T20 World Cup: Champions England and Australia braced for ‘great spectacle’

Who: Australia vs England
What: ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Group B match
When: Saturday, June 8, 1pm local time (17:00 GMT)
Where: Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
How to follow: Follow Al Jazeera’s live text coverage here.

After rain played spoilsport in their opening T20 World Cup match, defending champions England will be under pressure to seek a win against rivals Australia when they meet for their all-important Group B match at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

England and Scotland shared a point each after their match at the same venue was washed out on Tuesday. Jos Buttler’s side, aiming to become the first team to retain the trophy, looked below their best, allowing the Scots to race to 90-0 in 10 overs.

England are fourth in Group B with one point, while Australia are second with two points after beating Oman in their opener. The group is led by Scotland, who have three points from two games, while Namibia are third with two points from two games and Oman sit at the bottom after losing two games.

A defeat to ODI world champions Australia on Saturday could leave England’s Super Eight qualification in jeopardy, but batter Jonny Bairstow does not want the permutations to affect him.

“It doesn’t derail us either way,” Bairstow told reporters on Friday. “We know we’ve got to win more games than we lose in tournament cricket, that’s just part and parcel of it.

“A win puts you in a position in the group, but at the end of the day, the other two games [against Oman and Nambia] are must-win games anyway.

“It will be good for momentum and confidence [to beat Australia],” he added.

Bairstow described the contest between the Ashes rivals as “a great spectacle”.

“The guys have played against each other for a long time now, which in many ways is really exciting because you know each other’s games,” he said. “Hopefully it will be a fantastic atmosphere like it always is in Barbados.”

Australia ‘pumped’ for England face-off

Australia had a shaky start in their match against Oman before all-rounder Marcus Stoinis shone with the bat and ball as they recorded a comfortable 39-run win.

Captain Mitchell Marsh said his side felt a bit nervous in that game, but were happy with the win and looking forward to Saturday’s clash with familiar foes England.

Marsh expects England fans to outnumber the Australians for the match at Barbados, jokingly adding that the atmosphere would be the same as Headingley in Leeds.

“I dare say this will be full and it’ll be mostly English fans so it’ll be like playing at Headingly all over or anywhere in England where you get sprayed,” Marsh said. “But just the atmosphere, the vibe of the game, there’s always a lot riding on it. And I think as a team we always want to challenge ourselves against the best.

“England have been exceptional in this format for a long period of time now, so there’s certainly going to be a lot on the game and we’re pumped.”

Head-to-head

Australia and England have played 23 T20 internationals, with England winning 11 games, Australia 10 and two contests ending in no result.

Form guide

Australia started their campaign with a win over Oman. Before the tournament, they played two series in February, celebrating a 3-0 series whitewash over trans-Tasman neighbours New Zealand and a 2-1 series win over the West Indies.

England’s first World Cup match with Scotland ended in no result after rain wrecked the contest. Before the tournament, England won 2-0 in a rain-affected four-match series against Pakistan.

Australia: W W W W L

England: W W L W W

Pitch and weather conditions

Kensington Oval has hosted four matches, all producing varied results. The first contest was a low-scoring match, the second was washed out, while the third and fourth fixtures saw targets in the region of 155-165.

Saturday’s match, which starts in the afternoon, will played on a new surface. Rain is forecast in the morning and around the match time.

Australia team news

Pat Cummins will return for this match after being rested against Oman. Mitchell Starc, who left the field in the last game with cramp, is expected to be fit.

Both players had a long stint in the Indian Premier League and played the final on May 26.

Squad: David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (captain), Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Ashton Agar, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis.

England team news

England do not have any injury concerns.

Squad: Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.