Group A Preview: India and Pakistan Set to Ignite the Cricket World in an Epic Backyard Battle

In Group A of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, the Asian opponents will still have to contend with the co-hosts, the United States, Canada, and Ireland.

Twenty teams are vying for the most coveted championship in T20I cricket as the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 approaches.

Ireland will be included in Group A together with two neighbours, India and Pakistan, as well as the United States and Canada.

Let's examine Group A's offerings in more detail for the forthcoming competition:

India

India is desperate to end their run of close calls in international competitions as they head into the T20 World Cup. In previous tournaments, they have been agonisingly close to winning, only to fall short at the last minute.

Now that their strong team is fully assembled, India is well-positioned to win the title again, which they last won in the 2007 inaugural tournament.

The team, led by the experienced Rohit Sharma, who is playing in his second T20 World Cup as captain, has a strong top-order lineup that includes players like Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant are both playing brilliantly right now, which gives Rohit and the team management a fun quandary when it comes to choosing the wicketkeeper for the World Cup campaign.

Players like Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Shivam Dube give India's all-around skill a further boost by giving the team depth and variety. With players like Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and others, the bowling unit has exceptional quality and a strong lineup.

In the opening match of the tournament, India plays Ireland on June 5. After that, attention is focused on the historic match against Pakistan in New York on June 9.

T20 world cup 2024: India Squad

Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli, Sanju Samson,Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Dube, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

Fixtures

vs Ireland – New York, 10:30 AM local time, Wed, 5 June 2024.

vs Pakistan –  New York, 10:30 AM local time, Sun, 9 June 2024.

vs USA –  New York, 10:30 AM local time, Wed, 12 June 2024.

vs Canada –  Florida, 10:30 AM local time Sat, 15 June 2024.

Important Role: Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah, who was injured during the 2022 T20 World Cup, will be a valuable addition to the Indian team.

Bumrah has proven his worth to the team ever since making a comeback, taking 20 wickets in 11 matches at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, which is being played at home.

Even if the Mumbai Indians are having trouble in the Indian Premier League, he has had incredible T20 form, taking 20 wickets in 13 games for the squad.

Bumrah's skill set is endless, and his ability to change up his deliveries will be crucial in the particular circumstances of the USA and the Windies, where India will play their group-stage matches.

Pakistan

Having made it to the semifinals and finals of the last two T20 World Cups, Pakistan, like their Indian counterparts, has come agonisingly close to winning an ICC title.

With a strong desire to break their trophy drought, Babar Azam leads Pakistan into the forthcoming competition, motivated by the disappointment of recent close calls.

For many years, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, and Iftikhar Ahmed have been the cornerstones of Pakistan's batting lineup. Babar and Mohammad Rizwan will continue to provide support.

Along with a plethora of resources in the pace bowling area, Pakistan has a range of alternatives when it comes to spin bowling, including Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, and Abrar Ahmed.

The green team, led by Shaheen Afridi, has a powerful speed battery that includes Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, and Haris Rauf.

Pakistan's first match is against co-hosts USA on June 6; the highly anticipated matchup is against India on June 9.

T20 world cup 2024 Pakistan Squad

Babar Azam (c), Azam Khan, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Iftikhar Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, and Usman Khan.

Fixtures

vs USA –  Texas, 10:30 AM local time, Thursday,  June 6, 2024.

vs India-New York, 10:30 AM local time, Sunday,  June 9, 2024.

vs Canada-New York, 10:30 AM local time, Tuesday,  June 11, 2024.

vs Ireland-Florida, 10:30 AM local time, Sunday,  June 16, 2024.

Important Role: Babar Azam

Babar Azam has been having a difficult time lately. It started with Pakistan's poor performance in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, where they won only four of their nine matches and were eliminated early from the group stages.

Since then, he has been stripped of his captaincy and given back the duty of spearheading Pakistan's challenge at the T20 World Cup under the current management.

Babar has been a steady presence at the head of Pakistan's batting lineup, amassing 3987 runs at an amazing average of 41.10 and a strike rate of 129.91 in 118 matches. He has previous experience captaining Pakistan in ICC competitions; in the last two editions, he led the side to both the semifinal and championship games.

Although Babar's strike rate continues to draw criticism, his steady presence at the wicket has frequently created the foundation for Pakistan's recent victories, underscoring his significance to the team's results.

Ireland

Ireland has merited a position in this year's T20 World Cup for the eighth time running, which is a reflection of the country's changing cricketing history.

Before the tournament begins, Ireland will have a new captain in Paul Stirling, a seasoned batter who replaced Andrew Balbirnie, who captained the team throughout the previous two competitions.

The current and former captains' explosive opening partnership, which is backed by players like Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ross Adair, and Curtis Campher, forms the foundation of the batting lineup.

Mark Adair, Josh Little, Graham Hume, Campher, Barry McCarthy, and Craig Young are the bowling department's top-speed attackers. Ben White and Gareth Delany, who have a well-rounded and diverse bowling arsenal, are in charge of the spin responsibilities in the interim.

On June 5, Ireland will play India on their tournament debut, a tough matchup. A win in this match, though, may give the team a huge boost in confidence and increase their hopes of making it past the group stages of the T20 World Cup for the first time ever.

T20 world cup 2024: Ireland  Squad 

Paul Stirling (c), Ross Adair, Curtis Campher, Mark Adair, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Andrew Balbirnie, Graham Hume, Barry McCarthy, Harry Tector, Josh Little, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White,  Neil Rock and Craig Young.

Fixtures

vs India – New York, 10:30 AM local time, Wed, 5 June 2024 

vs Canada –  New York, 10:30 AM local time, Fri, 7 June 2024

vs USA – Florida, 10:30 AM local time, Fri, 14 June 2024

vs Pakistan – Florida, 10:30 AM local time, Sun, 16 June 2024.

Important Role: Paul Stirling

Paul Stirling, a mainstay of Ireland's cricket scene, takes charge of an ICC tournament for the first time, a momentous occasion in his already remarkable career.

The 33-year-old has been a potent force at the top of the order since making his T20I debut in 2009, scoring 3589 runs at an excellent average of 27.60 with a strike rate of 135.43 in 142 appearances.

As the only player from Ireland to score more than 3000 runs in a Twenty20 international, Stirling leads all run scorers in the format.

Ireland's success has been greatly aided by his fearsome partnership with Balbirnie, with Stirling's explosive batting ability setting the tone early on. His efforts at the top of the order, as Ireland's main player, will be crucial to the team's hopes of winning the T20 World Cup.

USA

The USA embarks on a historic journey as they make their debut appearance at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, earning their spot as co-hosts of the tournament.

This marks their first foray into a major men’s ICC event since 2004, when they competed in the group stages of the Champions Trophy.

Monank Patel will lead the USA's charge in their historic campaign and will be a key part of their batting line-up along with Aaron Jones and Steven Taylor.

The inclusion of former New Zealand international Corey Anderson adds depth and experience to the middle order, further strengthening the USA's batting prowess.

With the help of Saurabh Netravalkar and Milind Kumar, Ali Khan's comeback gives the USA's bowling attack a big boost.

On June 1, the USA will play its first T20 World Cup encounter against Canada, and its neighbors. With a win, they hope to set the tone for a successful competition.

USA SquadT20 world cup 2024: USASquad

Monank Patel (c), Andries Gous, Corey Anderson, Ali Khan, Aaron Jones, Harmeet Singh, Corey Anderson, Jessy Singh, Nisarg Patel, Noshtush Kenjige, Milind Kumar, Saurabh Nethralvakar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Nitish Kumar, Steven Taylor and Shayan Jahangir.

Fixtures

vs Canada – Dallas, 7:30 PM local time, Sat, 1 June 2024.

vs Pakistan –  Texas, 10:30 AM local time, Thu, 6 June 2024.

vs India –  New York, 10:30 AM local time, Wed, 12 June 2024.

vs Ireland – Florida, 10:30 AM local time, Fri, 14 June 2024.

Important Role: Ali Khan

Ali Khan's comeback will delight the USA, as he was injured and missed the most recent five-match T20I series against Canada.

Khan has played in the Pakistan Super League and the Caribbean Premier League, traveling the world on the franchise T20 circuit. With the very first ball he bowled for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL, he took out Kumar Sangakkara, launching him into stardom in the USA towards the end of 2015.

Khan's career has been hindered by injury, but in the few T20Is he has played for the USA, he has shown promise, taking nine wickets at an economy rate of 7.69 in just eight games.

Now that the T20 World Cup is being held in his own land, Khan has the chance to create a name for himself on the international front and show the world what a deadly yorker he possesses.

Canada

Canada will play in its first-ever ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2024, just as the United States of America.

Canada, meanwhile, is no stranger to the big stage, having participated in the 50-over World Cup three times in a row, in 1979, 2003, and 2011.

At the upcoming tournament, Canada's experienced squad, consisting of just four players under 30, will be captained by veteran Saad Bin Zafar.

Kanwarpal Tathgur, an uncapped batter who has only participated in six List-A games, was an unexpected addition to the squad. The fact that veteran 39-year-old all-rounder Junaid Siddiqui and pacer Jeremy Gordon are back adds even more depth to Canada's side.

Canada's quest for success on the international front begins on June 1 when they play their first match of the T20 World Cup in Dallas against co-hosts USA.

T20 world cup 2024: Canada Squad

Saad Bin Zafar (c),  Ravinderpal Singh, Kaleem Sana, Aaron Johnson, Shreyas Movva, Dilon Heyliger, Navneet Dhaliwal, Jeremy Gordon, Pargat Singh, Rayyankhan Pathan, Nikhil Dutta, Junaid Siddiqui, Nicholas Kirton, Dilpreet Bajwa and Rishiv Joshi.

Fixtures

vs USA – Dallas, 7:30 PM local time, Sat, 1 June 2024.

vs Ireland-New York, 10:30 AM local time, Friday,  June 2024.

vs Pakistan-New York, 10:30 AM local time, Tuesday,  June 11, 2024.

vs India-Florida, 10:30 AM local time, Saturday,  June 15, 2024.

Important Role: Saad Bin Zafar

Leading the Canadian team in the forthcoming T20 World Cup as captain, batter, and bowler, Saad Bin Zafar is a vital member of the team.

Saad, the nation's second-most-capped T20I player, has a plethora of expertise that would be extremely beneficial to Canada on the grand stage.

Saad, a natural left-arm spinner, has taken the most wickets for Canada in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), with 43. Having amassed 272 runs in 19 innings at an average of 22.66 and a strike rate of 133.99, he is also a very skilled batsman.

In order for Canada to have a fantastic T20 World Cup debut, Saad Bin Zafar needs to be playing at his peak during the forthcoming competition.