India will start training today for prepare their super 8 match against Afghanistan in Barbados. The match will be critical as both team India and Afghanistan teams will be adapting to the conditions in Barbados for the first time. As Nassau county Ground in New York, where India played their three games, the Kensington oval pitch should be batting-friendly and with no dew in the equation, the spinners too, could come useful.
INDIA SUPER 8 SCHEDULE
20TH JUNE 2024 VS AFGHANISTAN AT BARBADOS 8:00 PM
22TH JUNE 2024 VS BANGLADESH AT ANTIGUA 8:00 PM
24TH JUNE 2024 VS AUSTRALIA AT ST. LUCIA 8:00 PM
It’s interested to see weather India stick to the four-pacer theory or drop Mohammed Siraj, whose form has been lightly variable, and play with Kuldeep Yadav as the third spinner. Rathour kept the options open when he said:” We need to be a flexible team. We need to look at the conditions that are in front of us and be ready to deal with those. We will react to what we get on that day and we have the resources to deal with any condition,” Rathour told.
India to hit nets today in Barbados to prepare for super 8 tie against Afghanistan
We are into what matters most— the super-8 in the West Indies. Two teams going ahead from the group– Rohit Sharma’s boys should be there in Guyana for the semi-final on 27th June 2024.
Virat Kohli continues his streak of low scores (image: Sky Sports)
India has made it to the Super-8 stage of the T20 World Cup. To no one’s surprise, the Men in Blue have topped their group, winning all completed games. Despite all Virat Kohli lacking form still remains to be of major concern for India.
Playing in the difficult tracks of the USA, batting conditions have not been easy, and the Indian batting lineup has also faced serious trouble. In the second match of the World Cup against rival Pakistan, Indian batters struggled early and throughout as they could manage 119 runs in their innings.
Though India has won all matches, they have failed to show dominance due to the lack of proliferation in their batting. Bumrah and Pandya led them to a win against Pakistan, defending a very low total, while Suryakumar and Dube rescued India against a heavily dominating USA in a low chase of 111 runs.
(image credit: India Today)
But despite India’s efforts, one major concern for India has been their batting front. The lower-order batters have not had much of an opportunity except against Pakistan, in which they failed badly.
On the other hand, the middle order has been far better, especially with Rishabh Pant’s subtle dominance with the bat, and even SKY and Dube have stepped in whenever the Men in Blue needed it.
However, the major concern for India has been the lack of touch for their two openers, skipper Rohit Sharma and veteran batter Virat Kohli. The Indian skipper has still shown some touch as he has a bit of a run, with Kohli scoring 5 runs in 3 games, averaging just 1.67.
No one is unaware of Virat’s stunning calibre in the shortest format of the game, as the legend has redefined modern cricket by scoring 4000+ runs in the shortest format. He has been India’s highest run scorer even in the last T20 World Cup back in Australia in 2022.
Much was anticipated that Kohli would continue his stunning form from the 2023 World Cup in India and the IPL 2024 into the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA. However, Kohli has failed to absolutely star in the front, as he was given the crucial role of an opener.
1 against Ireland, 4 against Pakistan, and a golden duck against the USA. This is not what defines the Indian Great, and hence his form has been a major cause of debate. India would hence consider demoting him down the order to his casual position of No. 3, where he fits in the best in the squad.
India's Batting coach said – "Actually, it's good that Virat Kohli is more hungrier now. He is really keen to do well and really switched on. Looking forward to some good games & we've watched some good innings from him in this T20 World Cup 2024". (Star Sports). pic.twitter.com/LiK0ZzbZ6f
If a change in position can revive the form of the Indian veteran, then this would be his last chance against Afghanistan; otherwise, the great would be replaced by any player, as such a tournament cannot be continued by a player with such inconsistent form.
Restoring his form would be a major focus for the veteran, not only for individual glory but also for the benefit of the entire team, as India’s further progress in the tournament would depend upon India’s run machine, Virat Kohli.
All teams of the T20 World Cup Super-8 (image: myKhel)
The T20 World Cup has seen many major twists in this edition of the game. The United States is hosting such a major contest for the first time in the history of the game.
Several heavyweight sides face sheer competition and resistance at the hands of several newbies. Scotland, despite losing, put on a dominant show against major sides like England and Australia. However, the two biggest upsets have come in the form of the early exit of Pakistan and World Cup maestro New Zealand.
The Pakistan side was left behind in Group A as the hosts, the USA, put on a stunning show to head ahead into the Super-8s. Then again, a confident Afghanistan side also went on to give the Kiwis a thrashing win early on in the tournament and earn a spot in the Super-8.
Let’s take a closer look at the top 8 teams that made it into the second group stage games of the T20 World Cup 2024.
Group A:
India from Group A, Australia from Group B, Afghanistan from Group C, and Bangladesh from Group D are placed in Group A of the Super-8 stage.
INDIA [8/10]– India was not very fluent in their batting innings in all the group-stage games they featured in, especially the failure of their veteran batter Virat Kohli, which has been a major concern to the side. However, Indian bowlers have played a major role in their success as they restricted Ireland, the United States, and even Asian arch-rivals Pakistan from chasing a low total of 120 against them. They are the most probable favorites to take a stride into the semifinals.
AFGHANISTAN [9/10] Afghans are after the Men in Blue, the topmost side, who have seen major success with the ball, and their bowlers have performed consistently. The skipper, though, was proud of the impact of his batters, yet as the tournament proceeds in the States, bowlers will be seen playing a major role.
Australia [8/10]: The World Cup champions have been unstoppable in all formats of the game since 2023, with their tournament winning streak starting with the World Test Championship, where they won against India, and also caused a major upset to the host as they lifted the ODI World Cup against India in their own land later in the same year.
Though they have predominantly featured in the grounds of the Windies Islands and have faced better batting tracks, it can still be easily said that they have been the best batting unit of the World Cup, and with a top-loaded batting order, they will remain to be the favorites for the Cup.
Aussies depend on their experinced bowlers (image: Al Jazeera)
BANGLADESH [6/10]: It seems that the Bengal Tigers are probably the weakest limbs in the Super-8, and it is likely that in this group they will be looked upon by all to secure their first win. As of yet, the Bangladeshi side has also bowled well under all conditions of play, led by senior Mustafizur Rehman alongside T. Sakib.
The United States of America from Group A, England from Group B, the West Indies from Group C, and South Africa from Group D are placed in Group B of the Super-8 stage.
USA [7/10]– The United States are a surprise package, and they have performed captivatingly well in the tournament. Players of mixed descent have all performed together for the States, and their bowlers have led their way into the Super-8 alongside batter Aaron Jones.
England [6/10]: The defending champions faced some early trouble as they faced defeat at the hands of Australia, and their match against Scotland got washed off early. Jos Buttler’s side whipped off criticism and went into the Super-8 by dominating their performance against Oman and Namibia, thus leaving behind Scotland on run-rate.
Buttler-led England will look to dominate in the Super-8, especially with their major experience in ICC tournaments. Despite all this, they are no longer the most probable defending champions, as their capability to resist a title snatch seems very likely.
West Indies [8/10]: The Windies makes the group the most heavily contested group, as the co-hosts have been quite balanced performers with both bat and ball, rescuing themselves from times of severe threats. The Windies have always been favorites when it comes to T20, and so be they now, as Nicolas Pooran, Russell, Hosein, and others lead the way for the men from the Caribbean Ring of Fire.
(image: Firstpost)
South Africa [6/10]: The Proteas, after losing the World Cup semi-final to Australia, have now again made it to the Super-8 stage. However, nothing seemed to be going on their part as they narrowly won against Nepal and Bangladesh by just a run. So though the proteas have qualified to the next level, no level of dependability can be anticipated from them.
De Bruyne and Lukaku hurling hopes for the European Red Devils (image : The Mirror)
Belgium have left out their immensely experienced set of players behind and has advanced to the Euros undefeated in the qualifiers. A new unit under Domenico Tedesco will be in the hunt for Euro, with their senior pros leading the young talents and being their torchbearers.
Belgium will miss the services of several legendary players of the so-called Golden Era of Belgian football. Eden Hazard, Dries Mertens, and Alderweireld are no longer part of the Belgian side, and in their absence, the exuberance of the youngsters can lead the way for the Red Devils.
However, if experience and form are what it takes for a team to gather confidence, then Manchester City dynamo KDB brings it along single-handedly. The Belgian pro footballer, despite early injuries, has never seemed to be low on morale since his return.
De Bruyne returned to Manchester City after recovering from his leg injury and went on to deliver 18 assists and 5 goals in all competitions in a total of 18 appearances. All these stats are served by the star midfielder from the position of attacking midfield while in Manchester City colors. With a much more promising role as a forward line player, the maestro is expected to give a commendable performance for the Red Devils.
De Bruyne in action for Man City (image: The Japan Times)
The one who is most elated by De Bruyne’s form would be Belgium’s first-choice, immovable forward, Romelu Lukaku. Though his season at the Serie A didn’t go just as well as De Bruyne’s in the PL, the big Belgian is more of a beast in his national jersey.
Undoubtedly, Lukaku is one of the finest finishers of the generation, though his abilities were lacking in the 2022 World Cup. Yet Lukaku is always in the hunt for perfect balls inside the D-box, and then it is his game, and his chemistry with an unfailing De Bruyne can once again restore high standards for Belgian football.
Vertonghen will also find Alex Whitsel, who came back from international retirement just to restore Belgium’s midfield honor in Euro 2024. Alongside them lie the high traders at PL, which include Aston Villa star Youri Tielmans and Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard.
The most interesting set would be the young sprouts of immense talent for Tedesco to choose from. Arthur Vermeeren, the 19-year-old, with his prolific skills, marked his recent move to Atletico Madrid. Openda enjoyed himself with RB Leipzig, while Doku accepted widespread praise and accomplishment with his debut season 17 goal involvements at the Citizens club in the Premier League.
The two most thrilling and surprising choices by the Belgian boss came when he left out the in-form Batshuayi to include Bakayoko in the role of a second striker alongside the Milan star. Also, Belgium’s biggest possible aid, Thibaut Courtois, was left out by Tedesco as their clash seemed to fuel his ego, and this will remain a concern, especially for the Belgian defense, as the Belgian has always been an impenetrable wall in the Belgian half.
Bellingham leads England to a manageable victory (image: Border Counties Advertiser)
England are probably the biggest favourites of Euro 2024, as it is often said that anything less than emerging as the Euro 2024 champions would be considered a failure by Southgate’s side. England kicked off their Euro 2024 campaign on Sunday, taking over Serbia, who seemed quite a challenging opponent. Very soon in the first half, England’s most trustworthy performer and recent sensation, Jude Bellingham, gave Southgate’s side the lead they desired.
Walker strolled in with the ball before passing it on to Bukayo Saka, and the Arsenal forward never seemed to let it go as he set up a perfect cross in for the first goal, only for Bellingham to head it in.
However, despite the Premier League heroes giving their all-time best performance, England could not advance over the firm start they got in the first 45 minutes. Though Bellingham, Saka, and Walker continued to pose continuous threats to the opposition, Stones, Trippier, Foden, and Kane kept losing possession and never seemed to grip the game.
In the second half, Serbia looked far more dominant, as even Saka seemed silent while Foden performed far below his expected high standards. Another star who hid among the shady clouds was the English center-back Guehi, who put on a stellar effort to manmark the Serbian striker Mitrovic.
(image credit: Yahoo Sports)
The second half seemed far more defensive for Southgate’s side as he took off his attacking players, and even Kane was seen in the Serbian half heading off a clearance that denied Serbia an obvious goal.
Trippier never seemed to be in the groove alongside Alexander-Arnold, who seemed unfit in the new role of a playmaking midfielder. Late forward line changes also never seemed to affect England’s scoreline, as they failed to create any impact coming so late in the game.
However, despite a shaky victory, England would remain the most likely team to lift the Euro 2024.
Amir, Imad and Shaheen stop Ireland to 106, but middle-order collapse comes back to haunt them before captain sees ship home
As Pakistan T20 world cup team quickly went about damaging Ireland with the help of their pacers. Pakistan have hit such depths at T20 World cup 2024 that things could go up. But during their chase of 107 yesterday, at 62/6, new lows were in sight before skipper Babar Azam, who kept getting rebuked for his slow approach, played a characteristic knock, dropping anchor to oversee a stormy period and take the team home.
Three-wicket win at Florida, in this unimportant fixture said everything about Pakistan in the shortest format of cricket. After playing Caribbean premier League they arrived at the world cup which was supposed to give them an edge, but Pakistan are now headed back to home, without even getting a chance to set foot on the Caribbean islands.
A late strike from Weghorst leads the Netherlands to a rescue win against Poland (image: Flashscore.com)
The Dutch took on a slightly weak Polish side as they played against the Oranje without their star player, Lewandowski. From the game’s first minutes, the Dutchmen seemed unstoppable as they took a commanding stride forward in the beginning stages.
The EPL experts laid the Dutch, including Manchester City defender Nathan Ake and Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo. However, Ronald Koeman’s side lay behind as Adam Buksa headed home a cross from a Polish corner.
(image: Sky Sports)
Their lead didn’t last long as the Liverpool forward broke through the Polish defence line and took a 20-yard strike that went in past the Polish goalkeeper Szczesny.
However, despite the early momentum gained, the star-studded Koeman’s side did not keep up with it, as Gakpo, Dumfries, Depay, and the centre-backs missed several chances to score, and the match kept slipping towards the ending minutes.
The failure of Simmons and Depay was questioned, and so was Koeman for not sending in Weghorst and Frimpong even after being left behind for such a long period. The absence of Frenkie De Jong was severely felt, as the Dutch were miserable in the midfield.
It was in the last 10 minutes that Koeman finally called the ex-Manchester United striker into the game, and he immediately made an impact with his first-touch finish. This, in turn, added to his status as a tournament specialist.
Bajrami reduced the previous Euros record which was fastest goal of 67 seconds by Dmitri Kirichenko of Russia against Greece in year 2004.
Albania’s Nedium Bajrami put his side ahead after in 23 seconds in their opening Euro 2024 versus Italy on Saturday for the fastest goal ever scored at a European Championship. However Italy gave back quickly response to equalise the score through Bastoni in the 11th minutes before Nicolo Barella put the Azzurri ahead in the 16th minute of game.
Before three years ago among the list of fastest ever goals at the tournament was Luke Shaw’s strike for England against Italy in the final of Euro 2020 at Wembley.
After just one minute and 56 seconds Luke Shaw netted for what remains the sixth-fastest ever at the competition. Italy won that final on penalties.
Football lovers are very excited due to UEFA Euro 2024 will begin today(15th June 2024) in evening(6.30 PM IST). Germany from Group A will play against Scotland in the opening match in Munich.We will watch world-class goals, stunning saves and extremely beautiful and delicate assists. We will also watch some famous players in their final ever major tournament for their country.
As per example Germany midfield talisman Toni Kroos has already announced his retirement just after Euro 2024.Similarly we are expected to see some other stars of football retirement too.
Here is the list of players who could retire after UEFA Euro 2024:
5.Manuel Neuer(Germany) :
German Goalkeeper turned 38 in March 2024 and Euro 2024 will expected to his last international game. He has not part of national team setup since world cup 2022, as he fractured his leg in holiday and was out of game for nearly one year. He won’t be playing every match at the Euros, with Marc-Andreter Stegen expected to start ahead of him.
4. Oliver Giroud
Oliver Giroud will retire from international game after Euro 2024.He played 13 years with France. In World cup 2022 he scored four goals and could even start for them in the Euros 2024.Even if he doesn’t start, he will be better option from the bench of France specially when France need a goal.
3. Luka Modric (Croatia)
IN recent times Luka Modric have become title contenders in international tournaments, specially since their runners-up finish in the world cup 2018.Once again they will be leading by midfield Modric. This may also be the Real Madrid star’s last tournament and Luka Modric will look to end it with an international trophy.
2. Toni Kroos(Germany)
In 2021,Toni Kroos had already retired from International football. But after talks with head coach Julian Nagelsmann he reversed his decision. He was a part in the world cup winning squad in 2014, and he will retiring from all forms of football after finishing Euro 2024.He will be key to Germany’s plans.
1.Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Cristiano Ronaldo 39-years-old will be playing at the Euros for a record sixth time. He has been in good goal scoring from in the Saudi pro League, and will continue in the Euros. It will highly likely that this will be his final tournament in international football career.
Kroos and Musiala dictate Germany's first outing of Euro 2024 (image: Football 365)
The much-awaited Euro 2024 is underway as the host nation, Germany, played the opening match against Scotland. This year’s Euro has several reasons to be specified as the most enthusiastic contest.
However, a good start doesn’t imply anything, especially in a highly competitive contest like Euro 2024. Yet the Germans dominated one-sidedly in their very first game, and this is a stellar start to their campaign as they not only found the back of the nets at regular intervals but also controlled the game in a near-perfect manner.
The Germans seemed to be back in the groove under their new boss, Nagelsmann. The lack of coordination in the last few years, which was against the spirit of German football, is now restored with their experienced ball keepers in the midfield and their agile forwards, who have quite a great short.
From the very first second of kick-off, the experienced Kroos and Gundogan kept the Scots under immense pressure as they made many forward runs to the unstoppable Musiala, who seemed impossible to intercept.
Their early efforts bore fruit, Wirtz swept off the opening goal from the edge of the penalty box. The game never seemed to slip off their grip as spectacular Musiala stepped up and found the back of the net with a terrific shot around the top corner.
(image: France 24)
Though not seen among the scorers, the real architects of Germany’s splendid game were midfielders Kroos and Gundogan. Toni Kroos went deep to connect the play between the two halves, while Gundogan was the ghost for the opposition, as he seemed invisible until found at the perfect playmaking position.
Both of them played vital roles in the first two goals before the German with the captain’s band earned a penalty for Havertz to also include in the scorer’s list.
Though the entire frontline of the German wing was very convincing, the Bayern winger seemed unstoppable forward runs and dribbles were left untouched by a herd of defenders. It would not be wrong to rate him a full 10 for his effort.
Alongside them, the second half seemed to have yellow magic as two Dortmund stars found the net, with Fullkrug and Can scoring late in the game. With only a single flaw from Rudiger’s own goal, the Germans found the nets of either side and ended the scoreline 5-1 in the tournament opener.
