Some call it “not real cricket“, or “ketch-it-shove-it” style of cricket, but the World T20 Cricket is in full swing. Some greats say it will destroy the game of cricket. Remember however that people said the same thing about one-day cricket back in the day. One day cricket did not destroy the game but did not get the kind of publicity and money being paid to players in the sub-continent (mainly India of course) right now.
The 2010 Word T20 competition kicked off on Thursday April 30, with the West Indians brushing aside Ireland, despite a not-so-great batting effort.
The Points Table
Group A
| Teams | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Pts | Net RR | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +1.700 | 191/20.0 | 157/20.0 |
| Pakistan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.325 | 329/40.0 | 342/40.0 |
| Bangladesh | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.050 | 151/20.0 | 172/20.0 |
Group B
| Teams | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Pts | Net RR | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +0.258 | 139/19.5 | 135/20.0 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.258 | 135/20.0 | 139/19.5 |
Group C
| Teams | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Pts | Net RR | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +1.495 | 302/34.5 | 287/40.0 |
| S Africa | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.700 | 172/20.0 | 186/20.0 |
| Afghanistan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2.070 | 115/20.0 | 116/14.5 |
Group D
| Teams | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Pts | Net RR | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W Indies | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +3.500 | 138/20.0 | 68/20.0 |
| Ireland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3.500 | 68/20.0 | 138/20.0 |
Will There be any Shockers
The One-day World cup had it’s share of shocking events, with Bangladesh, and others. Will there be shockers in this event. Bangladesh is a test-playing nation and is getting better and better so we will not include them in the “lowly teams”, especially since a hurredly put-together West Indies B team was unable to defeat them. Will the like of Ireland, Afghanistan, and Zimbabwe do any damage? Only time will tell.
Zimbabwe does have great bowling, nice pace and good spinners so they could do some damage.
Ireland also has a nice bowling attack. We have seen Ireland a lot. They are a good Tier II team. In fact, they continue to shine and play very well agains tthe test-playing nations.
However, nothing is known about Afghanistan… Correction: I don’t know anything about Afghanistan other than the fact they won some ICC tournament for second- and third-tier cricket nations so they are amongst the top at that level.
Format Stacked Up Against The Non-Test Playing Nations
The format of 3 sides per group is staked up against the non-test playing nations and Bangladesh. Why? The 2 best teams from each group will move on into the Super 8. Therefore, a team has to win a game or, at least, draw both games to have any hopes of getting into the next round. That’s not going to be easy for Ireland and Afghanistan, both having lost their first match.
Does the West Indies stand a chance?
What do you think the hopes for the West Indies is? They were so confident and, suddenly, injuries and other issues sidelined 3-4 of their best players. Some could come back for the next match or the Super 8. That’s when things get tough. I think they do stand a chance but their batting needs to improve from match to match. Dare I say, “The West Indies has good (not great) bowlers.”
I’m curious to hear what you think, before the Super 8, during the Super 8, semi-finals, and after the finals.
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