Crucial Cricket Showdown Looms Under Dark Skies in Florida
However, USA have shown that if they press on with the fervour with which they have played their cricket in the past 3 months, a washout may after all be superfluous. How USA kept India on the leash for the majority of the run chase on Wednesday speaks volumes of the force they are turning out to be. USA look firm favourites over a beleaguered Ireland, languishing at the bottom of the table after a thrashing by India and a shock loss against Canada.
The two nations squared off against each other at the same venue in December 2021 and shared the honours once all in a 2 match T20I series. USA sent shockwaves with a 26-run win over full members Ireland more than 2 years back, the fact that they now start as favourites is a sporting fairytale that has gripped the cricketing world.
When:14 June 2024 | 10.30 AM local time | 14:30 GMT (June 14) | 8 PM IST (June 14)
Where: Central Broward Park, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
What to expect: The track in Fort Lauderdale has been a batsman's paradise in its short international history. However, it will be under covers for more than 72 hours leading up to the game. Expect a soft and damp surface for the game in addition to overcast conditions, in what is rapidly turning out to be a bowler's world cup.
Team watch:
USA:
After dropping Nostush Kenjige from the eleven, the USA employed only pace men to deliver all of their 18.2 overs against India, deciding against introducing Harmeet in the India game. With the conditions at hand expect the USA to go with the same attack in this crunch game. There hasn't been any word from the team management about captain Monank Patel's availability.
Probable XI: Monank Patel (captain) (wk), Steven Taylor, Andries Gous, Aaron Jones (vice-captain), Corey Anderson, Nitish Kumar, Jasdeep Singh, Harmeet Singh, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan
Ireland:
Andrew Balbirnie, Ireland's man for all seasons has endured a torrid run in his last 5 outings for Ireland. Not someone to be kept quiet for long, Balbirnie would be itching to make a mark on the world stage, especially after his match-winning 77 against Pakistan in May.
Probable XI: Paul Stirling (captain), Andrew Balbirnie, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Benjamin White, Josh Little, Mark Adair, Gareth Delany, Barry McCarthy
What they said:
It's something that we've all been thinking about after beating Pakistan. It'll be a dream come true to go to the next round. Especially the Super Eight would be the first time it's happened as well. But at the end of the day, it's close. Until the next World Cup event is, we're [going] all out. - USA batter Steven Taylor on their prospects of qualifying into the Super 8s.
I think for us our objective is still to qualify for the next round. However we need to do that, I'm sure we'll be pretty clear leading into tomorrow how we need to do that. I think it's a fair point about objective A being winning the match but at the end of the day we are not here to try and scrape by teams, we are here to try and qualify for the next round. If that means that we have to go out there and put in a big performance with bat and ball, then so be it. I think that'll definitely be our mindset. - Irish all-rounder Mark Adair on their qualification chances.
