The Super 8s got off to an interesting start, with home favourites West Indies losing their first game to England and USA being beaten by South Africa. Now, both the West Indies and the USA find themselves on a tricky wicket when they clash at Kensington Oval in Barbados. Both teams require a win to stay alive in the tournament. USA have entered the Super 8s after beating Pakistan in a group match, so the West Indies can’t afford to take them lightly.

HEADER: LAST 5 MATCHES

*A: match abandoned

THE LIKELY PLAYING XIs FOR WEST INDIES AND USA

WEST INDIES LIKELY XI

Batters: Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford

All-rounders: Andre Russell, Romario Shepherd

Wicketkeeper: Nicholas Pooran

Bowlers: Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie

USA LIKELY XI

Batters - Steven Taylor, Andries Gous, Aaron Jones

All Rounders - Corey Anderson, Harmeet Singh, Nitish Kumar

Wicketkeeper - Monank Patel

Bowlers - Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar, Nosthush Kenjige, Jasdeep Singh

Statistical Performance (West Indies)

1. Nicholas Pooran

With 200 runs, Nicholas Pooran is the leading run-scorer in the 2024 T20 World Cup. In a group match against Afghanistan, he scored a 53-ball 98. His strike rate in this T20 World Cup is 150.45 and has been consistent too.

NICHOLAS POORAN IN T20Is

2. Alzarri Joseph

Alzarri Joseph has been in top form in this T20 World Cup and has picked nine wickets in five matches at a strike rate of 11.00 and an economy of 7.33.

ALZARRI JOSEPH IN T20Is

1. Akeal Hosein

Akeal Hosein is having a great T20 World Cup and is one of the leading wicket-takers in the tournament with nine wickets in five matches. The slow left-arm orthodox bowler is a handy batter down the order too.

2. Johnson Charles

The opening batter is long due to make an impact in the T20 World Cup 2024. In the tournament he has got starts but against England he can bounce back to form. In his last 10 matches, Charles has scored 230 runs at an average of 23 and strike rate of 138.55.

Statistical Performance (USA)

1. Aaron Jones

Aaron Jones will be the batter to watch out for in the USA. He had scored a splendid 94 not out off just 40 deliveries against Canada in his team's opening fixture in the tournament in Dallas.

AARON JONES IN T20Is

2. COREY ANDERSON

Former New Zealand allrounder, Corey Anderson, will be the other dangerous player in the USA XI. Anderson is a veteran in the format and a lot would be expected from him in this match.

COREY ANDERSON IN T20Is

Players Who Can Make a Difference (USA)

1. Andries Gous

The wicketkeeper-batter played a brilliant knock of 80 not out off 47 balls in USA's defeat to South Africa. Gous is a solid batter at the top of the order for the USA and in his last nine matches has scored 293 runs at a strike rate of 150.25.

2. Saurabh Netravalkar

The left-arm pacer has been impressive in the 2024 T20 World Cup by dishing out consistent performances. Netravalkar shot to fame after bowling the Super Over that gave USA the famous win over Pakistan.

Team Head to Head

West Indies and USA have never faced each other in T20Is, this match would be their first ever clash.

Player Head to Head

1. ALZARRI JOSEPH AGAINST LEFT-HANDED BATTERS in T20Is

INNINGS - 99

WICKETS - 48

AVERAGE - 21.45

STRIKE RATE – 7.74

Alzarri Joseph has a great bowling record against left-handed batters. USA have left-handed Steven Taylor opening the innings and then Corey Anderson, another left-handed batter in the middle order. It will be an interesting contest.

2. NICHOLAS POORAN VS SPIN in T20Is

INNINGS - 249

BALLS FACED - 2069

RUNS SCORED - 2913

DISMISSED – 89

Nicholas Pooran hardly struggles against pace or spin. Against spin, Pooran has scored 2913 runs in 249 innings and has been dismissed 89 times.

Venue and Pitch

The Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados has hosted 29 T20I matches, and chasing seems to be the preferred option. The captain who has won the toss has chosen to bowl first 17 times. However, batting first has proven to be advantageous here. The team setting a target has won 18 matches, while the chasing team has only won 8 matches. The average score for the team batting first is 161/7, while the average score in the second innings is 141/7.

Winning the toss in Barbados is quite crucial - the team that wins the toss has a win percentage of 55.6%. The pitch in Barbados offers true bounce, pace and carry, making it ideal for pacers to bowl here. However, it also provides plenty of runs for the batters.

Match Prediction

West Indies will be favourites to win the match but USA on their day have the ability to spring a surprise. USA will be no match to the West Indies’ star-studded lineup. Andries Gous, Aaron Jones and Saurabh Netravalkar will be key for USA in the match.

Fantasy XI

And finally, our Fantasy XI will have seven players from the West Indies and four players from the USA. Nicholas Pooran and Andries Gous are in-form batters, and Rovman Powell will be the middle-order batter. Jofra Archer and Saurabh Netravalkar will be effective in the powerplay and death overs. Andre Russell and Akeil Hosein will be bowling in the middle overs.

Fantasy XI for West Indies vs USA

Wicketkeeper: NICHOLAS POORAN (C)

Batters: ANDRIES GOUS, AARON JONES, SHERFANE RUTHERFORD, ROVMAN POWELL

All-rounders: ANDRE RUSSELL, ROMARIO SHEPHERD, COREY ANDERSON

Bowlers: JOFRA ARCHER, SAURABH NETRAVALKAR (VC), AKEIL HOSEIN

BACKUP PLAYERS

BATTER – JOHNSON CHARLES

BOWLER – GUDAKESH MOTIE

ALL-ROUNDER – NISARG PATEL

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