Ahead of England‘s ICC T20 World Cup 2024 match against Namibia, fast bowler Mark Wood expressed hope that Mitchell Marsh’s Australia will play their signature aggressive style against Scotland in the final group-stage game. Wood believes Australia‘s victory over Scotland would boost England’s chances of advancing to the Super 8 round of the tournament.

Earlier this week, a mini-controversy erupted at the T20 World Cup 2024 when Josh Hazlewood suggested that Australia could go easy against Scotland to eliminate the Jos Buttler-led team. Hazlewood argued that such a move would benefit his team. To advance, England must not only win their final match against Namibia, but also hope that Australia don’t not intentionally underperform against Scotland.

When questioned about Hazlewood’s remarks, Wood responded that it was just typical Australia vs. England chatter and expressed the hope that Mitchell Marsh’s team will play the game fairly.

“I think the rivalry and mutual respect between England and Australia is part of the dynamic, Honestly, I saw his comments as a sign of respect. He was acknowledging that England have performed well against Australia recently and that they are a formidable team. So I have no issue with what he said,” stated Wood.

“I feel that they will play the game to the best of their abilities. That’s the Aussie way of playing fairly and fiercely,” he added.

Australia’s match against Scotland will be a decisive one in Group B. If Australia lose, Scotland will qualify with 7 points. However, if Australia win, Scotland and England will both finish on 5 points, but England’s superior net run rate means they will advance to the Super 8 stage.

Following Australia’s victory over Namibia, pacer Josh Hazlewood was questioned about the NRR calculations. In a way, Hazlewood said that it would be in Australia’s best interests to see England eliminated from the T20 World Cup 2024.

The deliberate manipulation of game by players or teams in order to obtain a tactical advantage is prohibited as per Article 2.11 of the ICC Code of Conduct.

According to the law, the team captain might face a fine of between 50% to 100% as well as a suspension for two matches.