From left: USA Captain Monank Patel and Canada Captain Saad Bin Zafar.
The 2024 ICC T20 World Cup will get underway on Saturday, June 1 with an exciting clash between North American neighbours the USA and Canada at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
This will be the second appearance at a T20 World Cup for the Canadians while this will be the joint-hosts first time appearing at a T20 World Cup.
The teams most recently played a five-match T20I series from April 7-13 in the USA with the hosts coming out 4-0 winners.
The top run-scorer in that series was Jamaican-born Canada batsman Aaron Johnson with 124 runs in four innings at an average of 31 and a strike rate of 144.18.
The next two best batsmen were India-born USA skipper Monank Patel and Steven Taylor, both of the USA, who finished with 120 runs and 115 runs in three innings each.
Overall, Patel has 441 runs in 25 T20Is at an average of 22.05 including a pair of fifties.
Taylor, in 24 T20Is, has 742 runs at an average of 41.22 with a hundred and four fifties. He can also contribute with ball in hand having taken 11 wickets at an economy of 5.32 during his 24 games.
South Africa-born ISA batsman Andries Gous was the only other batsman to score more than 100 runs in the series with 11 runs in three innings.
Gous has appeared in just six T20Is, scoring 161 runs at an average of 26.83 with two fifties.
Another key player for the Americans will be former New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson. Although he didn't light the world on fire when the two teams last met, his ability to hit the ball a long way and send down sone overs of left arm pace could be vital to the American charge.
As far as wickets go, former India Under-19 representative Harmeet Singh finished with six wickets in four games for the hosts while South Africa-born Shadley van Schalkwyk finished with similar returns for the USA.
Canada’s best bowler in the series was Pakistan-born Saad Bin Zafar with five wickets from four games.
All these players will be crucial to the chances of either team kicking off the World Cup with a win.
The hosts should also come into the game with a world of confidence after producing a 2-1 series victory over Bangladesh from May 21-25 in the USA.
The Canadians won their only warm-up fixture ahead of the showpiece event with a 63-run win over Nepal in Dallas on May 27 while the Americans have had both their scheduled warm-up games abandoned without a ball being bowled.
The World Cup is scheduled to run from June 1-29 in the West Indies and the USA.
Bradley Jacks is a budding journalist and an avid sports fan. His love of research and sports has led him to SportsMax.tv, a place where those passions work hand in hand to allow him to produce content.
Davies: Canada will 'enjoy the moment' after historic Copa America win
Alphonso Davies revelled in Canada's first ever Copa America victory, insisting he and his team-mates will savour their narrow 1-0 win over 10-man Peru.
Jonathan David scored the only goal in Kansas as Jesse Marsch's side boosted their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages from Group A.
The Lille striker struck 16 minutes from time to move the Canucks up to second place behind reigning champions Argentina, who beat them 2-0 in their opener, with 26 of his 27 international goals coming in competitive matches.
It gave Canada only their third victory over a South American opponent, and first since a 2-0 win over Colombia in the 2000 Gold Cup final.
They also kept their first clean sheet against a team from the CONMEBOL region since holding Brazil to a goalless draw in the 2001 Confederations Cup.
"We're going to enjoy the moment, but know the work isn't done," skipper Davies told Canadian broadcaster TSN.
Stephen Eustaquio added: "We were too naive in the first half, but played more direct in the second half."
Canada's first Copa America victory came in their second match, with Panama the only CONCACAF nation to achieve their maiden win in their opening match in the competition - doing so eight years ago.
Marsch's side face Chile in their final group encounter on Saturday, when a draw may be enough to take them through to the quarter-finals.
"We have everything to fight for in the last game," David told TSN.
'England have to be at our best to beat India', Moeen Ali insists
Moeen Ali acknowledged England will "have to be at our best" to beat India when they lock horns in the T20 World Cup semi-finals on Thursday.
The reigning champions have recovered from a slow start to their total defence to reach their fourth successive semi-final in the competition.
England have subsequently set up a rematch of their showdown with India at this stage of the 2022 competition, when Jos Buttler and Alex Hales inspired England to a 10-wicket victory with four overs to spare.
Two years later, they face an India side full of momentum having won all six of their completed matches, while eliminating 50-over world champions Australia with a 24-run win on Monday.
And Moeen knows England cannot afford to be off the pace in Guyana if they are to replicate their 2022 exploits.
"They looked very, very strong, like they did in the last World Cup," he said. "They're just a brilliant side. They've got everything covered, so we're going to have to be at our best to beat them. I'm looking forward to it.
"It's a great challenge, similar to the last time we played them in the semi-final in Australia. It's going to be a challenge, and we're going to have to plan and play really well."
Remembering that 2022 semi-final, Moeen added: "We were unbelievable with the bat. We set the game up on that wicket with the ball. Even when they got away from us a little bit at the end, it was a bit late. That was a great day, and a great performance."
Livingstone says England have grown into World Cup ahead of India clash
Liam Livingstone is hopeful England are coming good at the perfect time ahead of their T20 World Cup semi-final against India, having grown into the tournament after a slow start.
The defending champions almost succumbed to a humiliating group-stage exit, with only old rivals Australia keeping them in with a dramatic victory over Scotland.
Having finished second in Group B, Jos Buttler's team did likewise in Group 2 at the Super-8 stage, a resounding victory over the United States sending them through at West Indies' expense.
England now have a chance to reach their fourth T20 World Cup final and their third in the last four editions, while a third triumph at the tournament would take them clear of the Windies for the outright record.
All-rounder Livingstone says England have a chance to prove tournaments are not about how you start, but how you finish.
"In tournament cricket, sometimes it is better to sneak up and nick it at the end," said Livingstone. "Hopefully that is the way we will go.
"A lot of lads have been contributing in the last few games which should stand us in good stead going forward. We've hopefully got two more massive games."
Livingstone sustained a torso injury while batting against Namibia in the group stage but has shrugged that problem off to play all of England's matches.
He has yet to truly hit top form, taking two wickets and scoring 13 and 33 in his two innings with the bat in the middle order, but he is confident a big finish is coming.
"As a kid I always wanted to be involved, that's the reason I started bowling a few years back," he said.
"So batting at seven and maybe bowling one over, that's where the hard bit comes as you want to be involved.
"Thankfully the last two games I struck the ball well against South Africa and bowled pretty well [against the USA], so I feel I'm in a good place."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
