Who will win the T20 World Cup in 2024? How will England fare? Who will be the top wicket-taker and top run-scorer? And can co-hosts USA wow the watching world?
We asked Sky Sports Cricket STuart Broad, Eoin Morgan, Mark Butcher, Ian Ward and former Pakistan captain Urooj Mumtaz all contributed their predictions, including who will lift the trophy in Barbados after the final on June 29.
Watch the opening match of the T20 World Cup, USA vs Canada in Dallas, live on Sky Sports Cricket Matches will kick off at 1am on Sunday (first ball 1.30am) while defending champions England will open their season against Scotland in Barbados on Tuesday 4 June (first ball 3.30pm).
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The Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be played in the West Indies and the United States, will be broadcast live on Sky Sports from June 2-29.
Who will win the World Cup?
Stuart Broad: It’s been one of the toughest tournaments to pick for a while now. England, India, the West Indies on home soil and South Africa are the four teams to watch… and finally… South African time.
Eoin Morgan: India are the absolute favourites to win. They have a great depth of squad. I also think England have a very strong chance, and Australia will know how to win when it comes time for the World Cup. They are my favourites.
Ian Ward: I think this is a big tournament for India.. They performed brilliantly in the 50-over World Cup last year but missed out on winning it, so that is their biggest challenge.
Mark ButcherI think England have a great chance. I think they could win it. And I’m not just being patriotic here. One player can’t make that much of a difference, especially now that Jofra Archer is back in the team, but he has.
Urooj Mumtaz: It’s always hard to ignore Australia, I think they’ll probably win the trophy a little better than the others.
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Highlights from England’s seven-wicket win against Pakistan at Kear Oval, the final match before the T20 World Cup.
What will England do?
Broadly: They are the defending T20 champions. Obviously the 50-over World Cup was a disappointment, but the formats are very different. In ODIs you need about six players to play well, whereas in T20 you only need a few players to perform well and England have players like Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer who have the natural talent to win matches.
Morgan: They will have learnt a lot from their ODI World Cup experience. They have admitted they made mistakes along the way and have since rectified that, both in terms of consistency in selection and clarity of message of what they are trying to do. Expectations are still very high, which is natural given the quality they have.
Ward: Simply put, I think they have to be in the last four. That’s the bare minimum, given the talent in the team. They are fully capable of winning it again… but they need to see everyone pulling in the same direction, which wasn’t the case in the 50-over World Cup last year.
Mumtaz: I think England have a good team and a lot of players in good form, I don’t know if they’ll finish in the top four or top two.
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Commentator Andrew Leonard believes the United States has the potential to become the best associate nation in world cricket.
What can we expect from co-host USA?
Broadly: “I think it’s really exciting that one of cricket’s most iconic matches, India v Pakistan, will be played in New York. It’s a special occasion and we want to grow the game as much as possible around the world.”
Morgan: They are a good team and will fly under the radar. There is an element of “unknown” that works in their favor. If they can get their first win, it will give them a lot of confidence going into their opener against Canada. They have a great story.
Mumtaz: An India-Pakistan match is a big hit anywhere, but playing it in New York will make it a global hit, as it will attract and inspire a new audience. As for the US team, their recent performances have been phenomenal, including two wins over Bangladesh. Listening to the comments from the US camp, it is clear that they are looking to pull off a surprise.
butcher: All eyes will be on the India vs Pakistan match in New York. Ticket prices will be extortionate. If the match performs to the best in that part of the world, then of course it will open up new markets.
Ward: I never thought we’d see cricket in Dallas! The stadium is amazing. The Americans know how to put on a show. They just beat Bangladesh so they can win a couple of games and grab some attention. That’s basically why it’s in the US, right?
All-rounder Asmatullah Omarzai is one of the many talented players in the Afghanistan national team.
Which team is most likely to pull off an upset?
Broadly: Afghanistan is by no means a weakling now, as they have a number of players who are capable of winning, and if they continue to produce this level of talent in the future, we will see them compete for the championship.
Morgan: I have heard a lot of good things about Nepal. And looking at it from a different perspective, I am looking at two teams who could be the shock winners of this tournament… West Indies and Pakistan. As co-hosts, the only thing they are lacking a bit is the seam department, but Pakistan can never be ignored. They can always go head to head and beat anyone.
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Speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Leonard said there was huge potential for cricket to grow in Nepal.
butcher: There are always shocks. The T20 format brings the teams closer together. There are more and more shocks happening in the World Cup, unless it happens to England. I think Nepal definitely have the ability to cause an upset.
I think the West Indies are a bit of a mystery as a team that could turn things around. They have a very strong batting line-up. I expect the home crowd to come out and support them and put in a great performance. I think they will be a strong team in this tournament.
Ward: Ireland have proven they can beat the best teams on a regular basis and it will be exciting to see how far countries like Nepal and Oman can take them.
India’s Jasprit Bumrah will be the highest wicket-taker
Most Wicket Takers
Broadly: Jasprit Bumrah. He’s a real threat with the ball.
Morgan: I am leaning towards a spinner and as I think the wicket will spin and probably slow down, I will go for Ravindra Jediya.
Mumtaz: It’s hard to ignore Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mitchell Starc, both of whom bowl in the powerplay and have the swing and incredible wicket-taking ability, while in terms of spin, Rashid Khan would also be a contender.
butcher: I don’t expect much from Jasprit Bumrah ahead of him, but I would expect Jofra Archer to also feature in the order.
Ward: I would like to pick a spinner but I think Adil Rashid or Adam Zampa will play a big role, but I don’t think you can ignore Jasprit Bumrah.
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Check out Jos Buttler’s finest moments as he scored 84 off 51 balls, hitting eight fours and three sixes, against Pakistan at Edgbaston last month.
Top scorers
Broadly: I would pick Jos Buttler.
Morgan: Jos Buttler. He has been outstanding in recent franchise tournaments and will be expected to lead from the front.
Mumtaz: It’s hard to ignore Jos Buttler, Babar Azam will be up there too, Travis Head is in top form and then there’s the GOAT, Virat Kohli – one of those four.
butcher: Expect Jos Buttler to play a great game, Virat Kohli has been impressive in the IPL and South Africa’s Heinrich Klaassen could be one of the most influential players.
Ward: An opener, or at least someone in the top three. England would like to see Jos Buttler as an opener. He is England’s best ever white-ball batsman and his runs are very important for the team. Then maybe Travis Head from South Africa or Heinrich Klaassen.
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Sunrisers Hyderabad have scored an IPL record total of 287 runs this season, will their batting side dominate in the T20 World Cup or will the bowlers fight back?
What’s happening at the tournament?
Broadly: I don’t think the scores will be as extreme as they have been in the IPL, where some of the batting has been really good, and in the Caribbean I think we’ll see some bowlers who bowl to the pitch, some cross-seamers and some slightly slower bowlers, like we did in 2010 when we won there.
Morgan: The high-scoring trend in the IPL was probably the most dramatic in a long time. It was conspicuous. The bowlers had no answer to the way the batsmen were hitting the ball. But I see this World Cup as redemption for the bowlers, as the pitches helped them recalibrate their game in their own way.
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Eoin Morgan, Naser Hussain and Urooj Mumtaz join Ian Ward to discuss dream T20 World Cup XI
butcher: As always in international tournaments, bowlers will have a big say despite the fact that they may disappear from the field – there are so many quality bowlers in these teams that it’s hard not to be the case.
Ward: The slow-ball bouncer proved effective when England won the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean in 2010. What I am very interested to see is what tactics the bowlers can employ this time around to put them on an even playing field, as they are struggling.
You can watch every match of the Men’s T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports from 2 to 29 June. England will take on Scotland in Barbados on Tuesday 4 June (kickoff 3.30pm), while Ireland will face India in New York on Wednesday 5 June (also at 3.30pm).
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