Good afternoon sports fans and welcome to the final part of our World Cup preview. We’ll be having a look at Group D today, possibly the most open group of the four.
Group D – Big names with big aims!
Group D consists of South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Netherlands.
South Africa – South Africa rank amongst the upper echelons of world cricket. They have an ICC ranking in the top four in all three international formats, are statistically the most successful team in ODI’s with a win rate of more than 61% and have spent much of the 2000’s as the number 1 ranked test side in the world………and yet, they never win anything! Harsh, but true, the Proteas have never won a major ICC event, although they did win the gold medal in the 1998 Commonwealth Games. SA, a little like New Zealand, have never managed to hold their nerve and go that bit further, harder and longer despite having made semifinals in a litany of World Cups. Fortune may be on SA’s side this time round though. Cricket South Africa two years ago launched the SA20 T20 franchise tournament which has been a huge boon for SA players and supporters.
Sunrisers Hyderabad made it to the final of the IPL this week, SRH had a strong host of SA players so they should be rejoining their national side well practiced and ready to hit the ground running. Players to look out for? Heinrich Klaasen is SA’s Keeper Batsman and he is brilliant in this format. Able to launch balls all over the park, he is capable of dismantling a bowling attack with a huge score and then taking the gloves to make sure those runs won’t be chased down! Anrich Nortje is a quick orthodox right arm bowler, capable of good variation. He will be hard to pick on the unknown tracks in the states.
Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka spend most of their time in a state of pure chaos! For example, during the 2023 ODI World Cup the Sri Lankan government sacked the entirety of the Sri Lankan Cricket board. This in turn prompted the ICC (International Cricket Council) to ban Sri Lanka from playing international cricket as it is against their laws for a nation to compete internationally without a governing body. That then forced the Sri Lankan government to reinstate the entirety of the board……….I say again, all this happened while Sri Lanka were competing in a World Cup! Sri Lanka’s history is full of episodes like this but despite that they have managed to be successful. The Lions have been ODI world champs, T20 world champs, Champion Trophy winners and have been prolific in the Asia Cup. What Sri Lanka are missing though is consistency. They’re like a dog chasing a car but then losing interest. SL are in a very open group though, if the stars align and the government in Columbo don’t do anything crackers, this could be a good year for them! Players to look out for? Angelo Mathews is Sri Lanka’s old war horse. A bowling allrounder, he retired from international cricket a few years ago but was recalled in 2023 due to injuries within the squad. He obviously still has it because he’s still there. Sadeera Samarawickrama is another interesting playing. A wicketkeeper batter, he had a great career in youth cricket before slipping away slightly. His batter stats in Sri Lankan league cricket have looked good this year though and he’s been picked back up by the national side.
Bangladesh – Bangladesh gained full member test playing status in 2000 and have competed consistently in ICC world events since. The Tigers haven’t enjoyed a lot of success despite their place in the upper tier of world cricket, having only made it through to the quarterfinals of a world competition once, although Bangla have been Asia cup finalists on a couple of occasions. The Tigers have found themselves in the right group though, the second qualifying spot is up for grabs for almost all combatants. That said, Bangladesh have just lost a warm up series against the USA so the omens may not be looking good. Players to look out for? Shakib Al Hasan is probably the greatest ever Bangladeshi sportsman and widely regarded as one of the greatest allrounders of all time. He has recently relinquished his captaincy of the team and I think that’s a good move for the tigers, let Shakib concentrate on smashing runs and rattling wickets. He also holds the record of being the only man to play in every T20 World Cup. Tanzim Hasan Sakib is a young and relatively untested medium fast bowler. Having been part of the Bangladesh team that won the under 19’s T20 World Cup he is part of the future of Bangladeshi cricket, one to keep an eye on.
Nepal – Nepalese cricketing history can be traced as far back as 1877 with the sport being popular amongst aristocrats and the ruling elite. This remained the case until the 1960’s when Nepal’s governing body made efforts to make cricket accessible for all Nepalese society. The good people of Nepal took to cricket like leather to willow and by the mid 1990’s restrictions had to be placed on the amount of clubs allowed due to there not being enough cricket infrastructure in the country for the amount of cricket being played. After a major development project, enough improvements had been made for restrictions to be lifted and cricket flourished within the valleys of the Himalayas……..what an uplifting story! Nepal’s cricket team, known as the Gurkhas, has the best fan following of any ICC associate member. This will be Nepals 2nd appearance at a T20 World Cup and have booked their place in the West Indies and USA by placing second in the Asia Qualifier. I’m afraid, despite this fabulous tale of cricketing success and despite the Gurkhas being in a competitive group, I don’t think they will be featuring in the super 8’s. I love an underdog though and I’m in the market for a South East-Asian team to support, I wish them all the luck! Players to look out for? Kushal Bhurtel is a right handed opening batter. He was the leading run scorer in the Asia Qualifier with 185 and can be quite handy with his left arm spin.
Netherlands – The plucky Dutch are known for their knack of picking up victories over their more established rivals, specifically South Africa! SA so often look unplayable against giants of world cricket and then crumble against The Flying Dutchmen! Maybe the pressure of facing a nation from which so many South Africans trace their heritage or maybe it’s just a case of bogeyteam-itus. As it is The Netherlands finished the last T20 World Cup in the top eight of the competitions which was enough for automatic qualification this time round. The Dutch are not a team to be taken lightly and as I’ve mentioned previously, they’re in a very open group……..qualification to the super 8’s isn’t out of the question. Players to look out for? Scott Edwards originally hails from Australia but plays his cricket for The Netherlands by virtue of a Dutch Grandmother. He is Netherlands captain but is worth a mention due to being that rarest of things, a specialist wicketkeeper, his captaincy and keeping must be world class! Bastiaan Franciscus Wilhelmus de Leede, better known as Bas de Leede comes from a Dutch cricketing family. He’s probably Netherlands most promising future talent having been picked up in first class and franchise teams in England and UAE. A batting allrounder, a successful Dutch campaign will feature De Leede heavily.
Cricket this week
All The Cricket have been on the road having made the journey to glorious Headingley for Yorkshire Vikings first game in the T20 Blast. Me and Ems both had some time away from our day jobs so we decided to make a day of it and stay at Headingley lodge. Headingley lodge is Headingley stadium’s onsite hotel where the rooms overlook the pitch for an unrivalled morning view for a cricket fan.
We got to the ground with a few hours to spare so after checking in and having a browse in the club shop we wandered the short distance to Headingley town centre in search of liquid refreshment.
A six minute stroll from the ground brings to you to Arcadia where we enjoyed a couple of beers while talking cricket and kittens (we might be getting a couple a cats!)
With time getting on we walked 3 minutes backed down Headingley high street to an Indian street food place we’d spotted earlier called The Cat’s Pyjamas and nipped in for a quick bite to eat. Opting to share 4 small plates, we can highly recommend it. We also tried a boozy mango lassi, cracking!
If you find yourself in Headingley, for cricket or otherwise then I would suggest both these venues for a visit. Likewise you can stay at Headingley Lodge if you’re not there for the cricket, just enjoy the view!
Of course, we were there for the cricket and we were treated to a good showing from the Vikings to kick off their campaign against the Worcestershire Rapids. The Rapids were bowled out for a wanting 101. Ethan Brookes made a respectable 42 and Gareth Roderick managed 25 for the Rapids to get them to 3 figures. For the Vikings Daniel Moriarty got a 4 wicket haul with wickets also falling to Leech, Chohan and Bess. In response Yorkshire knocked off the runs in just 11.4 overs with a top score of 55 from Adam Lyth. All in this has been a cracking day out for Yorkshire and a cracking day out for the All The Cricket team. After the game we headed up to our room to watch the lights go out over Headingley.
There is so much I could write today, it’s been a bumper week for cricket news but I think this edition is probably long enough. Hopefully you’ve found the World Cup preview useful and you’re excited for the action to begin this weekend!
All The Cricket dailies will start tomorrow with all the action from the West Indies and the states. First game, USA Vs Canada live from the Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas………I’m so excited!!
So for now, thanks for reading,
All the best,
Nick
All The Cricket 
Leave a comment