Twenty20 World Cup Preview
The T20 World Cup commences on the 18th September. You can go to an Indian cricket astrologist to get predictions and pay to be told that India will win the T20 World Cup or you can get all the information you need here. Scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka in September-October 2012, it will be the fourth T20 cricket World Cup and will be contested by 12 teams, including all 10 Test nations and two qualifying nations (Ireland & Afghanistan).
Format and Pools:There are four pools of three teams, with each team playing their pool opponents other once. The top two teams from each pool proceed to the Super 8’s, where two further pools of four are constructed and teams plays each of their new pool opponents once. The top two teams from each Super 8's pool then proceed to the semi finals for a playoff for the final on the 7th October.
Pool A Afghanistan, England, India
Pool B Australia, Ireland, West Indies
Pool C Sri Lanka, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Pool D Bangladesh, New Zealand, Pakistan
Although difficult to predict, it is most likely that India, Sri Lanka, West Indies and NZ will make up Pool 1 in the two pooled Super 8 stage and Australia, Pakistan, England and South Africa will be in Pool 2 if all first round games go according to plan, but funnier things have happened. ICC Rankings in T20 are partially frivolous and teams move up and down the ladder like a fireman rescuing residents from a burning apartment block, so don’t pay much attention to that.
Conditions:The matches are all in Sri Lanka at three different venues, with a mixture of day and night games. Generally in Sri Lanka the pitches are low and slow and can be quite productive for spinners and bowlers that regularly take the place of the ball. In the evening, a dew comes in and the ball starts to skid and deviate for the quicker bowlers with the moisture in the air and on the surface. Unless the pitch is worn, there will be plenty of runs available for the batsmen with a par score being in the vicinity of 150. Half the matches will be played in the afternoon, the other half at night.
Interesting T20 Information:
· Previous winners: 2007- India, 2009- Pakistan, 2010- England.
· Bangladesh will host the next T20 World Cup in 2014.
· Sri Lanka have the best T20 World Cup record, with 18 games, 12 wins, 6 losses at 66.67% winning percentage, next best is Australia.
· On the 9th September 2012, Australia were ranked 10th, behind Ireland.
· Only four T20 captains also captain their test team. (Ross Taylor, Brendan Taylor, MS Dhoni, Mahela Jaywardene)
· Nine of the top ten ICC ranked T20 bowlers are spinners.
Teams:
Australia (Ranking 9th $7)
Australia are yet to win a T20 world cup final, which is the only trophy not to make it into the CA trophy cabinet. At the moment, they are struggling in this format and are still in ways trying to formulate a settled team. Their time in Dubai will serve them well. The fact that they have no quality spinner will have a detrimental effect upon them proceeding past the Super 8’s. If their top order fires, then they have the chance to push for a semi berth. They will be more suited to the night games, where the ball will come onto the bat quicker.
Players to Watch – David Hussey, Shane Watson, David Warner
Prediction – Super 8’s
Bangladesh (Ranking 8th $34)
Will provide tough opposition in their two pool matches, but won’t proceed into the Super 8’s stage. The Sri Lankan conditions will suit them, but the more experienced and stronger teams in their pool will strangle them at pivotal points of the match. Watch this space in the future though. An always-improving cricket nation.
Players to Watch – Abdur Razzaq, Shakib Hasan
Prediction – Pool Matches
England (Ranking 1st $6)
The last winners of the T20 World Cup, and although still ranked No.1, I don’t see them even making the semi’s. They are a team that struggles in the sub-continent. Teams have also caught up to them with tactics as England is the most experienced T20 nation in terms of time playing the game as a nation. Time will tell if the omission of KP and the internal issues as a result of that fracas will have an impact on their competition destiny.
Players to Watch – Graeme Swann, Eion Morgan, Chris Broad
Prediction – Super 8’s
India (Ranking 7th $5)
A team in a transitional period at the moment, but it appears the shorter form of the game is the best string to their bow at the moment. They will certainly relish the Sri Lankan conditions. They are a younger team than the usual Indian side, and they do field well compared to their representative predecessors. Bowling is probably their weakest department, so if the batting doesn’t fire they will be in dire straits defending small totals.
Players to Watch – Suresh Raina, Ravi Ashwin, Verinder Sehwag
Prediction – Semi Finals
New Zealand (Ranking 5th $15)
Have fallen off the T20 radar a bit in terms of their capabilities, but they still have some magnificent game breakers, who must fire if they are too proceed in this competition past the pool stage. They probably are the most experienced team at this tournament, and for some of them it will be their last. At this stage I feel they won’t get past the Super 8 stage, but the Kiwis don’t mind surprising at world events and if they get it together, could make the playoff for the final.
Players to Watch – Martin Guptill, Brendan McCullum, Nathan McCullum
Prediction – Super 8’s
Pakistan (Ranking 6th $8)
Always unpredictable, yet always exciting. A punters nightmare. Like NZ, they too have some big game breakers, but their top players are more consistent on the big stage at the shorter form of the game. Pakistan has spent a bit of time of late playing in Sri Lanka, plus having a few of their players playing in the local SLPL T20’s gives them an edge. Throw into that mix some confidence, a very good record at the past three tournaments, some Pakistani brilliance and help from the conditions and I think that come the 7th October, Mohammed Hafeez will be the man raising the T20 WC trophy.
Players to Watch – Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Mohameed Hafeez
Prediction – Winner
South Africa (Ranking 2nd $5.50)
In close games where they are chasing, I think their expereinced batsmen will get them over the line, while in evening games their quicks will be a handful. However, South Africa have a poor history in big stage tournaments and I think they they will be true to their underperforming ways again here. They have a well balanced attack with some better spinning options than normal, but overall conditions won’t suit them as much. I can see a sub-continent nation out smarting or strangling them in a playoff match.
Players to Watch – Jaques Kallis, AB De Villiers, Johan Botha
Prediction – Semi Finals
Sri Lanka (Ranking 3rd $7)
Will go as close as their recent showing in the ODI WC, but will be undone by opposition brilliance. A player of each specialty will need to dominate the tournament for them to proceed. Having the tournament in their own backyard and having their cricket mad nation behind them will be of great assistance, while their real game breakers give them a great chance to make it all the way to the final.
Players to Watch – Lasith Malinga, Mahela Jaywardene, Tilikeratne Dilshan
Prediction – Final
West Indies (Ranking 4th $5)
Fast improvers in both forms of the shorter game and with what seems to be a more settled Windies team than normal, they have been tagged by some as favourites. Chances are high they will end up being pooled with other sub-continent teams, which will be their undoing. They will have a mixed tournament with inconsistency issues.
Players to Watch – Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Sanil Narine
Prediction – Super 8’s
Zimbabwe (Ranking 11th $81)
Defeated South Africa in a recent T20 series, but got trounced by Ireland in a warm up game. Just lack the talent required to proceed to the Super 8’s. They have a tough pool.
Players to Watch – Brendan Taylor, Ray Price
Prediction – Pool Matches
The Rest (Afghanistan, Ireland)
Forget it, they’ll be happy to fly all their players out of Colombo without any broken bones.
Written by Angus Palmer
