The day has come for the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup Final and the match is a contest between the two best squads in the tournament as India takes on South Africa on Saturday, June 29 at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The match is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. EST and will be broadcast on Willow TV. Fans looking to watch can do so through FuboTV or DirecTV Stream, both of which offer a free trial. SlingTV doesn’t offer a free trial but does have other promotional offers available.
Neither squad has dealt with the agony of defeat so far in this tournament as India swept through the Super Eight after winning three matches and having one abandoned in the Group Stage. In the semifinal, India defeated England by 68 runs to book this trip for a chance to earn its second ICC T20 World Cup title.
South Africa is looking for its first trophy in this competition after reaching the final for the first time. South Africa had a similar path to India to reach this point, going undefeated in the Group Stage and the Super Eight to go 7-0 without any matches getting abandoned. In the semifinal, South Africa took down Afghanistan by 9 wickets.
Who: India vs. South Africa
When: Saturday, June 29 at 10:30 a.m. EST
Where: Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados
Stream: FuboTV (free trial); DirecTV Stream (free trial); Sling
Tickets: StubHub and *VividSeats
- *New customers who purchase tickets through VividSeats can get $20 off a $200+ ticket order by using the promo code MassLive20 at checkout.*
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Cricket fans in Mexico hope to boost the sport and add teams
By FERNANDO LLANO Associated Press
MEXICO CITY (AP) — University student Emanuel Gutiérrez made a rare choice in his native Mexico when he adapted his baseball swing for cricket.
Cricket supporters in the country hope there’s more to come.
The sport has been on an upswing in Mexico in the past decade due to a growing Indian community in the Latin American nation.
Cricket is now played in six of the country’s 32 states. The sport arrived in 1827 with diplomats, entrepreneurs and British contractors. It never came close to soccer’s popularity but now has some cricketers in the making.
Gutiérrez said he continues to invite friends to watch him play regardless of the jokes he has to hear.
“What is this sport?” he replied when The Associated Press asked what question he has to answer most frequently.
Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world, with more than 2.5 billion fans, mostly in Asia.
For many years, British and Indian cricketers in Mexico did not reach out to the locals, which limited the sport’s growth. But times are changing and the Mexican cricket association now has academy teams led by Indian players, so pupils of private and public schools can learn the sport.
A pilot initiative at the Santa Martha Acatitla women’s jail, outside the Mexican capital, was so successful that four other prisons joined.
The number of teams in Mexico has grown from nine in 2019 to 17 today, said Ben Owen, president of the country’s cricket federation. His goal is to reach 50 teams nationwide soon.
“Our idea is to grow the sport in every region where we have a presence but horizontally. That means more kids playing and with that more players for us in the future,” Owen said.
The 36-year-old Indian executive Pratik Singh, who arrived in Mexico almost five years ago, is one of the leaders behind the effort. He coaches a women’s team and teaches the sport in poor regions of Mexico City to deaf and mute children.
“I arrived in Mexico without thinking about cricket,” Singh said.
He started playing again for fun and after two years he became a coach.
“We Indians can share our knowledge but to have big growth in Mexico we need to involve more Mexicans,” he added.
That is why players like Gutiérrez have brought new hope. He has worked hard to improve his cricket swing and to hold on to his bat after he hits the ball — as opposed to his time as a baseball player.
“If Mexicans really get to know what this sport is like, there’s a lot of potential for them to like it a lot,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
