Defending champions England look in good shape in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. Former India opener Aakash Chopra has made a big prediction about England’s chances ahead of their second Super 8 clash against South Africa, which will be played on June 21 at Gros Islet. St. Lucia.
England won their first Super 8 match against tournament co-hosts West Indies in convincing fashion. Their batsmen chased down a tough target of 181 quite easily, which must have set alarm bells ringing for the other teams.
With their batting looking as powerful as ever and their bowlers also looking good, the defending champions look a dangerous team. If they win against South Africa, they will almost ensure their qualification for the semi-finals.
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Aakash Chopra’s bold prediction about England’s chances
While speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, cricket pundit and commentator Aakash Chopra predicted that England would overcome South Africa in their second Super 8 match. Chopra backed opener Phil Salt to fire in this match and also praised the management for using Moeen Ali well.
“I am saying England will win this match. Why won’t they win? England are coming after playing good cricket. They defeated the West Indies and they will win this match too. If England win this match, they will almost qualify, because I guess the United States will lose against all teams,” Chopra said.
“England destroyed the West Indies. The West Indies didn’t make as many runs as they should have and when England came to bat, Phil Salt thrashed them. I have expectations from Phil Salt once again that he will continue to bat well. He has Jos Buttler with him and It is being used well,” he added.
There is depth in England’s batting and they have plenty of bowling options – Aakash Chopra
The former India batsman praised Jonny Bairstow’s enthralling innings in the last match and mentioned that England’s depth in batting and bowling makes them a solid team.
“Jonny Bairstow was sent down the order and he also played freely in the last match. So you’re seeing depth in batting and a lot of options in bowling, whether you’re talking about Mark Wood or Adil Rashid. You can get Liam Livingstone to play bowling. and Sam Curran bowls a couple of overs, so there are plenty of options,” Chopra said.
England were on the verge of an early exit from the group stage when Scotland threatened to beat Australia in their final league match. But Australia’s victory in the match propelled England into the Super 8 as the second-best team behind Australia in Group B.
The Three Lions have lost one match in this tournament so far, to 2021 champions Australia in Barbados. Aside from that, they have looked like a dangerous team and have been improving with each game.
England’s last Super 8 match will be against the United States on June 23 in Barbados.
