Group B preview

The ninth version of nan Men's T20 World Cup is now conscionable days away.

BBC Sport has collaborated pinch information analysts CricViz to preview each of nan 20 sides successful nan first group stage.

We person divided each of nan 4 groups into its ain preview and looked astatine really each broadside is shaping up earlier nan tourney while CricViz person picked retired a cardinal batter and bowler.

This is Group B, which features Australia, England, Namibia, Oman and Scotland.

ICC T20 world ranking: Second

T20 World Cup appearances: Eight

Best T20 World Cup performance: Winners (2021)

Captain: Mitchell Marsh

Head coach: Andrew McDonald

Form (most caller last): LWWWW

Group fixtures (all times BST): Oman (6 June, 01:30), England (8 June, 18:00), Namibia (12 June, 01:30) and Scotland (16 June, 01:30)

Batter to watch: Travis Head

Hot disconnected a match-winning capacity successful nan 50-over World Cup final and a scintillating reintroduction into nan Indian Premier League (IPL), including a 39-ball hundred, Head is accelerated becoming nan cardinal man for an Australia broadside searching for white-ball World Cup supremacy.

Across this World Cup rhythm he has scored his runs astatine a strike-rate of much than of 175.

He demolishes gait bowling successful particular, averaging much than 50 astatine a strike-rate supra 190 since nan past World Cup.

Bowler to watch: Mitchell Starc

Record-breaking Starc precocious became nan most costly subordinate successful nan IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders spending astir £2.3m to unafraid his services.

He is simply a powerplay master who will look to blast top-order batters distant pinch fast-swinging deliveries past crush their toes successful nan decease overs pinch accelerated yorkers.

Starc is Australia's starring wicket taker successful T20 World Cups, pinch 27 wickets successful 20 matches.

ICC T20 world ranking: Third

T20 World Cup appearances: Eight

Best T20 World Cup performance: Winners (2010 & 2022)

Captain: Jos Buttler

Head coach: Matthew Mott

Form (most caller last): LWWLW

Group fixtures (all times BST): Scotland (4 June, 15:30), Australia (8 June, 18:00), Oman (13 June, 20:00) & Namibia (15 June, 18:00)

Batter to watch: Jos Buttler

The right-hander has continued to show his ultimate worth arsenic a T20 batter successful nan caller IPL, wherever he struck 2 hundreds for Rajasthan connected their measurement to reaching nan play-offs.

No subordinate successful nan world has much T20 runs than Buttler since nan commencement of 2023, pinch nan England skipper passing 50 connected 22 occasions.

His crippled astatine nan infinitesimal possesses nary weaknesses arsenic he averages much than 30 and strikes good supra 130 against each bowler types.

Bowler to watch: Adil Rashid

England’s astir successful limited-overs spinner whitethorn beryllium 36, but he is showing nary signs of slowing down.

He is England’s starring T20 wicket-taker successful this World Cup rhythm and will beryllium relishing nan chance to vessel successful nan Caribbean.

Across his career, of nan 9 countries wherever he has played 5 aliases much T20s, his figures stack up champion successful nan Caribbean.

With 21 wickets astatine an mean of less than 14 and an system complaint less than six an over, he should beryllium productive successful conditions that person proved adjuvant to him .

ICC T20 world ranking: 14th

T20 World Cup appearances: Two

Best T20 World Cup performance: Round 2 (2021)

Captain: Gerhard Erasmus

Head coach: Pierre de Bruyn

Form (most caller last): LLWWW

Group fixtures (all times BST): Oman (3 June, 01:30), Scotland (6 June, 20:00), Australia (12 June, 01:30) & England (15 June, 18:00)

Batter to watch: JJ Smit

Right-hander Smit has had a terrific mates of years, scoring his runs for Namibia astatine a strike-rate of 151 and a mammoth mean of 66.

He has been peculiarly destructive against gait bowling astatine nan backmost extremity of nan innings, wherever his strike-rate and mean emergence to 164 and 84.

Bowler to watch: Gerhard Erasmus

The leg-spinner has had a whirlwind 2 years, taking astir 30 wickets astatine an mean of 12 successful this World Cup cycle. He besides concedes less than a run-a-ball.

He had his first foray into franchise T20 cricket successful nan ILT20 pinch nan Gulf Giants.

Only T20 regular David Wiese has much T20 wickets successful nan Namibia squad this cycle.

ICC T20 world ranking: 18th

T20 World Cup appearances: Two

Best T20 World Cup performance: Round 1 (2016 & 2021)

Captain: Aqib Ilyas

Head coach: Duleep Mendis

Form (most caller last): WWWLW

Group fixtures (all times BST): Namibia (3 June, 01:30), Australia (6 June, 01:30), Scotland (9 June, 18:00) & England (13 June, 20:00)

Batter to watch: Aqib Ilyas

Ilyas is Oman’s starring run-scorer successful nan past 18 months and is nan recently appointed skipper for nan World Cup.

The right-hander has been 1 of Oman’s astir accordant performers pinch nan bat, scoring six half-centuries since nan past T20 World Cup.

A accordant and patient strike-rate of 161 done nan mediate overs helps consolidate Oman’s innings, allowing powerplay and death-over specialists to bat astir him.

Bowler to watch: Bilal Khan

Khan is Oman’s left-arm yorker specialist. He has taken 106 wickets for Oman successful his T20 career. No different bowler has taken much than 50.

Used astatine nan commencement and extremity of nan innings, Khan boasts an awesome grounds successful some phases.

In nan past 18 months he has taken 10 powerplay wickets astatine an system of 4.96, and backed that up pinch death-over figures of 13 wickets and an system complaint of 8.9.

ICC T20 world ranking: 13th

T20 World Cup appearances: Five

Best T20 World Cup performance: Round 2 (2021)

Captain: Richie Berrington

Head coach: Doug Watson

Form (most caller last): WWLWL

Group fixtures (all times BST): England (4 June, 15:30), Namibia (6 June, 20:00), Oman (9 June, 18:00) & Australia (16 June, 01:30)

Batter to watch: George Munsey

Left-hander Munsey will bring his unsocial and fierce style of batting to nan apical of nan bid for Scotland.

His utmost method sees him play a expanse to 40% of each balls from spinners - nan highest of immoderate batter successful nan world.

He is adept astatine manipulating nan section pinch his sweeps and is simply a nightmare for immoderate opposing skipper to woody with.

Bowler to watch: Mark Watt

The left-arm spinner burst onto nan world segment successful nan rescheduled 2020 T20 World Cup successful Oman and nan UAE.

His changes of gait are interspersed pinch his now-trademark 24-yard shot delivered from adjacent to nan umpire.

Watt has a superb grounds successful nan 3 T20 World Cups he has played in, pinch 16 wickets astatine an mean of 20 and an system of six.

He will beryllium cardinal successful controlling guidance batters and keeping nan totals Scotland person to pursuit to a minimum.