Australia vs England rivalry ignored as Michael Clarke names the biggest threat to Australia's T20 World Cup title chances
Published - 30 May 2024, 05:45 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:12 AM
Former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke has identified India as the top contender and biggest threat to Australia in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and Caribbean. Clarke insisted that India's extensive match practice and experience make them formidable opponents in the 20-team global tournament.
He further emphasized that the Indian cricket team’s familiarity with conditions similar to those in the USA and the Caribbean will help them pose a significant challenge to the Australian cricket team and other participants.
India and Australia have engaged in intense battles at recent ICC events. They met in the ICC Test Championship and the ODI World Cup 2023, and Australia emerged victorious on both occasions.
India is the favorite to win the ICC T20 World Cup 2024: Michael Clarke
Despite Australia's recent success in the ICC events against India, Clarke believes that Team India's experience and spin-heavy squad make them strong favorites to win the T20 World Cup 2024.
Michael Clarke said on ESPN Around the Wicket: “If you look at the favorites for this World Cup, it’s going to be India. Just because of the amount of cricket that they’ve played, the preparation is outstanding. Conditions are different in the Caribbean and America to India but there’s a lot of similarities so their players will be used to that.”
Clarke further mentioned that India's strategic reliance on spin could prove a masterstroke for the Men in Blue in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, starting on June 1. He reiterated that Team India is the biggest threat to the Australian team in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 when it comes to winning the title.
Michael Clarke reveals Australia's weakness ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024
The former Australian skipper also pointed out potential weaknesses for the Mitchell Marsh-led national side, particularly the lack of game time for some players leading up to the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 compared to India, as their players are coming off the high-intensity IPL 2024 in the mega ICC event.
He suggested that Australia's limited match practice could pose a challenge to them in the tournament. Clarke signed off by saying, “The other thing is that I think that India has taken a risk with the squad that they’ve picked, heavily reliant on spin very different to Australia. But in conditions that I’ve experienced in the Caribbean, I think spin bowling and how you play spin is going to be a big part of your success.
So, India is the biggest threat for me in regards to who’s going to win this World Cup. If we’re looking for a weakness, compare this to a team like India where they’re coming from the IPL. I think that one thing’s a lack of cricket that could be one of our weaknesses.”
Notably, Australia is placed in Group B alongside arch-rivals England, Namibia, Scotland, and Oman. They will kick off their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Oman on June 6.
On the other hand, India is slotted alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, Ireland, the USA, and Canada in Group A, and they will open their campaign against the Irish side on June 5 in New York.
