan Kruger, PD Blignaut

Fixtures

• Sunday, 2 June 2024: v Oman, Barbados, 08:30 PM Local
• Thursday, 6 June 2024: v Scotland, Barbados, 03:00 PM Local
• Tuesday, 11 June 2024: v Australia, Antigua, 08:30 PM Local
• Saturday, 15 June 2024: v England, Antigua, 01:00 PM Local

Watch out for

David Wiese, since making his international comeback with Namibia, has been living the dream. The 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup will be his third consecutive tournament this decade, and the all-rounder will be eager to excel in all departments on the field. His aggressive batting approach and clever assortment of cutters and slower balls have served the Eagles well, and the burly all-rounder will look to light up Group B with his performances.

Oman

The sole Asian side in the group, Oman, carries a fair mix of tournament experience in their ranks. This will be their third appearance in the T20 World Cup, and the side would love to leave their mark with a good showing. Their opening encounter on 2 June against Namibia, a side they’ve defeated twice in the past, could set the tone for their tournament.

Squad

Aqib Ilyas (c), Zeeshan Maqsood, Kashyap Prajapati, Pratik Athavale, Ayaan Khan, Shoaib Khan, Mohammad Nadeem, Naseem Khushi, Mehran Khan, Bilal Khan, Rafiullah, Kaleemullah, Fayyaz Butt, Shakeel Ahmad, Khalid Kail. Reserves: Jatinder Singh, Samay Shrivastava, Sufyan Mehmood, Jay Odedra

Fixtures

• Sunday, 2 June 2024: v Namibia, Barbados, 08:30 PM Local
• Wednesday, 5 June 2024: v Australia, Barbados, 08:30 PM Local
• Sunday, 9 June 2024: v Scotland, Antigua, 01:00 PM Local
• Thursday, 13 June 2024: v England, Antigua, 03:00 PM Local

Watch out for

Captain Aqib Ilyas, a solid top-order batter and a top-draw spinner, will be key to Oman’s hopes in the T20 World Cup. Although a newly appointed leader, the presence of former captain, Zeeshan Maqsood, in the squad means that the all-rounder will have plenty of support on the field. Aqib’s captaincy tenure has seen his numbers improve, with the batter averaging 42.5 at a strike-rate of 158.38, from his seven games.

Scotland

Richie Berrington’s Scotland boasts a number of players with substantial global T20 cricket experience. They will aim to leverage this knowledge in their group encounters in the West Indies. The Scots have a proud cricketing history, which includes defeating neighbouring rivals England in ODI cricket in 2018. Their meeting on 4 June in Barbados will be the first-ever in T20I format, and Berrington’s side would be thrilled to replicate a similar result to kickstart their campaign.

Squad

Richie Berrington (c), Matthew Cross, Brad Currie, Chris Greaves, Oli Hairs, Jack Jarvis, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Charlie Tear, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal

Fixtures

• Tuesday, 4 June 2024: v England, Barbados, 10:30 AM Local
• Thursday, 6 June 2024: v Namibia, Barbados, 03:00 PM Local
• Sunday, 9 June 2024: v Oman, Antigua, 01:00 PM Local
• Saturday, 15 June 2024: v Australia, St. Lucia, 08:30 PM Local

Watch out for

Left-arm spinner Mark Watt has been Scotland’s go-to bowler for some time now. The tweaker makes good use of the crease, varying his delivery point depending on the batter and match situation, and fluctuates his speeds to keep the opponent guessing. His spinning darters have stood up well against famed opponents, as showed against Sri Lanka and West Indies in last year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe.