They are on the home stretch and the finish line is in sight for the 16 teams chasing gold in the Twenty20 World Cup that starts in Australia on Sunday. After months of preparations where coaches tinkered with various strategies and player combinations, most squads find themselves ready for the big time.
In the lead-up to this tournament some endured heartbreak. Their hopes of playing on the big stage in front of millions of fans live and on television were dashed by injuries or being unfairly cut by the selectors.
The first phase of the competition continues until Oct. 22 when the top two nations from the two groups advance to the next round – the Super 12. The qualifiers have been separated into two groups with Namibia, Sri Lanka, Netherlands, and UAE in Group A while Ireland, Scotland, West Indies, and Zimbabwe are in Group B.
The competition springs into life in the Super 12 stage where the minnows get their day in the sun to prove they can pull off a shock or two.
The two groups in the Super 12:
Group 1: Afghanistan, Australia, England, New Zealand, A1, B2.
Group 2: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Africa, B1, A2.
Each team plays once against each other with the top two progressing to the semis set for Nov. 9-10 in Sydney and Adelaide with the final at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on Nov. 13. Speculation is now running rampant as to which country has the horses to run away with the trophy. Until Monday Australia and India were listed as joint-favourites but the bookmakers have had a change of heart and now installed Aaron Finch’s Australia to emerge victorious at 3 1/2 to 1 while India is next at 4 1/2 to 1. England is next a point back followed by South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan. Bringing up the rear end and always worth a buck to bet on are Zimbabwe, Ireland, Namibia, Netherlands, Scotland and the United Arab Republic which have been lumped at 501-to-1.
RECOMMENDED VIDEO
Apart from the advantage of playing at home in front of their vociferous fans, the Baggy Greens have a great opportunity to become the first country to become back-to-back Twenty20 champions. The West Indies are the only team to win this tournament on two occasions but it’s no longer a threat to make it three. The Australians with an all-star lineup that includes David Warner, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell will be tough to dethrone. But one cannot underestimate that India has far too many excellent players even though it has lost two of its best players – pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah and ace all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja – through injury. India’s batting lineup looks solid with the likes of Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Dinesh Kartik but the bowling especially in the death overs has been abysmal. One team that I believe can return home with the trophy is England. Jos Buttler’s squad is packed with power and the bowling has been incisive, and with the return of fiery paceman Mark Wood all eyes will be on England. New Zealand will create a surprise or two and the likes of South Africa, Pakistan and Asia Cup champion Sri Lanka are dark horses. Pakistan received a huge boost on Tuesday when its ace fast bowler, Shaheen Afridi, was given the green light to return to action from a knee injury. Afridi will be remembered for dismantling India’s powerful batting in the last T20 World Cup with three wickets to power Pakistan to a 10-wicket victory. Afridi will be in the lineup when the two Asian powerhouses face each other on Oct. 23. Pakistan has a battery of exceptional fast bowlers but its middle-order batting is brittle. Only openers Mohammad Rizwan and skipper Babar Azam have lived up to their reputation.
In the second of three warmup matches in New Zealand on Tuesday Pakistan was thumped by the home team by nine wickets in Christchurch. Pakistan was dismissed for a paltry 130 for seven and the Kiwis breezed to victory with three overs and five balls to spare. Finn Allen was New Zealand’s hero as he thumped six sixes in his 62 off 42 balls in this tri-series that also includes Bangladesh. Spinner Michael Bracewell was named man of the match after conceding just 11 runs in his four overs and among his scalps were Rizwan and Azam.
In New Delhi on Tuesday South Africa’s problems continued as the hosts skittled the Proteas for a meagre 99 to romp home by seven wickets in the third and final one-day international. The damage was done by spinner Kuldeep Yadav who picked up four wickets for 18 runs and Indian experts debated as to why he wasn’t picked for the World Cup. Shubman Gill hit 49 as India chased down its target in 19.1 overs to win the series 2-1. It was South Africa’s fourth-lowest total in ODIs.
Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis. Care for a wager? Head to our sports betting section for news and odds.
Post a Comment