The golden rays of the sun cascaded down on Kensington Oval this afternoon as the highly anticipated heavyweight clash between Australia and England rolled into town.
Under the bright blue sky with a few wisps of cloud, there was a raucous atmosphere and a jam-packed ‘Mecca’ to take in as the two white-ball powerhouses wrote another chapter into the annals of their long storied rivalry and also World Cup cricket.
A sea of white, red, and blue shirts dominated the 28,000-capacity seater as the usually well-supported England took over the Oval with just smatterings of Australian yellow and green in the Worrell, Weekes, and Walcott as well as Greenidge and Haynes stands. However, from the onset, it was Australia making all the noise on the field as openers David Warner and Travis Head raced to 72 without loss inside the powerplay.
Prior to the Australian onslaught, which went right up until the end of their innings by which the Aussies had posted 201-6, Ryan Beaumont was confident this England side would see off the old rivals and win another T20 World Cup.
“I think we’ll win, we’re the better side and I think we’ll go all the way,” explained Beaumont. “It’ll be a very good atmosphere, hopefully a good game and an England win. They’ve just got to not play the occasion, play their natural games, and they should get the right result.”
Approaching the halfway mark, Australian fan Michael Ash believed that the target of 202 runs would elude the defending champions, who would have to chase the highest score of this year’s competition to register their first win.
“I’m absolutely loving the day out at the cricket,” Ash began. “Aussies get 200 (201) and I think that could be a winning score. I love the atmosphere at the ground and I love Barbados. I love life.”
Michael will be leaving Barbados on Sunday to head to Antigua to follow Australia’s 2024 T20 World Cup campaign and admits he will be sad the Bajan adventure is coming to an end. “We’re staying at the Southern Palms (in St Lawrence Gap) and it’s a beautiful hotel, lovely beach. We’re going to watch the Namibia vs. Australia game in Antigua (on June 11) so I’ll be sad to say goodbye to Barbados.”
England began their competition with a rain-affected tie against Scotland and needed a victory against Australia to top Group B, whilst their rivals enjoyed a comfortable 39-run victory over Oman. (JC)
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