Tag: #ICC T20 World Cup 2021

India & New Zealand face off in a Virtual Knock-out Punch as the Race for Semi-Finals gets tightened up

Overview

India & New Zealand are due to face each other on the 31st of October at Dubai International Stadium. Both the teams were handed humiliating & heart-breaking defeats by the ‘Mercurial & Unpredictable’ Pakistan. Virat Kohli & Kane Williamson would avoid the embarrassment by winning; especially India who would like to break the hoodoo of 14-year drought period without an ICC T20 World Cup Trophy.

New Zealand has had the wood over India in ICC T20 World Cups as both the teams have been clashed 2 times:

  • 1st instance was at the inaugural T20 World Cup 2007 where the hosts where South Africa. New Zealand overcame India by winning the match by 10 runs as a gigantic target of 191 runs was a bit too much at that period of time. The multi-star-studded batting line up which consisted of (*former batters) Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir tried but pressure got better of them as New Zealand’s bowlers were throwing unexpected surprises as the damage was done by the former left arm off spinner Daniel Vettori who had taken 4 wickets.
  • 2nd instance was in the last edition of ICC T20 World Cup 2016 at India. New Zealand had annihilated India by winning the match by 47 runs as New Zealand had bowled out India for 79 runs given the target of 127 runs. It was a shocking loss for India as Kiwi’s spinners had duped India batsmen who are known to be very good spin batters as the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli & Co was left stunned & flabbergasted by the immaculateness of Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi(** currently both of the spinners are in the playing 11) & Nathan McCullum(*former) who took 7 wickets amongst themselves.

In the recent times India has settled the record with New Zealand as in 2020 there was a bilateral 5 T20I Match Series in New Zealand in which India had whitewashed Kiwis. The overall record of India-New Zealand T20I matches stands at 6-8 out of 16 matches (* 2 matches were abandoned due to rain).

  • India

For India this is literally a do-or-die match as already their NRR (Net Run Rate) is -0.973. India’s conundrum of tackling swing bowling had got exposed as India had lost 3 wickets in power-play overs. The annoying problem for India is that Hardik Pandya isn’t 100 % match fit to play as an all-rounder as playing 5 bowlers isn’t a feasible option. Suryakumar Yadav who got drafted into playing 11 needs to play according to the situation as every time going for boundaries that too in crisis period isn’t a favourable option.

This is the first & last T20 World Cup for Virat Kohli as the Captain of Team India as earlier (before the start of the second leg of Vivo IPL 2021) he had announced his decision. Virat Kohli undoubtedly is one of the finest & greatest batters in the history of T20I Cricket as in the 1st match, he had showcased his prowess by scoring a fighting half century of 57 runs against Pakistan when the team was in a deep muddle. As of now India needs Virat the Leader who trusts his team players & most importantly makes sensible & practical decisions as picking Varun Chakravarthy over Ravichandran Ashwin is a blunder given the wealth of experience & skill Ashwin possesses.

SNAPSHOT: Virat Kohli raising his bat after leading the batting (57 runs) against Pakistan.

India may tinker with the bowling combination as all the three pacers: Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar & Jasprit Bumrah weren’t that much effective & productive. Shardul Thakur can come in as a replacement for any one of the pacers or for Hardik Pandya as he is a pinch-hitter too who can be handy in tense situation. One of KL Rahul & Rohit Sharma have to take responsibility of batting at-least till the 10th over as their presence keeps the opponent frightened.

  • New Zealand

New Zealand would rue the fact that they lost against Pakistan as at one situation they were in a commanding position & bossing the game. New Zealand’s NRR is not far behind from India as it stands at -0.532. New Zealand’s middle order is a bit fragile as the skipper Kane Williamson has to try & bat through the entire quota of 20 overs. James Neesham’s batting position needs to get sorted as he has batted as a finisher at No.6 or 7 throughout his career.

New Zealand astonishingly opened with the all-rounder Daryl Mitchell who had a decent outing as he scored a quick fire 27 runs in 20 balls but in doing so Tim Seifert the swashbuckling batter batted at No.7 position which affected the innings at the back end as Seifert wasn’t clearing the rope.

Before the start of their opening match against Pakistan; New Zealand were halted by the calf injury of the speedster Lockie Ferguson which ruled him out of the tournament. Lockie’s absence would hurt as he is one of the best amongst the crop of  Kiwis & World Cricket at death overs; while on the other side the gates have been opened for Adam Milne (*reserve player) who somewhat has shades of the former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond who coincidentally is New Zealand’s fast bowling consultant. New Zealand are high on pace bowlers as they have the lanky Kyle Jamieson & the duo of Tim Southee-Trent Boult as these pacers are intimidating regardless of the pitch.

  • Pitch & Conditions

Dubai’s pitch is expected to be a run feast as the teams should target a score around 160-180 runs & even more as dew can be a decisive factor.

  • Keys to succeed in India vs New Zealand match

India’s strength is their power-packed batting line up; if they win the toss they should opt to bat irrespective of the conditions as New Zealand’s batting is topsy-turvy & scratchy.

New Zealand’s USP is their bowling as their bowling line up has got ingredients to suppress the opponent; but for that to happen the batters need to put a formidable total of 150-160 runs as 130 odd runs won’t win too many matches.

  • India is known to produce staggering performances to raise against the circumstances & would believe that the hopes of a billion people aren’t diminished.
  • New Zealand team’s idiosyncrasy is that they play like a team where they aren’t dependent on a single individual as they subsequently find multiple match winners on the given day.

It would be fascinating to see as which team’s journey would be stroked as both the teams are due to face Afghanistan, Scotland & Namibia where most likely they won’t have their fate in their hands. India have made it to the Semi Finals 3 times out of 6 (* 2007, 2014 & 2016) whereas New Zealand’s ratio is 2 times out of 6 (* 2007 & 2016).

Mitchell Starc & David Warner Pulverised Sri Lanka as Australia registered 2 wins out of 2

Australia handed a massive defeat to Sri Lanka by clinching the match by 7 wickets with 3 overs remaining as the target was of 155 runs ; match was played at Dubai on the 28th October. Australia who came into this tournament as a dark horse are showing & playing like the “AUSTRALIA” of 1990s & 2000s as it is often said Aussies know how to win ICC Tournaments (* Australia have never ever won a ICC World T20 World Cup). Closing the match has given a boost of NRR to Australia which is +0.727.

Australia vs Sri Lanka, T20 World Cup 2021 Highlights: David Warner shines, Australia beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets | Hindustan Times
SNAPSHOT: Aaron Finch & David Warner guided the run chase..

Australia had won the toss & put Sri Lanka to bat. While chasing the target of 155 runs Aaron Finch & David Warner toyed with Sri Lanka’s bowlers; especially in the 4th over when Lahiru Kumara came into the attack as both of them whacked him all around the park & scored 20 runs off his over. At the end of 4 overs Australia scored 43 runs & just when opportunity knocked the door for Sri Lanka; Kusal Perera the wicket-keeper dropped a dolly on the bowling off Dushmantha Chameera which was the 5th over & gave a life to Warner who was on 18 runs. At the end of the power-play overs Australia cruised to 63 runs unscathed.

Wanindu Hasaranga struck two quick wickets which were of Finch & Glenn Maxwell as Australia surprisingly promoted him to No.3. Finch made the most of his form & momentum as he played a dashing knock of 37 runs in 23 balls. At the time of Maxwell’s dismissal Australia required 77 runs in 69 balls as Sri Lanka sensed that they can perturb Australia but Warner along with the unorthodox Steven Smith decided their roles.

Wanindu Hasaranga celebrates Aaron Finch's wicket
SNAPSHOT: Wanindu Hasaranga celebrating after taking a wicket

Warner silenced all the white noise & criticism regarding his form by scoring 65 runs in 42 balls which included 10 fours as Warner played maturely as in his batting there were Shades of the old Warner of Red Ball & White Ball player/batter. Smith played a calm & composed inning of 28 runs in 26 balls as he gave appropriate respect to each & every ball. The finishing duties were completed by the flamboyant all-rounder Marcus Stoinis who played a quick cameo of 16 runs in 7 balls. Wanindu Hasaranga was the only pick of the bowlers who took wickets as well as controlled the flow of runs as he gave away 22 runs.

David Warner raises his half-century
SNAPSHOT: David Warner raising his bat after scoring a half-century

Asked to bat first Sri Lanka were off to a rollicking start as they scored 53 runs in the power-play overs for the loss of 1 wicket which was of Pathum Nissanka. Kusal Perera & Charith Aslanka were audacious as they didn’t feared to take on the likes of Starc, Hazlewood & Cummins. Before the drinks break Adam Zampa broke the partnership of Aslanka & Perera as he prised out Asalanka for 35 runs. After the drinks break (10th over) Mitchell Starc bowled a fiery yorker to Kusal Perera to castle his off stump as before that delivery Perera had hit him for a gigantic six at long on; Starc may have taken that six on his ego & made sure that Australia see the back of Kusal Perera. Kusal Perera scored 35 runs in 25 balls & he was looking ominous . Sri Lanka were 86 runs for 3 wickets in 10.3 overs & after that Australia reduced Sri Lanka to 95 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 13 overs.

Mitchell Starc bowled Kusal Perera with a searing yorker
SNAPSHOT: Mitchell Starc clean bowled Kusal Perera

Aaron Finch played a master-stroke by giving 2 overs to Starc in the middle phase which resulted in the scalps of Kusal & Hasranaga. Bhanuka Rajapakse & skipper Dasun Shanaka tried to avoid a collapse but in doing so Shanaka ated a lot of balls as he scored 12 runs in 19 balls whereas Rajapakse scored 33 runs in 26 balls & took Sri Lanka’s total to 154 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. Adam Zampa is proving to be the lethal weapon as he not only took 2 wickets but gave away only 17 runs in his 4 overs.

Adam Zampa ended a fifty stand with Charith Asalanka's wicket, Australia vs Sri Lanka, 2021 Men's T20 World Cup, Dubai, October 28, 2021
SNAPSHOT: Adam Zampa in the centre (without cap) congratulated for bowling economical & productive spell

Sri Lanka should not put the entire blame on the dropped catch by Kusal Perera as it is a part & parcel of the game. Sri Lanka errored by picking up only 2 frontline spinners giving the vulnerability of Australian batters. Sri Lanka should not weep about this loss as they still can make it Semis given the nature of the wickets. Sri Lanka’s next match is scheduled against South Africa on 30th October where both the teams have won & lost 1. Recently both Sri Lanka & South Africa played a bilateral 3 T20I Match Series in September 2021 in Sri Lanka in which South Africa had white-washed them; since then a lot has changed given the form of Sri Lanka now has where they defeated Namibia, Ireland Netherlands’ as they were the table-toppers of Qualifiers & they also tasted success against Bangladesh in Group Stage.

Australia would be enthralled by such a puissant performance where there were instances of panicking but they didn’t let the situation take a hold on them. Australia’s next match is against England on 30th October as both the teams are yet to be defeated. England vs Australia Match winner will most probably & definitely book a Semi- Final berth. Australia would be wary of the the style of Cricket which England plays as both Australia & England can take this match as a dress-rehearsal for the finale.

JJ Smit,Ruben Trumpelmann & Co made a strong statement as they buried Scotland

Namibia won their first Super 12 match against Scotland by 4 wickets with 4 balls left as Scotland were blown hot & cold as they managed only 109 runs at Abu Dhabi on 27th October. For Namibia this is a state of elation as they had come in the tournament as a rookie (*maiden appearance in T20 World Cup) & qualified by beating teams like Netherland & Ireland who have always given tough times to strong teams. Namibia are proving to be the silent assassiners who can damage the momentum of star teams as defeating Scotland and any associate nation doesn’t happen overnight.

SCO vs NAM, T20 World Cup 2021: Namibia beats Scotland by four wickets - Sportstar
SNAPSHOT: JJ Smit scored the winning runs

Namibia had won the toss & opted to bowl first. Namibia started their innings in tranquility as they made sure that they don’t lose wickets in quick succession; they scored 29 runs for the loss of 1 wicket in the power-play overs. Scotland introduced spin & immediately results were seen as runs dried up which eventually led up to wickets. Chris Greaves the right arm leg spinner, Michael Leask the right arm off spinner & Mark Watt the left arm off spinner provided breakthroughs & applied breaks. Craig Williams the veteran batter of Namibia got impatient as he throwed his wicket; at that point of time Namibia were 67 runs for 4 wickets in 12.3 overs, requiring 43 runs in 45 balls which was gettable yet tough.

David Wiese the hard hitting batter & finisher who earlier had represented South Africa in ICC T20 World Cup 2016 was at the crease along with the young sensation JJ Smit. The task was cut out for Namibia as they needed to bat maturley & wait for errors from bowlers. Both the batters showed a lot of application & pressed the button of wrapping up the match by scoring quick 2s & odd boundary with an unexpected 6; both of them were involved in 35 run partnership. Wiese tried a bit too hard & lost his wicket when the team were requiring 8 runs from 2.3 overs as he scored a critical 16 runs from 14 balls. Scotland tried to pull the game back but it was a tad too late as Smit scored the winning runs as Namibia upsetted Scotland. JJ Smit scored 32 runs in 23 balls which included 2 fours & 2 sixes which displayed his character.

Scotland vs Namibia HIGHLIGHTS, T20 World Cup live: Smit cameo seals first win for NAM in Super 12 - Sportstar
SNAPSHOT: JJ Smit pacing the run chase.

Greaves & Watt both of the spin bowlers took 1 wicket each & gave away 22 runs; but in the context of the match the bowlers were required to take more wickets especially the wealth of fast bowling which Scotland possesses as they have got Bradley Wheal, Josh Davey & Safyaan Sharif who are with the team since more than 5 years . The only way Scotland would have won was by bowling out Namibia which couldn’t happen. Scotland is in a deep muddle as earlier in Super 12s they got hammered by Afghanistan by 130 runs. Scotland too are in their Maiden T20 World Cup but their performance is not reflecting their hard work & dedication; they were the table toppers of T20 World Cup Qualifiers as they defeated Bangladesh, PNG & Oman.

Ruben Trumpelmann the left arm fast bowler of Namibia broke the back of Scotland’s batting line up in the first over itself as he took 3 wickets & became the first bowler to achieve the fate in T20I. His angle of making the ball go away from left & right handed batsmen was a treat to watch. In the power-play overs Scotland managed to score 22 runs only as they lost 4 wickets. Matt Cross & Michael Leask the spin bowling all-rounder steadied the ship as they stitched a partnership of 39 runs in which Cross not only struggled but in frustration lost his stumps.

Scotland vs Namibia T20 World Cup 2021 Highlights: Namibia beat Scotland by four wickets | Hindustan Times
SNAPSHOT: Ruben Trumpelmann pumped up after picking 3 wickets in an over

Greaves & Leask started making some in-roads as they were involved in 36 run partnership; but too much pre-meditation & courage dampened the road. Leask played a staggering knock of 44 runs in 27 balls which included 4 fours & 2 sixes while Chris Greaves wasn’t upto the mark as he scored 25 runs in 32 balls.

Namibia’s skipper Gerhard Erasmus & Coaching staff are using all the tricks in the book to overcome any opposition & they are overwhelming the opponent too. Namibia’s next match is against Afghanistan at Abu Dhabi which can sprung a lot of surprises as they have started playing proper brand of cricket which is: “If bowlers don’t win the match then batters have to win it & vice versa”.

Scotland’s NRR has taken a huge dip as of now it is -3.562. Scotland should forget about winning & losing because first of all they need to fight which is somewhat missing. Scotland’s next match is scheduled against New Zealand on 3rd of November at Dubai which is at some distance. Scotland now need to play for their pride as defeating any one of New Zealand, Pakistan & India will make Headlines.

Tymal Mills, Jason Roy & Co gave a Reality Check to Bangladesh

England won the match by 8 wickets against Bangladesh which was played at Abu Dhabi on 27th October. England chased down the target of 125 runs with 5.5 overs remaining. England now have a whopping NRR (Net Run Rate) of +3.61 which now has kept them in a good stead as things can get ugly at the later stages of the tournament.

England vs Bangladesh LIVE: Score and result from T20 World Cup 2021 fixture today | The Independent
SNAPSHOT: Jonny Bairstow shaking hands with Mahedi Hasan after scoring the winning runs

Bangladesh had won the toss & elected to bat first & while doing so they stumbled & scored 124 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. England’s openers Jason Roy & Jos Buttler came out all guns blazing as England scored 50 runs in the power-play overs for the loss of 1 wicket which was of Jos Buttler. It was expected that Bangladesh’s spinners would thrive on spinning tracks especially considering the weakness of England; but it turned out to be different as Roy was toying with every bowler even with the likes of ‘Fizz’ Mustafizur Rahman & Shakib Al Hasan.

Roy scored a splendid knock of 61 runs in 38 balls in which he hit 5 fours & 3 sixes. The peculiarity of Roy’s knock was that he didn’t feared to go down the track & assert his authority & dominance. Roy was accompanied by England’s umbrella man Dawid Malan who played a second fiddle as he scored 28 runs in 25 balls.

England vs Bangladesh Highlights T20 World Cup 2021: Roy, bowlers shine as England crush Bangladesh by 8 wickets | Hindustan Times
SNAPSHOT: Jason Roy plundering the bowlers

Batting first Bangladesh was in tatters as they lost 3 wickets in the power-play overs for a mere 27 runs. Bangladesh’s innings never got off to a start as none of their batters scored 30 runs. Mushfiqur Rahim tried to put the innings on track but he got out on 29 runs leaving an improbable task on the next players. Eoin Morgan used all his resources next to perfection as he gave the ball to the part-time spinner Liam Livingstone who bagged the wicket of Rahim & Mahmudullah.

England beats Bangladesh by 8 wickets at T20 World Cup
SNAPSHOT: Liam Livingstone became a dark horse as he took 2 wickets

The pick of the bowlers was Tymal Mills who was dexterous as his wicked variations proved to be nightmare as he finished with the figures of 3 wickets for 27 runs. Tyamal Mills would be grateful to the fact that ECB (England Cricket Board) entrusted him as he wasn’t a part of national team setup since last 3 years. Chris Woakes proved his credentials as he gave away only 12 runs in his 4 over spell & took 1 wicket of the big fish ‘Shakib’.

T20 World Cup 2021: Match 20, England vs Bangladesh – 10 best memes of the match
SNAPSHOT: Tymal Mills celebrating after taking a wicket

Bangladesh need to go back to the drawing board as now they have lost 2 matches out of 2 & their qualification hopes look bleak as they need to win all the next 3 matches. The senior batters Shakib, Rahim & Mahmudullah need to decide their role as one of them has to be present at the end of the innings irrespective of the circumstances as the other batters are naive.

Bangladesh’s next match is against West Indies on 29th October at Sharjah. Bangladesh vs West Indies clash would be an eliminator especially for West Indies as they are the defending champions whereas Bangladesh would look to spoil the party; the same way which they had done in the inaugural T20 World Cup 2007.

Bangladesh begin with a bang | BAN v WI | T20WC 2007
SNAPSHOT: Bangladesh’s team in Jubilation after defeating West Indies & eliminating them in ICC T20 World Cup 2007

England so far are proving to be a major threat as their weakness is not exploited. Their next match is scheduled against their arch-rivals Australia on the 30th October at Dubai. If England can overcome Australia hurdle then they would be serious contenders to lift the trophy irrespective of Australia’s lack of camaraderie in T20I as Australia is known for denting opponent team’s confidence.

Haris Rauf, Malik & Asif Ali Dethroned New Zealand as Pakistan inch closer to the Semi-Finals

Pakistan snatched victory from the jaws of defeat as they outclassed New Zealand & won the game by 5 wickets with 1.2 overs left in the tank. This match of Group 2 was played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on the 26th of October. Pakistan now have bagged 2 matches out of 2 & now they would be keen to inflict a lot of damage by winning the next 3 matches. New Zealand would hope that this is a passing shower & would reflect the performance as a one-off.

The unbeaten stand between Shoaib Malik and Asif Ali sealed it for Pakistan
SNAPSHOT: Shoaib Malik & Asif Ali taking Pakistan to victory after a hard-fought victory.

Pakistan had won the toss & elected to bowl first. New Zealand had set a a below par yet a challenging total of 135 runs. New Zealand’s bowlers were bang on target with impeccable line & lengths as Pakistan managed only 30 runs for the loss of a mammoth wicket of the skipper Babar Azam who was foxed by Tim Southee in the 6th over where he bowled an off-cutter to thrash his stumps. Mohammad Rizwan then took care of the run chase as he was making sure that he doesn’t consume the balls. Rizwan on one hand was holding the ship while at the other end Mohammad Hafeez & Fakhar Zaman were duped by the spin web of Mitchell Santner & Ish Sodhi; & all of a sudden the required run rate cropped to 8 runs per over as Pakistan were 63 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 11 overs. Within a blink of eye Rizwan got departed too as he scored 33 runs in 34 balls & it looked like Pakistan won’t make a match out of it. New Zealand’s spinners bowled a lot of disciplined line & lengths as they forced the Pakistan batsmen to press the panic button.

In the last 8 overs Pakistan required 65 runs which was tricky considering the nature of the pitch which was two paced. On the crease was the only Cricketer who has participated in all the 7 ICC T20 World Cup Tournament Shoaib Malik & with him the left arm off spinner Imad Wasim was there. Malik & Imad were cautious as they were taking absolutely no risks & focusing on rotating the strike. Trent Boult was introduced in the 14th Over & he got rid of Imad Wasim & in the last 5 overs Pakistan required 44 runs to win with Malik & Asif Ali at the crease. In the 17th over there was carnage as Asif Ali hit 2 consecutive sixes to Tim Southee & all of a sudden Pakistan were bossing the game as Pakistan required 24 of 3 overs. Asif Ali & Shoaib Malik wasted no more time as they wrapped up the match as Pakistan won by 5 wickets. New Zealand need to quickly sort out their bowling combination as specific roles should be given promptly to the likes of Boult & Southee as their job is to take wickets.

SNAPSHOT: Haris Rauf elated after knocking out the stumps of Martin Guptil.

New Zealand were asked to bat first. New Zealand got to a steady start but just at the brink of the power-play overs Martin Guptill was bowled out at 17 runs by Haris Rauf. Daryl Mitchell was promoted up the order as an opener & he somewhat made the most of the opportunity by scoring a quick fire cameo of 27 runs in 20 balls. Kane Williamson resurrected the innings along with Devon Conway. At 13 overs the score of New Zealand was 90 runs for the loss of 3 wickets & it looked like they can put a competitive total of more than 150 runs; but Hasan Ali the fast bowler got better of Williamson as he was run out by a turbulent piece of fielding. The dismissal of Williamson proved to be the turning point as in the next 7 overs New Zealand managed to score only 44 runs. Haris Rauf the speedster was the wrecker in chief as he took 4 wickets & gave away only 27 runs whereas the rest of the bowling line up supported each other throughout the match.

Hasan Ali was confident after getting in a direct hit
SNAPSHOT: Hasan Ali celebrating the wicket of Kane Williamson after running him out.

New Zealand may have made a mistake by not opening the batting with Tim Seifert who is a basher who can cut the opponent in half in the initial stages of the match; keeping him at no.7 was doing a bit injustice to his potential & talent.

Pakistan would hope that they avoid collapses as this nemesis is been there since ages. Asif Ali made a statement that he can be a finisher on the given day irrespective of his previous performances as he was initially not named in the squad & the same applied to Shoaib Malik.

New Zealand are slated to play next against the hosts India at 31st October at the Dubai International Stadium. That clash could be decisive as it is a virtual knock out match; whereas Pakistan are going to play Afghanistan on 29th October at Dubai International Stadium. Both India & Pakistan played their inaugural match at Dubai in which Pakistan bamboozled India.

New Zealand & India need to pull up their socks as one more match could weaken their chances of Semi Finals whereas Pakistan would hope that they don’t prolong their qualification.