Australia will be one of the contenders to win the T20 Cricket World Cup later this year in the West Indies and USA.
It will be their eighth appearance in the tournament that was first held back in 2007.
The Sporting News looks at the odds and explains why the green and gold can win the event.
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Australia is currently second-favourite to win the T20 Cricket World Cup behind fellow powerhouse India, according to odds from Ladbrokes.
Other contenders in order of most likely in odds is England, South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan, with the remaining nations considered long shots.
The green and gold’s recent T20 form has been solid, winning three of their four T20 international series since the 2022 T20 Cricket World Cup in Australia, which was won by England.
With series victories against New Zealand (away), West Indies (home) and South Africa (away), Andrew McDonald’s team only lost to India (away) late last year.
An experienced squad has been picked by Australian selectors, suggesting the backroom team believe the nation is a strong contender to win the tournament.
Australia has 15 players selected in the world’s best T20 club competition – IPL – with 11 of these players featuring in the World Cup squad of 15.
By the odds, Australia are tipped to make the final against favourite India, and there is no doubt it will be disappointing if they don’t make the final two.
A semi-final is probably the bare minimum acceptable result for a nation that wants to win the entire tournament.
Conditions at the event will be intriguing as it’s played on neutral territory – at least partly – for only the second time.
Interestingly, Australia won the T20 World Cup when it was last played in a neutral country – hosted by UAE/Oman in 2021.
With none of the other top contending nations getting a home advantage, Australia should be able to go deep in the tournament and reach the final.
Prediction: Australia to make the final
Odds via Ladbrokes.
Introducing our 15-player squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to head to the West Indies – led by our new full-time T20 skipper, Mitch Marsh 👊
Congratulations to those selected 👏#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/vETFIGPQL6
For Australian cricket fans not making the trip to the T20 Cricket World Cup, their options for streaming will be unusually limited.
MORE: Watch live sport on Amazon Prime
This year’s T20 World Cup will only be shown in Australia on Amazon Prime, with the streaming platform claiming exclusive rights to the tournament.
There will be no free-to-air Australian broadcast of the World Cup.
The 2024 T20 Cricket World Cup will run across the entirety of June, with the first game held on June 2, and the final being played on June 30.
In total, 55 games will be played, across three locations in America and six in the West Indies, including the semi-finals in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, and the final in Barbados.
The 2024 T20 Cricket World Cup will be contested by 20 nations, split into four groups of five.
The top two teams from each group will move onto the ‘Super 8’ stage, which will then move into the knockout stages.
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Kieran Francis is a senior editor at Sporting News Australia.
