With a spot in the Super 8 virtually secured, Andrew McDonald hinted that Australia may rest some players for their final Group B match against Scotland, as their qualification seeding is already determined.
Australia may adjust their team selection for the final Group B match against Scotland after nearly securing a spot in the Super Eights of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. A win against Namibia on Tuesday would confirm Australia’s advancement with a game to spare.
With their seeding for Group 1 in the Super Eights already set, coach Andrew McDonald indicated that the team might make some changes for the Scotland match on Sunday, as the result will not impact their progression. This strategy will allow Australia to rest key players and test other squad members without the pressure of needing a win.
“[Against] Namibia, we need a win to guarantee ourselves a way through. And then after that, once we’ve firmed up that qualification, then we can start to look at that potential if we feel like it’s necessary, we know if we win this one, then we get the ‘Q’ next to our name,” ESPNCricinfo quoted McDonald as saying.
Defending champions England face a challenging path to advance in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 after a loss to Australia and a no-result game against Scotland. To progress, England needs convincing wins over Oman and Namibia to surpass Scotland’s superior net run rate.
However, McDonald emphasized that Australia is focusing on their own games rather than England’s situation. He also acknowledged some frustration that Australia’s group stage efforts won’t carry over to the Super Eights, as net run rates reset and their second seed status is fixed.
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“We’re not really focused on England and where they’re at. We played them, we’ve moved past them and we’ll do what’s important to us within those [remaining] games… England have clearly got their own work to do in the next couple of games,” McDonald said.
“The only thing is that you don’t carry your NRR through to the Super Eights, which is a little bit interesting. The whole tournament starts again. I would have liked to have seen the benefit of the early rounds, and what you were able to do in the early rounds, even right down to the seeds. We’re seeded No. 2. We can’t change that seeding, so it doesn’t change what happens in the Super Eights for us,” the coach concluded.
Last Updated on June 11, 2024
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