What's new

ICC T20 World Cup 2022: Round 1 Matches discussion

Very bad result for Pakistan and group 2. Potentially Sri Lanka and West Indies in our group!

Imagine a group of
India
Pakistan
South Africa
Bangladesh
Sri Lanka
West Indies

That's literally Asia cup + SA and WI
 
Congratulation Namibia. What an improvement. Eat your heart out ICC, lower Rank team can beat the big boys too. Make the WC bigger
 
I can now imagine a situation where both India and Pakistan don't qualify :))

Sri Lanka will take this loss to heart like they did in Asia cup vs Afghanistan and thump all the other sides. West Indies ain't no pushover either.
 
Sunny_majoka said:
I still think SL is much better team, and can obviously win next two matches, however today's lose might haunt them
Click to expand...

Loosing to Namibia means you are not good enough, imagine pak or ind loosing to Namibia in WC lol
If Namibia can beat SL that cheaply don't get surprised Netherlands beating them too
 
Very happy as a supporter of these associate and lower ranked teams. Well done Namibia. 👏👏👏 keep telling how good these teams are and very much capable of causing upsets.
 
I have to ask, what's the official song for this wc? I haven't seen any (yet?).
 
A strong team performance has helped Namibia register a stunning 55-run upset victory over Sri Lanka in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup clash

Many hands make light work for Namibia

Some big hitting from Jan Frylinck (44) and JJ Smit (31*) helped Namibia overcome a shaky start to register 163/7 and that proved too much for Sri Lanka as the Asia Cup champions were all out for 108 in reply.

Bernard Scholtz (2/18), David Wiese (2/16), Ben Shikongo (2/22) and Player of the Match Frylinck (2/26) all picked up two wickets apiece as Sri Lanka's world class batting line-up failed to fire on the big stage.

Skipper Dasun Shanaka (29) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (20) provided some brief hope during the middle overs when they put on 34 for the fifth wicket, but the last six wickets fell for just 34 runs as the parochial Sri Lanka crowd at Kardinia Park was left disappointed.

Namibia recover following shaky start

Earlier Namibia lost three wickets inside the Powerplay to be reduced to 43/3, before their experienced middle-order fought back hard to swing the ascendancy back their way.

Star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga (1/27) bowled well during the middle overs for Sri Lanka, but Frylinck and Smit got on top late to propel Namibia to a handy score on a tricky batting pitch.

The road ahead

Sri Lanka have 48 hours to lick their wounds and recover ahead of their second match at the tournament against the UAE in Geelong on Tuesday.

It will be a must-win encounter for the reigning Asia Cup champions, with a second consecutive loss to likely leave them down the barrel of a shock exit in the First Round.

Conversely, Namibia will get the chance to book a Super 12 berth when they take on the Netherlands on Tuesday afternoon, also in Geelong.

Sri Lanka XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Pramod Madushan, Maheesh Theekshana

Namibia XI: Divan la Cock, Michael van Lingen, Stephan Baard, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (c), Jan Frylinck, JJ Smit, David Wiese, Zane Green (wk), Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo
 
Brilliant fielding and catching by the Namibians. They inherited the skills from their neighbor SA. SL death bowling was trash. Their batting reckless. Sri Lankans were rattled after the onslaught by Namibians in the last 4 overs. Great start to the WC
 
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES V NETHERLANDS - Preview

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/64dfiu" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>
 
Visaal-E-Yaar said:
Loosing to Namibia means you are not good enough, imagine pak or ind loosing to Namibia in WC lol
If Namibia can beat SL that cheaply don't get surprised Netherlands beating them too
Click to expand...


Not really. It's T20 cricket where very little things end up making the difference.

Zimbabwe beat Australia with all the big names in 2007. These things happen.
 
Might. Be good for lankans rather than facing Australia England newzealand . You face Pakistan india WI Bangladesh
 
Visaal-E-Yaar said:
Loosing to Namibia means you are not good enough, imagine pak or ind loosing to Namibia in WC lol
If Namibia can beat SL that cheaply don't get surprised Netherlands beating them too
Click to expand...
They lost to afghans in one sided affair and ended up winning the tournament now don’t be surprised if Pakistan lose to them 😂
 
Xoib said:
Both Windies and SL looks to be heading in our group that's a bad news
Click to expand...
If Sri Lanka qualify, they are first seed in their group and will finish A1 regardless. That’s how it has worked in ICC tournaments, so the fans can make sure of their groups and book tickets/travel in advance.
 
Toss: United Arab Emirates who chose to bat

d9bZ0CD.png
 
I see lots of Indian in UAE team it could be due to the fact that their head coach is Robin Singh. It was not the case before
 
Paul van meekeren has got good pace and is very decent bowler. Have seen him play in CPL. He was very decent there.
 
So there is a chance of SL moving into the same group as Pakistan?
 
The Super 12 round of the T20 World Cup 2022 is yet to begin but cricket fans all over the globe have their eyes set on the qualifiers from which 4 teams are to progress. The likes of Sri Lanka, West Indies, Namibia, Scotland, Ireland, Netherlands, UAE and Zimbabwe are already battling it out for the 4 vacant spots in the Super 12s. While Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Ireland are arguably the favourites to go through, the match between the Lankans and Namibia on the opening day of the tournament itself has been an eye-opener.

On Sunday, the opening day of the T20 World Cup 2022, Sri Lanka suffered a stunning 55-run defeat at the hands of Namibia at Geelong. Chasing a target of 164 runs, the Lankans were bamboozled by the Namibian bowlers. Barring Dasun Shanka's 29 and Bhanuka Rajapksa's 20, none of the Sri Lankan batters even crossed the 20-run mark.

The fact that Sri Lanka, reigning Asia Cup champions, can be beaten by a team like Namibia has blown the entire tournament wide open.

But, this defeat of Sri Lanka can have huge ramifications on the entire tournament. As per the rules, the top two teams from the two qualifier groups will enter the Super 12s.

As far as India's group is concerned, which has the likes of Pakistan, South Africa and Bangladesh, the winner of Group B and the runner-up of the Group A is to join them.

West Indies are the favourites to win the Group B while the Group A could now see Sri Lanka taking the runners-up spot, courtesy of their defeat against Namibia.

Hence, India's group could see an intense battle for the top spots, between Rohit Sharma's men, Pakistan, West Indies and Sri Lanka. It has to be noted that the Lankans had recently beaten India in the Asia Cup to book a spot in the final.

NDTV
 
Usman Chadda said:
If Sri Lanka qualify, they are first seed in their group and will finish A1 regardless. That’s how it has worked in ICC tournaments, so the fans can make sure of their groups and book tickets/travel in advance.
Click to expand...
How do you say that ? Last WC Bangladesh failed to secure first spot in qualifiers and were slotted in Group A along with lanka Australian. While namibia Scotland got allotted with Pakistan india etc
 
Just imagine the meltdown on here if we lost to Namibia!

Quite a humiliation that for Sri Lanka. Forget the 'they want to be in group B nonsense', they have literally no margin for error now and could require NRR just to qualify.
 
Pakistan should be ashamed of themselves for losing to Sri Lanka twice in the Asia Cup
 
MenInG said:
A strong team performance has helped Namibia register a stunning 55-run upset victory over Sri Lanka in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup clash

Many hands make light work for Namibia

Some big hitting from Jan Frylinck (44) and JJ Smit (31*) helped Namibia overcome a shaky start to register 163/7 and that proved too much for Sri Lanka as the Asia Cup champions were all out for 108 in reply.

Bernard Scholtz (2/18), David Wiese (2/16), Ben Shikongo (2/22) and Player of the Match Frylinck (2/26) all picked up two wickets apiece as Sri Lanka's world class batting line-up failed to fire on the big stage.

Skipper Dasun Shanaka (29) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (20) provided some brief hope during the middle overs when they put on 34 for the fifth wicket, but the last six wickets fell for just 34 runs as the parochial Sri Lanka crowd at Kardinia Park was left disappointed.

Namibia recover following shaky start

Earlier Namibia lost three wickets inside the Powerplay to be reduced to 43/3, before their experienced middle-order fought back hard to swing the ascendancy back their way.

Star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga (1/27) bowled well during the middle overs for Sri Lanka, but Frylinck and Smit got on top late to propel Namibia to a handy score on a tricky batting pitch.

The road ahead

Sri Lanka have 48 hours to lick their wounds and recover ahead of their second match at the tournament against the UAE in Geelong on Tuesday.

It will be a must-win encounter for the reigning Asia Cup champions, with a second consecutive loss to likely leave them down the barrel of a shock exit in the First Round.

Conversely, Namibia will get the chance to book a Super 12 berth when they take on the Netherlands on Tuesday afternoon, also in Geelong.

Sri Lanka XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Pramod Madushan, Maheesh Theekshana

Namibia XI: Divan la Cock, Michael van Lingen, Stephan Baard, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (c), Jan Frylinck, JJ Smit, David Wiese, Zane Green (wk), Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo
Click to expand...

Highlights

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/vnz8o6" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

WA6Hyqo.png
 
Last edited:
UAE 87/2 (15.2) CRR: 5.67
United Arab Emirates opt to bat

Bit slow!
 
Sloggers will struggle on big grounds like that. You need to have the creativity to find gaps for boundaries, looks for 2s and 3s.
 
Asif321 said:
How do you say that ? Last WC Bangladesh failed to secure first spot in qualifiers and were slotted in Group A along with lanka Australian. While namibia Scotland got allotted with Pakistan india etc
Click to expand...
Ah okay I’m mistaken then. Looks like a mini-Asia Cup is on our hands
 
Team UEA is setting themself up for a loss here. I don't think NED will lose this one. However, cricket is a funny game, let's see what happens.
 
sam_ahm said:
Very happy as a supporter of these associate and lower ranked teams. Well done Namibia. &#55357;&#56399;&#55357;&#56399;&#55357;&#56399; keep telling how good these teams are and very much capable of causing upsets.
Click to expand...

Congratulations to Namibia. Do you think they'll eclipse Zimbabwe as the 2nd best team in Africa or are they not as developed yet ?
 
Jee Whiz...Bazid 'the drone' in the commie box....
all you need now is Mike 'Dawlance' haysman, Harsha 'talk-a-lot-without-saying-anything' to make this a snooze fest
 
I didn't watch the srilanka Namibia match but people saying srilanka beat Ind and pak in Asia cup are forgetting the conditions. Those conditions were tailor made for SriLankan spinner and the batsmen who excel there as they are similar to their home conditions

Australian/SENA conditions are probably not suited to the style of play srilanka has. It's very likely the reason they are a bottom ranked team.
 
UAE 111/8 (20)
NED 14/1 (1.3) CRR: 9.33 REQ: 5.3
Netherlands need 98 runs

Should be an easy win for Ned
 
If Sl and WI both joins our Group then a strong possibility that Ind Pak might miss out on SF's strange scheduling already giving vibes of 2007 50 over WC #flopshow
 
Mohd Wasim Jr is a must in our line up after watching Junaid Siddiqui bowl. He should play at the 4th seamer
 
Chasing seems to be an issue on these big grounds. You cannot leave it till the end to finish the score off, as the risk factor is just too high with these boundary sizes.
 
Why are pak fans bricking it oh need to avoid SL etc.. you want to win the World Cup shouldn’t fear who you play, ir moan about toss if anything you want to play the best & win cup. Otherwise stay home !!
 
UAE fought back well

UAE 111/8 (20)
NED 80/6 (14.3) CRR: 5.52 REQ: 5.82
Netherlands need 32 runs in 33 balls

Could go either way this although UAE now hold the advantage
 
MenInG said:
UAE fought back well

UAE 111/8 (20)
NED 80/6 (14.3) CRR: 5.52 REQ: 5.82
Netherlands need 32 runs in 33 balls

Could go either way this although UAE now hold the advantage
Click to expand...

There was massive easy catch drop which might be the difference
 
LOL, stump mike quality is real good. can hear keeper tell bowler kartik meiyappan in tamil, dude is looking to charge you, pitch it up.
also shouting lots of encourgement in hindi...vritiya aravind - my friend played with him in the Chennai leagues.
 
Usman Chadda said:
Chasing seems to be an issue on these big grounds. You cannot leave it till the end to finish the score off, as the risk factor is just too high with these boundary sizes.
Click to expand...

Unlike Dubai which has a massive chasing bias, Australian venues either have a slight bat first bias or its even like at the MCG.
 
T20s gives associates and lesser sides more chance against higher ranked test teams. Namibia winning against my dark horse of this world cup the Lankans, shows that!
 
What a fantastic win from Namibia! Didn't see it coming.

That means SL may end up with Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh.
 
UAE 111/8 (20)

NED 112/7 (19.5)

Netherlands won by 3 wkts

PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Bas de Leede

==

7xepwnY.png
 
Last edited:
International T20s so much better than t20 leagues especially a certain one league that goes on for an eternity!
 
sweep_shot said:
What a fantastic win from Namibia! Didn't see it coming.

That means SL may end up with Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh.
Click to expand...

If SL do end up in the same group. I fancy BD beating SL. There’s a rivalry and BD players even being low in confidence in weakest point still fancy beating Lanka. I mean Asia cup game should have won and sent them home, missed too many chances and let them off the hook.
 
The second match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup turned out to be a thriller as Netherlands edged past UAE by three wickets in the final over to gain a crucial couple of points in Geelong on Sunday.

UAE face trouble batting first

CP Rizwan's decision to bat first after winning the toss didn't turn out to be fruitful for the UAE as their batters couldn't adapt well to the conditions in Geelong, with Netherlands restricting them to 111/8.

The track wasn't that easy to bat on as the ball was gripping off the surface. The UAE batters tried to hang around with hopes of accelerating later in their innings but Bas de Leede shone with the ball, picking up three wickets in the 19th over to halt UAE's progress completely. He finished with figures of 3/19 while left-arm seamer Fred Klaasen also registered good bowling figures of 4-0-13-2.

Muhammad Waseem, who scored an unbeaten 69 in the warm-up match for UAE, was their top scorer in this match once again as he made 41 from 47 deliveries. The next best score in their innings was Vriitya Aravind's 18 as UAE never got any momentum going in their innings

Max O'Dowd Threatens to take the game away

It's very difficult to defend anything less than 120 in T20 cricket and more so when the chasing team gets off to an excellent start in the powerplay. It looked like Netherlands' were walking away with the match when Max O'Dowd was batting.

The opener played some explosive shots and made 23 from 18 deliveries he faced in the powerplay. Even though they lost his wicket in the last over of the powerplay, the Dutch were still well placed to chase the target down with their score being 42/2 at the end of the powerplay.

Bowlers bring UAE back in the game

UAE didn't have much to defend but their bowlers didn't give up. They bounced back after Junaid Siddiqui, who claimed a five-for in the warm-up match, dismissed O'Dowd just towards the end of the powerplay. The bowlers tightened their lines and lengths after that and the Dutch batters found it difficult to score runs.

Although both Bas de Leede and Colin Ackermann got off to good starts and tried to hang around, they got dismissed soon for 14 and 17 respectively. But the real turning point came when Siddique bowled a brilliant 14th over to send both Tom Cooper and Roelof van der Merwe back to the pavilion. Netherlands were reduced to 76/6 and the chase got even more difficult for them at this point.

Scott Edwards keeps his composure to get Netherlands home in a final over thriller

UAE were suddenly back in the match after that sensational over from Siddiqui but skipper Scott Edwards kept his composure and kept Netherlands in the game with a crucial 27-run stand with Tim Pringle.

Even after Pringle got dismissed in the 19th over, with Netherlands still needing nine to win, Edwards hanged around to see his side through. He didn't try to go for any big shot, rather he showed the sense to just hit the gaps and look for the singles. He remained unbeaten on 16 from 19 deliveries as Netherlands won the match with three wickets and a ball to spare.

What the captains said at the toss

CP Rizwan: We would like to bat. It's slightly tougher to chase given the way the first match turned out. Team is feeling really good. Have got good preparation for here. Trying to take it one match at a time. Enjoying the challenge. Want to make a good impact in the tournament.

Scott Edwards: Perfect. We were going to bowl. Happy days. Team is feeling great. We're good to go and excited for this first game. We've got three or four guys that have played a lot of cricket in Australia.

ICC
 
Mas-LFC said:
If SL do end up in the same group. I fancy BD beating SL. There’s a rivalry and BD players even being low in confidence in weakest point still fancy beating Lanka. I mean Asia cup game should have won and sent them home, missed too many chances and let them off the hook.
Click to expand...

I am still scratching my head how Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup (over India and Pakistan).

It was like how Greece won the 2004 Euro. Upset.

To be honest, Sri Lanka can lose against Netherlands too and that can knock them out.
 
sweep_shot said:
I am still scratching my head how Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup (over India and Pakistan).

It was like how Greece won the 2004 Euro. Upset.

To be honest, Sri Lanka can lose against Netherlands too and that can knock them out.
Click to expand...

You need not be surprised, almost all major trophies Sri lanka has ever won are in Asia ( only).

World cups, asia cups, champions trophy etc.

They were mediocre in 1999 world cup in England with almost same team which won 96 world cup.

They were disastrous in 92 world cup in Aus/Nzl
And disastrous in 2015 world cup in Aus/Nzl as well.

Greece beat portugal twice in portugal to win Euro 04 ( away from
Home) so they deserve some credit.
 
Sarwar89 said:
You need not be surprised, almost all major trophies Sri lanka has ever won are in Asia ( only).

World cups, asia cups, champions trophy etc.

They were mediocre in 1999 world cup in England with almost same team which won 96 world cup.

They were disastrous in 92 world cup in Aus/Nzl
And disastrous in 2015 world cup in Aus/Nzl as well.
Click to expand...

Yup. All of their ICC trophy wins came in Asia. You are right.

Their CT win was in Sri Lanka. ODI WC win was in Pakistan. World T20 win was in Bangladesh.

This is why I think Netherlands have a very good chance of beating Sri Lanka in Australia. Condition should suit Netherlands.
 
I always hear people wishing that cricket was more universal, but look at Namibia.

It only has a pop of only 2 million and considering Whites make the towering majority of the squad and slightly less than 10% of the overall pop, it means the pool of talent is chosen from a mere 200k.

Add to that they're not even cricket crazy.

Yet they beat one of the best Asian sides, and decisively so (+50 runs is huge in that format).

I know you can relativize as much as you want (T20I is a format that leaves space for upsets, conditions, etc) but I'm just wondering that if not 200k Whites but hundreds of millions of them in the US, Europe, etc took cricket seriously what would happen to the so-called Asian sides, which are often just competitive in that sport alone.
 
Don't look into those matches in UAE too seriously. SL became the Asia Cup champion just by winning all Toss except that final which Pakistan spectacularly bottled it due to Rizwan's slowish inning. Any other decent team would have chased that total down in UAE. The same happened in the last year T20I World Cup there aswell.

They now got thrashed by Namibia of all teams. They're not this bad either. It happens due to the nature of the format.

They're average at best and would defeat top teams 2 out of 10 times.

If Namibia beat UAE , and Netherlands beat Namibia , It would all come down to NRR for Srilanka to qualify even if they win their remaining matches and Their NRR is not good either. It doesn't look good for SL.
 
Australia winning world T20 itself is fluke. SL winning Asia cup even more accidental. Something about UAE pitches where heroes look like zeroes. zeros look like heroes depending on when you bat when you bowl. By any stretch of imagination a team with batting depth cannot get shot for 108 runs by an associate side.
 
Highlights of UAE v NED game:

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/hh1lm2" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>
 
Mp812 said:
Toss winner was game winner in UAE 9 times out of 10
Click to expand...

It is not correct to say that things were decided by the toss in that Asia Cup.. If the fielding was good, the team that batted first would have won most of the games; That is the reason why Sri Lanka won!
 
Markhor said:
Congratulations to Namibia. Do you think they'll eclipse Zimbabwe as the 2nd best team in Africa or are they not as developed yet ?
Click to expand...

Their player pool is very small, far far smaller than that of Zimbabwe, so it's not going to be that easy, moreover Zimbabwe get far more ICC funding than the associates as a full member and have a proper domestic season. They are now also targeting some of their lost talent to English counties to comeback and play for Zim. so not easy for Namibia to overtake Zim. Also, I would say in the last few months Zimbabwe themselves have put up some impressive performances which is good to see.
 
Mas-LFC said:
If SL do end up in the same group. I fancy BD beating SL. There’s a rivalry and BD players even being low in confidence in weakest point still fancy beating Lanka. I mean Asia cup game should have won and sent them home, missed too many chances and let them off the hook.
Click to expand...

Rivalry? New in market? Lol
 
The Netherlands´ lower-order very smartly and intelligently saw the team through a tricky kind of total, aiming for it by running the ones and the twos and making use of almost every delivery, not playing out any dot balls. It was quite impressive seeing them not panic after those quick wickets. Still, though, 20 runs more and it was the UAE´s game, I reckon.
 
Mas-LFC said:
If SL do end up in the same group. I fancy BD beating SL. There’s a rivalry and BD players even being low in confidence in weakest point still fancy beating Lanka. I mean Asia cup game should have won and sent them home, missed too many chances and let them off the hook.
Click to expand...

Bangladesh won't do jack to SRL. SRL is Asia Cup winner. Have some respect man. What the heck has BD won ever? Namibia, Ire, Afg are all stronger than BD in T20.
 
The first match of Group B of the T20 World Cup kicks off with two-time winners West Indies taking on Scotland at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.

After a rousing start in Group A over the weekend, the action at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 shifts to Group B on Monday with West Indies taking on Scotland in Hobart in their first match of the tournament.


Overview

It has been anything but smooth sailing for West Indies in the recent past. The squad that arrived in Australia have found the going tough, losing a T20I series against the hosts, and just about managing to see off a spirited UAE side in one of the warm-up games. Having underperformed in the previous edition, skipper Nicholas Pooran has his task cut out as he tries to rebuild West Indies as the powerhouse of T20I cricket, which they were, not so long ago.

The current Windies squad lacks the stardust and depth of Daren Sammy’s teams that went on to lift the cup twice. It also remains to be seen how much Shimron Hetmyer’s absence, having missed his flight before subsequently being dropped, will affect the side. Hetmyer and his big hits will be sorely missed but the former champions have enough in the tank to start proceedings with a win. West Indies and Scotland’s previous warm-up games were washed out due to rain. There aren’t too many punters betting on Pooran’s side going all the way in the tournament but they are expected to progress to the Super 12s.

Scotland, meanwhile, come into the game on the back of a win against Netherlands. Richie Berrington’s side had a memorable outing last year and will fancy their chances as West Indies have looked shaky with bat and ball in recent times. The Windies still have a bevy of big-hitters, including captain Pooran himself but their inexperienced bowling attack will still have to do very well to go far in the T20 World Cup.

Since the 2021 T20 World Cup, Scotland haven’t played much cricket and were comfortably outplayed when they clashed against New Zealand in the run-up to the tournament. They barely scraped through a win against the Dutch and will have to rely on Berrington, Josh Davey and Brad Wheal. Bowling remains a concern for the Scots and they will have to be on top of their game if they have to pull off a giant-killing act.

Key Players

Nicholas Pooran: On his day, the southpaw can rip into the best of bowling attacks and he will be central to West Indies’ fortunes in the T20 World Cup. However, he would need the likes of Kyle Mayers, an equally belligerent stroke maker, Rovman Powell and the seasoned Jason Holder to rally around him for the Men in Maroon to score big runs. Pooran’s explosiveness and maturity in the middle makes him one of the players to watch out for across teams.

Brad Wheal: The South Africa-born pacer has been an improved player in the shorter formats in the recent past and the Scots will rely on Wheal to provide early breakthroughs. The batters will be targeting the shorter boundaries in Hobart and Wheal will be expected to use his recent exploits to ensure that West Indies’ big hitters don’t take the contest away from the Scots. Wheal enjoyed a fine summer, winning the T20 Blast in England with the Hampshire Hawks.

Predicted Playing XIs

Scotland: George Munsey, Michael Jones, Matthew Cross (wk), Richie Berrington (c), Calum MacLeod, Michael Leask, Mark Watt, Chris Greaves, Chris Sole, Josh Davey, Brad Wheal

West Indies: Kyle Mayers, Johnson Charles, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran (c & wk), Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Odean Smith, Akeal Hosein, Yannic Cariah, Obed McCoy, Sheldon Cottrell.

ICC
 
Zimbabwe and Ireland search for consistency in the format in their T20 World Cup Group B opener at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.

Overview

Ireland have shown that they can hold their own in the Cricket World Cups over the years but are yet to find their feet in T20s. They have one eye on the future and have a Kevin O’Brien-sized hole to plug. Ireland, though, continue to remain as a side that blow hot and cold. During the run-up to the T20 World Cup, they managed to record an impressive series win against Afghanistan but recently fell short against Namibia in a warm-up game. The Namibians are no pushovers themselves, having pulled off a spectacular win against Sri Lanka on day one of this edition.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, have several players on the waiting list due to illness and injuries but one expects a full-strength line-up for their tournament opener. Seasoned pros such as Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza and skipper Craig Ervine are match-winners on their day but top-order remains a concern. It will be interesting to see the approach coach David Houghton will adopt with the powerplay overs playing such a key role in this format.

Meanwhile, Ireland’s concerns lie elsewhere. If skipper Paul Stirling manages to get into his groove, the boundaries will flow at the Blundstone Arena and he comes into the World Cup having had a fine 2022. The year, however, has not been that kind on the Zimbabweans, them having slumped to crushing defeats against neighbours Namibia and Afghanistan.

Much will depend on all-rounder Sikandar Raza, who, regardless of his team’s form has been a jewel in the crown for Zimbabwe. The seasoned Sean Williams is equally dangerous when things click for him in the middle. With runs expected to flow, the bowling attacks of both sides hold the key. Ireland have form and variety in their ranks to win this contest. With Zimbabwe sweating on the fitness of multiple players, it is imperative that Stirling rotates his bowlers well and set the tone with the bat.

Wesley Madhevere also remains a doubt having suffered a knock during a warm-up game. Despite their topsy-turvy season and fitness concerns, Zimbabwe can draw strength from their performances in multiple ICC events from the past. Having missed the previous edition, they will be itching to make an impression on the big stage.

Predicted Playing XIs

Ireland: Paul Stirling (c), Stephen Doheny, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Curtis Campher, Mark Adair, Simi Singh, Barry McCarthy, Josh Little

Zimbabwe: Regis Chakabva (wk), Craig Ervine (c), Wesley Madhevere, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba, Ryan Burl, Tony Munyonga, Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara, Richard Ngarava

Key Players

Ryan Burl

Leg-spinner Ryan Burl is a tricky customer and is a canny operator in this format. There will be little surprise if he is introduced into the attack during the powerplay. Burl, of course, was instrumental in his side’s historic win against Australia last month where he bagged a five-wicket haul.

Curtis Campher

The South Africa-born all-rounder Curtis Campher has already become a key part of the Irish setup in his young career and can influence a game with the bat or ball. He has already taken to the format like a duck to water and Stirling will be banking on Campher to give his side early breakthroughs.


ICC
 
No one seems to have taken the issue of sub standard pitches used on 1st day of WC. Far from ideal T20
 
Visaal-E-Yaar said:
Loosing to Namibia means you are not good enough, imagine pak or ind loosing to Namibia in WC lol
If Namibia can beat SL that cheaply don't get surprised Netherlands beating them too
Click to expand...

SL lost to AFG very bad in their first match in Asia cup too..rest is history
 
Mirpuri Don said:
I always hear people wishing that cricket was more universal, but look at Namibia.

It only has a pop of only 2 million and considering Whites make the towering majority of the squad and slightly less than 10% of the overall pop, it means the pool of talent is chosen from a mere 200k.

Add to that they're not even cricket crazy.

Yet they beat one of the best Asian sides, and decisively so (+50 runs is huge in that format).

I know you can relativize as much as you want (T20I is a format that leaves space for upsets, conditions, etc) but I'm just wondering that if not 200k Whites but hundreds of millions of them in the US, Europe, etc took cricket seriously what would happen to the so-called Asian sides, which are often just competitive in that sport alone.
Click to expand...

More than half of Namibia team is from South Africa..yeah they are choosing player from a population pool all right..just not their population
 
alone1213 said:
I see lots of Indian in UAE team it could be due to the fact that their head coach is Robin Singh. It was not the case before
Click to expand...

No surprise just like the rest of Indianization of many industries in gulf region. One Indian comes in the Mgmt and all he/she hires are Indians regardless of skillset.

Teams like UAE or other gulf should not be part of such global tournament. You must have a passport of the country in order to represent the country or give it to other deserving countries even if they are bad. Representation makes grassroot stronger in the long run and promotes the game. ICC has done a terrible job at associate level and in spreading the game. It's all about money from them. T20 is ideal format to take it to next level and make cricket truly global but it won't happen. See how Thailand women's team made it to semi and beat Pakistan, next time around we likely won't even hear about them and they will disappear just like many other associate nations.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
Australia winning world T20 itself is fluke. SL winning Asia cup even more accidental. Something about UAE pitches where heroes look like zeroes. zeros look like heroes depending on when you bat when you bowl. By any stretch of imagination a team with batting depth cannot get shot for 108 runs by an associate side.
Click to expand...

Such a sorry excuse and something we keep hearing from neighbours for obvious reasons :) . If you are good enough you will win regardless of the place and regardless of the toss. SL won final while batting first, its all about how good you are on the given day.
 
the world champion Indian team lost to this Sri Lankan team ? can't believe it.......Rohit Sharma should be jailed for losing the asia cup to such a minnow team
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Ball Blazer
  • Locked
Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan v Sri Lanka | Super 4 | Match 3 | Abu Dhabi | September 23 | Pre-Match Discussion
2
Replies
99
Views
3K
adi_62941
adi_62941
Devadwal
Women's ODI World Cup 2025: Discussion thread
10 11 12
Replies
902
Views
11K
saimayubera
saimayubera
Ball Blazer
Pakistan men's and women's cricket share the same fate
Replies
25
Views
680
hoshiarpurexpress
H
BouncerGuy
Lanka Premier League (2025) - Discussion Thread [From Nov 27 to Dec 23]
Replies
1
Views
305
Ball Blazer
Ball Blazer
BouncerGuy
Pakistan, Zimbabwe, and Sri Lanka T20i Tri-series (2025): Discussion Thread
Replies
48
Views
2K
AamchiMumbaikar
AamchiMumbaikar
Back
Top