Former Australia Test captain Tim Paine spoke about Australia’s preparation for the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2024. He also spoke about Australia’s regret over England’s qualification for the second leg of the tournament.
The Australian cricket team is on the track for the T20 World Cup 2024. The Mitchell Marsh-led team played sensational cricket in the league stage, winning all the games and entering the Super 8 stage of the tournament in the Caribbean unbeaten .
Australia then started the Super 8 stage of the tournament on a high, defeating Bangladesh to make a strong case for the next stage. With the type of cricket they have played, they looked like favorites for the title, which they won in 2021 in the United Arab Emirates. Australia has all the bases covered. Every player has stepped up at some point and helped the team win.
Tim Paine said Australia has been preparing quite well for spin as they know the courts during the Super 8 stage of the tournament will offer spin. He revealed that even during the IPL, the Australian players were preparing for the turnaround to be ready for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Speaking on SEN, he explained:
“I think all the teams we are going to meet in the Super 8 stage have good effects. So it’s going to be a challenge for us, but yesterday I heard Tim David speak and say that they have been preparing for This is not just because they were in the West Indies, but the individuals have been preparing to do a lot of touring when they are in India for the IPL.
“Even guys like Matthew Wade who weren’t playing got that kind of feedback that, hey, we’re going to get crushed with spin at some point in this tournament. We need to be ready. So all the guys have been working extremely hard.” I’ve been told a lot about his effects game. So I expect us to combat it pretty well, but I would suggest that’s what we’ll see in these Super 8s. We’ve got Bangladesh, we’ve got Afghanistan and we’ve got India. So I would expect us to potentially face up to 15 overs of spin per game.” .
I thought, missed opportunity: Tim Paine on Australia’s victory against Scotland to help England qualify
England’s qualification for the T20 World Cup depended on Australia. Mitchell Marsh’s side needed to defeat Scotland to make way for the defending champions in the Super 8. Before the match, Josh Hazlewood said Australia would do everything they could to block England’s path.
But that was not to be the case as they defeated Scotland and gave way to England, who have since been in sensational form in the ongoing T20 World 2024.
Tim Paine admitted that the way England played against the West Indies in Super 8, he thought Australia missed the chance to eliminate the defending champions. He believes that the team led by Jos Buttler will be a threat to any team in the tournament and it will not be a surprise if they win. He added:
“I was sitting there watching yesterday and I thought, missed opportunity. Well, if it had turned up like we talked about. But it did and they did it and they look very good and one of their players who hasn’t been in great form. played very well yesterday was Jonny Bairstow, so they’re gaining momentum. They didn’t start very well, they had a weak game, so they didn’t play a lot of cricket, but we’ve talked a lot about the talent and the quality and the match winners that team has.
“Again, I think some teams would be looking over their shoulders right now and saying, ‘Gosh, it’s good. It would be nice if they weren’t there and I think sometimes even subconsciously teams say they were so close to not being there and now they’re there and they’re a big threat and mentally that can have a little effect on you and the team. Another side of England, they came very close to being eliminated and didn’t make it through, so now their chains have been removed. I have nothing to lose and they are a high quality team. I thought, oh no, imagine if they go and win it. They could. They could win it. They are a fantastic team. “They are a very, very good team,” he concluded.
