Australia captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss and decided to bowl first against Bangladesh on Friday (June 21) in a high-voltage Super Eights, Group 1 clash of ICC T20 World Cup 2024, being played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua, West Indies. (Match Blog | Streaming | Scorecard)
The toss was slightly delayed due to a light shower in Antigua, but the covers were promptly removed as the rain abated and play starts on time.
Explaining why he chose to field, Mitchell Marsh said: "Looks a decent wicket, don't think it'll change too much."
He added: "It's always nice to get used to the conditions, we have played one game here. The wickets have played pretty well, hopefully we have a great game. As the tournament goes deeper, the pressure rises. It's about trusting our game, sticking to our style and more importantly enjoy the game. Two changes. Starc and Cummins come in for Agar and Ellis."
His opposing number Najmul Shanto said: "I'd have bowled first as well, but happy to bat. We made one change, Shaki Mahedi comes in and Jaker Ali isn't playing. As a batting group, we need to do something special. Looks a good wicket."
Playing XIs
Australia: Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh (c), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das (wk), Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman.
The Aussies' undefeated campaign now faces the sub-continental teams' challenge, starting with the Bangla Tigers. That the surface in Antigua usually aids spin could make the test more intriguing, given Bangladesh's wealth in the slow bowling department.
