EXCLUSIVE: Martin Guptil picks favorites for 2024 T20 World Cup semi-finals; Undecided between England, Pakistan
New Zealand's Martin Guptill, who last played for the national team in 2022, is currently representing Sharjah Warriors in ILT20.
New Delhi: New Zealand cricketer Martin Guptill has picked India, New Zealand and Australia as semi-final contenders for the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup, which will take place in the US and West Indies from June 1. However, he remained undecided between England and Pakistan for fourth spot. It was striking that England and Pakistan were the finalists of the previous edition that took place in Australia. England walked away with the title, beating Pakistan by five wickets.
Although the mega extravaganza is only five months away, the buzz has already started as ticket sales go live. A total of 55 matches will be played in nine cities: three in the US and six in the Caribbean. This is also the first time that the United States will have the hosting rights to host a tournament of such magnitude.
“It's a tough one, but I would choose Australia, India and New Zealand. I can't choose between England and Pakistan (laughs)…one of the two,” said Guptill, who is currently representing Sharjah Warriors in the ongoing ILT20. India.com in an exclusive interaction on Thursday from Sharjah.
A New Zealand cricket stalwart, Guptill has played a record seven T20 World Cups for the Blackcaps, with the last coming in 2022. In total, the right-hander played 28 T20 World Cup matches and scored 617 runs with a high of 93 .came against Scotland.
Compared to their fifth-place finish in the inaugural edition in 2023, Sharjah Warriors have made a brilliant start to the current season with three wins from their first five matches so far. Led by Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sharjah Warriors are currently in second place behind top player MI Emirates. Guptil sounded confident that Sharjah Warriors would reach the last four.
Baithne ka tarika bada casual hai 😂👌#SharjahWarriors #CapriSports #ShaanSeSharjah #DPworldILT20 pic.twitter.com/0msHtUEuF9
— Sharjah Warriors (@SharjahWarriors) January 25, 2024
“It's been really positive so far. We've won three out of five games so far and it's been a really good start for us. We feel like we are going in the right direction. Come to the last half of the tournament, hopefully we can finish in the top four and have a shot at the finals,” he said.
ILT20 is heading in the right direction
Looking at the competitiveness of the tournament in its second year, Guptill opined that ILT20 will do good for cricket in the region. “It's very competitive. There are a lot of world class players playing here and there are also some great local players (players) which is good to see. I think it's good for cricket in the UAE. With and against these players from all over the world, the local player offering is getting better and better.
“Hopefully the trend will go in a positive direction. As I see it can only be a good thing, I mean these types of tournaments where the guys are working with the guys who have a lot of international experience and are playing T20 cricket all over the world. Let's hope things go in the right direction,” said Guptill, who has yet to start in the eleventh round for Sharjah Warriors. Instead, he was used as a Super Sub in four of their five matches.
When asked about the possibility of comparing ILT20 with the Australian Big Bash League and the Indian Premier League, Guptill chose not to do so. “It's too difficult to answer this. I mean, they are all different in their positions and it won't be fair to judge them,” he added.
Speaking about the hospitality shown to the players, Guptill praised the organisers. “We were very well taken care of. They really made us feel welcome, including families,” he concludes.