Men’s T20 World Cup preview part 1

I know what you’re thinking, there was a cricket World Cup last year, you’re right there was! In fact a fella said to me recently that there’s always a cricket World Cup going on (If only!). The truth is, with the men playing World Cups in all three International formats and the women playing world cups in ODI and T20, these tournaments do indeed roll around pretty quickly! If you include under 19’s, over 40’s and disability tournaments it really never does stop……….what a sport!

As it is, the next edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup begins on Sunday 2nd June and I for one can’t wait. This year’s tournament is a particularly exciting prospect as the competition has been expanded from 16 nations competing to 20. One reason for this is the tournament is being co-hosted by The West Indies and The USA, meaning those 2 host nations automatically qualify. The growth of the competition also comes down to the fact that world wide interest in Cricket is growing ever stronger, meaning more Associate Nations have been given the chance to compete. For those that might not know, Associate Nations are generally smaller, less well known cricketing countries, but, we can talk about that another time!

With so many teams competing this years the tournament is broken down into several stages. The 20 qualifying teams will be divided into four groups of five teams; the top two teams in each group will advance to the Super 8 round. In this stage, the qualifying teams will be split into two groups of four; the top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stage, which will consist of two semi-finals and a final.

Again, there will, I’m sure be ample opportunity to get into the nitty gritty of the super 8’s and knockouts further down the line, so in this blog and the next, I’m going to briefly look at the four opening groups and the teams within them starting with groups one and two.

Group A – 2 great continents and the Island of Ireland

Group A consists of India, Pakistan, Canada, Ireland and the United States.

India – India, arguably the greatest Cricketing nation on earth……..certainly they would argue that, are probably hot favourites. They have an embarrassment of riches. Indeed they have the players to legitimately field three World Cup capable teams and with a fair wind, come first, second and third. The Indian players are also coming off the back of the IPL (Indian Premier League) so the squad they pick will all be match fit from two month of top level T20 cricket. Of course, and thankfully, India can’t enter three teams and this is where the story becomes complicated, who, out of the huge list of world class players do the selectors choose? The other thing worth mentioning, although India won last year’s Asia cup, they haven’t won a world tournament since 2013 and that will be playing on their minds………India expects. Players to look out for? There’s too many to mention really but if India go for a balance squad of youth and experience then they will build on their captain Rohit Sharma, the worlds best pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah and their veteran and master batsman Virat Kohli.

Pakistan – Pakistan are another massive power in the Cricketing world and although they don’t quite have the resources of their Neighbours and biggest rivals India, the Green Falcons have a raft of world class players. Pakistan are coming into this World Cup in relatively good form. They came second in the 2022 T20 World Cup missing out in the final to England and are the current Champion trophy holders. You also won’t find many teams with more heart than Pakistan, tempers will flair, ego’s will clash but it’s because they want it so much! Players to look out for? Pakistan have, potentially, the best opening batting partnership in world cricket in Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. They also have amongst the best pace bowling partnership in Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi. These four men are match winning players on their day………but it will take several good days to win this competition.

Canada – Canada have appeared in ODI world cups in the past but this is their first showing at a T20 World Cup. Canada can also say they have earned the right to compete at this level, they won the America Qualifiers beating Bermuda in the regional final to secure their place in the tournament. Does that make Canada the Champion of the Americas? In my mind it does. The first ever International cricket match was contested way back in 1844 between Canada and the USA. This later morphed into an annual fixture known as the Auty cup, It is reputed to be the longest running international sporting fixture of any type. Although Canada undoubtedly have pedigree, in a group with India, Pakistan and Ireland, I think it unlikely they will get further into the competition. However the wonderful thing about this big pool of competitors is there is always chance for a disrupter to do something exciting! Players to look out for? Canada’s captain Saad Bin Zafar is their greatest asset. He is a useful left handed all rounder with the brilliant world record of being the only man to bowl his maximum quota of overs in a T20 match without conceding a run! He also has a T20 strike rate of 414.28……huge! It’s worth saying that he will have achieved these fetes against less than stellar opponents but even so!

Ireland – Ireland have appeared in 7 T20 World Cups in the past but have only once progressed past the group stage, they will hope 8th times a charm! Ireland have been there or there abouts in world cricket for many years now. Gaining full member Test playing status in 2017 they have fielded well put together squads for a number of years. Where Ireland struggle is that they just don’t get enough high quality cricket in order to build on their strong foundations. The Irish booked their place in the 2024 World Cup via the European Qualifiers and they looked strong. However putting up strong performances against Jersey, Germany and Denmark in a regional qualifier is a different prospect to facing the likes of India and Pakistan in a World Cup. Ireland are a bit of a bogey team for many nations though, they have a bad habit of beating England for example. I would say they have an outside chance of qualifying for the super 8’s this time round but they will have to leave nothing on the bench. Players to look out for? Ireland are skippered by the unmistakable Paul Sterling. He’s a no holds barred right handed opening batter who only knows how to play one way, hard! If he’s in form he brings the fire works. My pick for their bowlers has to be Josh Little. Little recently took 4 wickets for 45 runs in the IPL, he will worry any batting attack.

USA – The States qualified for the World Cup by virtue of being a co-host and that’s absolutely fair, that’s how it works! There is a long history of cricket being played in America (see Canada section for details), but it is by a long way not the favourite sport of the land of the free. USA Cricket are trying to do something about that though, Major League Cricket, a IPL style franchise tournament was launched last year and infrastructure needed to host matches for this World Cup will be left to help strengthen the game in the USA. As I’ve said already in regards to Canada, a group Containing India, Pakistan and Ireland leaves little chance for American qualification. There could be a bit of hosts magic at play though, anything can happen in tournament cricket! Players to look out for? The former New Zealand bowling allrounder Corey Anderson now plays his cricket for the States. Still playing in leagues around the world, he will bring plenty of experience to his new national squad. Another name to keep an eye on is Ali Khan. Khan is a right arm pace bowler who has played in the IPL, PSL and Abu Dhabi T10.

Group B – Crickets originally rivalry and some plucky players!

Group B consist of England, Australia, Namibia, Scotland and Oman

England – Being an English cricket fan is less riding a rollercoaster of emotions and more riding a rollercoaster of emotions while removing a wasps nest and juggling fire. You know there are going to be some epic highs but there also is a good chance you will get stung…….and burnt……and fall off the rollercoaster! But enough of my Freudian nonsense. England are the current world champions of the T20 format beating Pakistan in the final of the 2022 edition. The Kings Men were also, until recently, the holders of the ODI world championship, having the distinction of being the only team in history to hold both titles at the same time! However in the defence of that ODI world title last year England put up a woeful effort in India, losing game after game and letting the cup slip away. Those of you who used to read ‘Exciting Cricket News’ may remember one or two mentions of my disappointment. Not to worry though, this is a different tournament, a different format and I have very faith in Joss Buttlers lads! England do have a very strong squad, the likes of the Afore mentioned Joss Buttler plus Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook and Adil Rashid are all world class. We are however missing our many time talisman Ben Stokes, having ruled himself out to work on his fitness. Even so, England should be qualifying from this group! Players to keep an eye on? Batter Phil Salt has just returned from a blistering IPL, if he has anything like the form he had for KKR then he can’t be left out. Jofra Archer is making his return to the England side for this World Cup. The extreme pace man has been plagued by injuries but is hopefully fit and is apparently rapid in training!

Australia – Booooooooooo……sorry, sorry, sorry……..Australia are strong contenders for this tournament. With a host of world class players, a loyal support base and, at times, a flexible approach to the rules, AUS are always in the mix. Australia are also bringing a lot of momentum into the competition, they currently hold the Test and ODI world titles, both of which they secured last year. The boys from down under can’t say they’re the first nation to hold double world titles, England have that accolade, but they could be the first to hold the Triple Crown of men’s cricket world titles. Australia’s long time opening batter and top sand paper aficionado David Warner will probably be wearing the Aussie green and gold for the last time at this world cup and he’ll want to make it count, that means pressure! AUS also have a habit of starting tournaments poorly so they’ll want to brake that trend. Make no mistake though, Australia are a team who know how to win games and competitions, they are contenders. Players to look out for? Glenn Maxwell, the man they call The Big Show! Maxwell signs million pound contracts with franchise teams all over the world because he is box office with the bat and he never plays better than when he’s in a Aussie shirt, he will win them games! AUS are taken Jake Fraser-McGurk as a travelling reserve. Fraser-McGurk is a blistering T20 batter, if he gets the chance of a knock then he’s worth a watch!

Namibia – This will be Namibia’s 3rd outing at a T20 World Cup. They put up a good showing in the 2021 competition scoring victories over Netherlands and Ireland to progress to the second round. The Eagles also qualified well, winning the Africa Qualifier to earn their place in West Indies and America. Whereas Zimbabwe, a full member Test playing nation, all be it not a very good one, didn’t qualify. Cricket in Namibia is well supported due to the countries historical links with South Africa, as such Cricket Namibia have cultivated a fit, well bonded side with a good coach in Pierre de Bruyn. However, as is so often the story with Associate nations, NAM simply don’t get enough top level cricket to be extremely competitive in a group with England and Australia. But you never know, if they can get a run on and Australia start badly, second qualifying place is a possibility. Players to look out for? Namibia’s captain Gerhard Erasmus is a very handy all rounder with a good batting average in T20, he’ll lead from the front. David Wiese, the Namibian Pirate (so called by me) is a former South Africa international who was returned to the land of his roots to represent Namibia. He’s a wippy, medium pace bowler with a knack of getting wickets and is a handy lower order batsman.

Scotland – Cricket north of the boarder is gaining momentum with Scottish cricketers getting picked up in the T20 blast and The hundred. Earlier in the year Cricket Scotland announced a new T10 franchise league, The Scottish Super 10, to be hosted in Aberdeen this August, that should be fun! This is Scotland’s 5th appearance at a T20 World Cup and along with Ireland, have booked their place this time via the Europe Qualifier. The Scots have a well balanced side with a good mix of youth and experience. In all honesty though, I don’t think we can expect great things from our Caledonia cousins, but I’d love for them to prove me wrong! Players to look out for? Richie Berrington is Scotlands main guy. Having first represented The Scots aged 13, he has a wealth of experience and is handy with both bat and ball.

Oman – Oman made it to this year’s World Cup via the Asia qualifier, being crown champions of that tournament. This is their 3rd appearance in a T20 World Cup having co hosted the 2021 competition with the UAE. Omani cricket has a strong following in the country from Indian and Pakistani expats. They are plucky, and have a good coach in the former Sri Lanka international Duleep Mendis. But again, we can’t expect too much. They could cause an upset against Scotland or Namibia……..any thing can happen in tournament cricket, they could cause an up set against England or Australia but I can’t see them getting out of the group. Players to keep an eye on? Aqib Ilyas has just been promoted to captain. He’s a top order batsman with some useful off spin. He could score some runs.

Cricket this week

The IPL has been rumbling on for the last 2 months like a mighty thunder cloud on the horizon but now have our finalists. As I type, Sunrises Hyderabad have beaten the Rajasthan Royals in the second illuminator to set up a Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrises Hyderabad final on Sunday. It’s been a season of bumper scores due to the controversial Impact player rule. This effectively means you can swap a bowler for a batter during your batting innings. Many commentators say that this swings the competition between bat and ball too far into the batters favour and the rule is under review for next year’s tournament. I personally love it, T20 franchise cricket is meant to be exciting, give me a 270 run chase anytime! As for the final, my wife is a Kolkata Knight Riders fan so we will be cheering the men in purple on this Sunday! KKR and SRH have probably been the best 2 teams this season so I’m hoping for an exciting game!

Pakistans women and men are both in England at the moment playing World Cup warm up matches against our respective women’s and men’s teams!

England W have just completed a 3 match white wash over Pakistan W which gave All The Cricket our first day on the road this year. Last Sunday we headed over to glorious Headingley to see England finish the T20 series with a convincing win, steered by a brilliant 87 from Danni Wyatt. The two teams now play a 3 match ODI series that England kicked off with a solid 37 run win on Thursday. The next game in that series is on Sunday at 11am.

England and Pakistan men are playing a 4 match T20 series with the first game unfortunately being rained off on Wednesday 22nd May. The next match is scheduled for Saturday 25th so everyone do a sun dance! It would be good for England to get some wins under their belts going into the World Cup but Pakistan are always tough competition!

So with that I’ll sign off for this week, I hope you enjoyed this World Cup preview or just enjoyed having a read! I’ll be putting out part 2 next Friday where I’ll be taking a look at groups C and D.

Until then go well!

All the best,

Nick