Cricket T20 World Cup: The schedule on Long Island
Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka bats during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match against New Zealand in 2022 in Australia. Credit: Getty Images/Mark Kolbe
June 3: Sri Lanka vs. South Africa
This wiil be the first game played at the temporary Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. From a historical standpoint, South Africa has wielded the bat better in T20 International (T20I) play. The trio of Aiden Markram, David Miller and Reeze Hendricks all own solid career batting averages over 31.00, strike rates over 130.00 and have combined for 34 half-centuries (50 runs in an innings) in T20I competition. Wanindu Hasaranga will look to silence them.
June 5: India vs. Ireland
India is the top seed in Group A and arguably the top team in the world. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be tough to slow down. Six of its batters own career T20I batting averages over 30.00. This will place a lot of responsibility on Mark Adair, Ireland’s top T20I bowler, who boasts a 19.68 bowling average in 81 career T20I matches.
June 7: Canada vs. Ireland
Canada can swing it as four of its active players have career T20I batting averages over 30. Aaron Johnson and Dilon Heyliger are two of the best batsmen in the World Cup, which again will place a lot on the shoulders of Adair and company to get outs early.
June 8: Netherlands vs. South Africa
The Netherlands has the potential to put up a lot of runs based on its top four hitters. Both Bas de Leede and Max O’Dowd own career T20I batting averages over 29.00. Michael Levitt and Sybrand Engelbrecht have both compiled batting averages over 45.00, but neither has batted more than six innings at this level. South Africa's Markram, Miller and Hendricks have the potential to make this game very high-scoring on both sides.
June 9: India vs. Pakistan
This match may be the most highly anticipated one as the two countries have a storied rivalry and are regarded as the two best teams in the world. Sharma, Kohli and company of India will take the oval against Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwam, making it a battle between two of the world’s best offensive duos.
June 10: South Africa vs. Bangladesh
Bangladesh will have to figure out a way to slow down South Africa's aforementioned offensive trio of Markram, Miller and Hendricks. Shakib Al Hasan has bowled to a 20.20 average across 118 T20I innings, followed by Mustafizur Rahman with a 22.74 bowling average over 93 innings. If those two can limit the damage for Bangladesh, that will open the door for Jaker Ali, an ascending 26-year-old batsman, to take over the match. Ali owns a 41.20 batting average in 10 career innings.
June 11: Pakistan vs. Canada
It will be another slugfest between a pair of dynamic duos, as Pakistan’s Azam and Rizwam will try to outscore Canada’s Johnson and Heyliger. Abbas Afridi may be the X-factor for Pakistan, as he owns a 16.50 bowling average and has taken 16 wickets in just nine innings.
June 12: U.S. vs. India
Team USA will host a transcendent opponent to wrap up the temporary stadium’s slate of games. Steven Taylor and Aaron Jones are the team’s best bats, but they have a tough matchup against India’s stingy bowlers Kuldeep Yadav (14.10 bowling average) and Ravi Bishnoi (19.52). Team USA will need production from some of its newer batsmen, such as Corey Anderson, Andries Gous and Nitish Kumar. Anderson owns a 58.50 batting average through his first three innings with the squad. In each of his first two matches with the team, Gous batted a half-century. Kumar owns a 37.00 batting average in two matches with one half-century.
