Josh Hazlewood has hinted that Australia might consider strategically managing their victory margin over Scotland to potentially eliminate England from the 2024 T20 World Cup. However, such tactics could lead to a ban for their captain, Mitchell Marsh, if match officials determine the actions were deliberate.
The precise scenarios will only become clear after England's matches against Oman and Namibia. Any loss for England in these games would end their campaign. If England wins, there's a possibility that Australia could secure a narrow victory over Scotland, ensuring that Scotland advances over England on Net Run Rate (NRR), provided both teams end up with five points each.
Hazlewood, speaking after Australia secured their Super Eight spot with a commanding win over Namibia, suggested that facing England later in the tournament might be less favourable given England’s strong performances in T20 cricket. He noted that while he doesn’t make tactical decisions, it could be advantageous to eliminate England early if the opportunity arises. Hazlewood remarked that it would be interesting to see if such a scenario unfolds, and he emphasised that playing straightforwardly as they did in their previous game might be the best course of action. He added that these decisions would ultimately be made by others, not him.
Should Australia choose to manipulate the game, Marsh could face a ban for two of the three Super Eight matches. The ICC’s code of conduct, specifically Article 2.11, addresses manipulation for inappropriate strategic reasons, such as intentionally losing or manipulating NRR to influence standings. The captain could be charged with a Level Two offence, potentially resulting in a 50% match fee fine and up to two suspension points, which would exclude Marsh from the first two Super Eight matches.
Proving intentional manipulation of NRR could be challenging for umpires unless there is a clear shift in Australia’s playing tempo from a dominant position. Regardless, Andrew McDonald, Australia's head coach, might consider resting key players for the Scotland match, given that Australia's Super Eight qualification is already secured.
Reflecting on past strategies, Hazlewood's comments bring to mind Australia’s infamous go-slow tactic against the West Indies in the 1999 ODI World Cup, which was designed to influence the standings for the Super Sixes.
Hazlewood suggested that if Australia finds themselves in a dominant position against Scotland, they might slow the game to secure a narrow win. He acknowledged that winning convincingly might be more valuable than attempting to knock England out through strategic manipulation. He also pointed out that England still has significant work to do in their matches before such scenarios become relevant.
Interestingly, NRR from the group stage does not carry forward to the Super Eights in this tournament. Hazlewood found it unusual that the efforts and NRR accrued during the group stage would not impact the subsequent rounds. He noted that this was the first T20 World Cup he has played under such a format, where early round performances do not significantly influence the latter stages.
On the other side, Namibia could disrupt these calculations by defeating England in their final game. Captain Gerhard Erasmus, staying neutral amid the Australia-England rivalry, diplomatically noted that Namibia is focused on performing to their best potential, even though the Australian media might support them in pulling off an upset. He admitted that Namibia has yet to reach their full potential in the tournament, but they are aiming to play their best cricket in the remaining matches.
Erasmus acknowledged that while many would be cheering for a Namibian win against England, their priority is simply to perform at their highest level.