Cricket

At the T20 World Cup in St Lucia, the wind has emerged as a formidable opponent, influencing every aspect of the game. The breeze, blowing diagonally across the ground, has created unique challenges for both teams.In the first two matches, the wind favored batters hitting towards the shorter boundary. However, in the subsequent games, the wind shifted, favoring shots hit towards the larger boundary. England's Phil Salt exploited this advantage, scoring 60 runs off 25 balls when the wind assisted his straight shots.On Friday, the wind intensified, affecting both batting and bowling strategies. South Africa and England used the wind to their advantage, bowling straight to batters at one end and wide at the other. England's costly overs were heavily influenced by the wind, as Quinton de Kock used it to flick boundaries over the fielders.South Africa's Ottneil Baartman's yorker plan was thwarted by the wind, as his deliveries were lifted into full tosses. David Miller, on the other hand, showcased his adaptability, hitting boundaries with the wind.The game's decisive moment came when Harry Brook's lofted shot was carried by the wind, only to be caught by Aiden Markram's diving effort. Markram's catch highlighted the importance of understanding the wind's trajectory.As the tournament progresses, Australia and India must prepare for the wind's impact. They must adjust their strategies to harness the wind's power or mitigate its effects. The wind has become an integral part of the T20 World Cup in St Lucia, adding an unpredictable element to the already thrilling competition.

England and West Indies are set for a high-scoring encounter in St Lucia as they resume their six-hitting battle in the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup. The two teams combined for 120 sixes in their five-match T20I series in December, which West Indies won 3-2.The Daren Sammy Cricket Ground has proven to be a batting paradise, with Australia chasing down 181 against Scotland and Sri Lanka posting 201 against Netherlands in the group stage. England's players watched nervously from their hotel in Antigua as Australia pulled off the second-highest run chase of the tournament so far."It wasn't nice," said Sam Curran. "Some of us were having dinner and watching the Scotland game. It got quite close, and some of us turned it off because we got a bit nervous."England will play twice in St Lucia, against West Indies and South Africa, and they have noted how flat the pitch looks. "It looks like a really good wicket, the way guys were able to hit through the line and the way the ball was traveling," said Curran.West Indies captain Rovman Powell expects his batters to relish the truer surface after variable bounce in Guyana and Trinidad. "Tomorrow presents an opportunity here at the Daren Sammy Stadium for us as batters to get it right," he said. "It's also a better opportunity on a better wicket."This has been the lowest-scoring men's T20 World Cup out of nine, but England believe that the tournament will be "a slug-fest" on pitches that favor batting. West Indies won the six count by a margin of 64-56 in their December series, and England are looking to beat them at their own game."Sometimes it's about turning your sixes into fours as a bowler, and small things like that," said Curran. "It might sound silly, but that's where the game of cricket's going. Even if you go for a lot of runs, if you take a wicket in that over, you could change the game."The other major factor to note in St Lucia is the breeze, which has blown from the east to the west of the ground. "We have chatted as a bowling unit: in the Caribbean, the wind's a big factor," said Curran.England have some tough calls to make ahead of Wednesday's match. Liam Livingstone is a doubt due to a niggle in his side, while they must decide whether Will Jacks should come straight back in at No. 3 or whether their batting line-up is better balanced with Jonny Bairstow and Harry Brook shuffling up to three and four respectively.