ICC World T20

[zing]

Starts in roughly a week's time. Warm up matches start in 4-5 days.

Always a great competition to follow. It's short and devoid of the product placement and the general razzmatazz of the IPL.

Group A:
England
India
Afghanistan

Group B:
Australia
West Indies
Ireland

Group C:
Sri Lanka
South Africa
Zimbabwe

Group D:
Pakistan
NZ
Bangladesh

The thing about this competition is that teams qualify in pre-determined positions according to seeding, as long as they qualify. So even if India finish top of Group A, they will qualify as A2 as they were seeded below England at the time the groups were drawn.

Which means the first group in the next round could well(and will likely) be: India, Australia, South Africa, Pakistan.

Pakistan have a cracking team. Have a batting line-up that may collapse, but they bat deep with Razzaq and Afridi. As always, an excellent bowling and are possibly favourites for the competitions.

India have a very good shot at it if they get their team right, with the top 6 all genuinely world-class T20 players(if Dhoni is not batting at 6), particularly in the sub-continent. The batting makes India one of the favourites. Bowling is not too bad either in T20. I'm hoping to see a bowling quartet of Ashwin, Harbhajan, Zaheer and Balaji(who has performed very well in the last 2 IPL seasons). Unfortunately, we're likely to see Dinda and Pathan at #7 with a batsman short.

Sri Lanka have got a new mystery spinner on the block -- Akila Dananjaya(spelling may not be right). He bowls 5 different variations(I kid you not) -- he bowls the off spinner, the doosra, the carrom ball, the leg break and the googly. All he needs to do now is to bowl quick and he'll re-define 'bowling all-rounder'.

SA are OK. Australia are a bit rubbish. England alright.. great bowling with Dernbach, Broad, Finn, Swann and whoever else starts, but will probably not retain the cup. I expect that they'll be out in the super 8s. WI have an awesome team and a lot of people think they could win this thing. And they well might. Except Sammy's going to be one of their bowlers and that'll be a drawback.

 

[Utd heap]

Can't see past one of India, Sri Lanka, or Pakistan winning this.

The Windies team looks handy on paper, but their batting is far too erratic.
No expectations for England at all this time round.

 

[Traub]

Can't see past one of India, Sri Lanka, or Pakistan winning this.

The Windies team looks handy on paper, but their batting is far too erratic.
No expectations for England at all this time round.

Agree with this. Pakistan are in with a shout too. Although, in T20 games a few bad overs can spell the end of the tournament for a team.

 

[ha_rooney]

I too don't see anyone but one of the sub-continent teams winning, SL my favorites. Really hope we see India-Pakistan at some stage.

Don't see the point of having two group stages, just start with 2 groups 6 teams.

 

[crappycraperson]

Going by reports of recent SLPL held there, it is going to favor seam bowlers. If that is the case I don't think India will win it. Pak would be fav. for me but their batting is very iffy.

 

[Varun]

Where is this being held? Forgive my ignorance.

 

[ha_rooney]

Where is this being held? Forgive my ignorance.

Sri Lanka.

 

[Varun]

Sri Lanka.

I see. One of India or SL then. WI have a great team on paper but will find a way to feck things up.

 

[zing]

I too don't see anyone but one of the sub-continent teams winning, SL my favorites. Really hope we see India-Pakistan at some stage.

Don't see the point of having two group stages, just start with 2 groups 6 teams.

You'll see India play Pakistan twice, at least. India's second warm-up in 7 days is versus Pakistan.

And if India and Pakistan both qualify(which they probably will), they will be in the same group for the super 8s

And I like this format.

The second round, if all the seeded teams qualify, will have a lot of quality matches.

 

[zing]

Sri Lankan bowling's a bit dodgy, imo. But Mendis will be effective against the non sub-continental teams and they probably won't play India/Pak till the semis at the least.

 

[crappycraperson]

Dhoni costing India another T20 game

 

[Fiskey]

Dhoni costing India another T20 game

He wants to win it off the last ball too much these days.

 

[Jaz]

Is this like every year or something?

It just seem as though it's too frequent.

 

[ha_rooney]

Is this like every year or something?

It just seem as though it's too frequent.

Every 2 years.

A bit strange that they're hosting the 2014 and 2016 competitions in Bangladesh & India respectively - 3 consecutive sub-continental conditions and all 3 just recently hosting the actual WC.

 

[zing]

Dhoni costing India another T20 game

Must be one of the most over-rated T20 players around. Averages 30 at a strike rate of 110.

Just got back from the match.

Yuvraj is not match fit and shouldn't be in the top 4, if he's in the team. Would have Rohit, Raina, Yuvraj as 4, 5, 6. As bad as Rohit has been, the people doing the selection need to stop holding his form in ODIs as justification for dropping him from T20. He's one of India's best T20 players. They need to stop messing with his career by selecting and dropping him using ridiculous criteria, but that is a rant for another thread.

Would give Harbhajan a run out in one of the warm-ups. Think Zaheer, Balaji and Irfan as 3 seamers out of the 4 bowlers playing is a very bad trio.

 

[zing]

From 59 for 4 in 10 to 129 for 4 with a over to spare.

Rohit 37 off 26 and Dhoni 41 off 38.

Need Yuvraj to spend time in the middle. Raina and the others will probably click in the main games.

 

[1999united2008]

I think England will win.

 

[zing]

No chance

 

[Sultan]

Must be one of the most over-rated T20 players around. Averages 30 at a strike rate of 110.

Just got back from the match.

Yuvraj is not match fit and shouldn't be in the top 4, if he's in the team. Would have Rohit, Raina, Yuvraj as 4, 5, 6. As bad as Rohit has been, the people doing the selection need to stop holding his form in ODIs as justification for dropping him from T20. He's one of India's best T20 players. They need to stop messing with his career by selecting and dropping him using ridiculous criteria, but that is a rant for another thread.

Would give Harbhajan a run out in one of the warm-ups. Think Zaheer, Balaji and Irfan as 3 seamers out of the 4 bowlers playing is a very bad trio.

Big call, but I don't think Zaheer really warrants a place in the T20 side these days just to bowl a few overs.

 

[zing]

Big call, but I don't think Zaheer really warrants a place in the T20 side these days just to bowl a few overs.

Think Zaheer's not very good at T20, but who else do we have? Irfan, I haven't really seen him since his comeback, because he's mainly played against Sri Lanka and I don't watch India Sri Lanka.. but going off his IPL performance and past history, he's not really got it any more. Balaji was good in the IPL, but on just ability you'd have to back Zaheer and that's what the selectors are doing.

I think Yadav is a better T20 bowler than all of those 3 and it's very strange why he's not in the squad. Dinda is a hard-worker, but how is he better than Yadav?

Good to see Harbhajan do well in the warm-up. One more good performance and he could be in the starting 11. For all his faults, he still remains a good T20 bowler. May not take wickets, but good at containing.

 

[Red Pavan]

I think England will win.

Not in the sub-continent.

 

[KM]

Always amuses me at the extent of thrashing our batsmen give to Malinga. His conceded 50 runs in 4 overs in the warm up match

 

[TheBest]

Would be interesting to see how Indian players fair against ajmal.

 

[KM]

Virat Kohli is now getting ridiculous.

 

[ha_rooney]

Kohli's in great form. Ajmal's figures were very good, Sami not so much.

Haven't seen/followed Pakistan's T20 side for a while - surprised to see Tanvir and Nazir back in the side.

Edit: Balaji playing for India! Haven't seen him play in a very long time.

 

[KM]

Mohammad Sami is a moron really. Has been in the cricket for 13 years(debuted in 1999) and still bowls like a 13 yr old.

 

[crappycraperson]

Indian bowling getting exposed.

 

[MJJ]

What a match. Sami,malik,nazir and balaji. Havent seen these names in a long time.

And pakistan taking balaji to the cleaners, that brings back some lovely memories

 

[ha_rooney]

Boom!!! What a way to win it (it's only a warm-up but it is against India).

Excellent chase from Pakistan. Good start then the typical collapse but a great recovery from Malik and the brilliant Akmal. Bowling is a bit of a concern, Sami & Tanvir would not be my choices for the tournament.

 

[kps88]

Lost count of the amount of full tosses we bowled.

This pitch looks completely different to the ones we played on when we toured SL. Absolutely nothing in it for the bowlers. Whoever ends up chasing was always going to win. Bit strange to have it during the day as well. I assume once the tournament starts the matches will be evening/night affairs.

 

[MJJ]

Boom!!! What a way to win it (it's only a warm-up but it is against India).

Excellent chase from Pakistan. Good start then the typical collapse but a great recovery from Malik and the brilliant Akmal. Bowling is a bit of a concern, Sami & Tanvir would not be my choices for the tournament.

Sami should not even be in the squad. much rather us give some youngster a chance rather than have him in their.

 

[kps88]

What a match. Sami,malik,nazir and balaji. Havent seen these names in a long time.

And pakistan taking balaji to the cleaners, that brings back some lovely memories

Amazingly enough, he had the best figures out of all our seamers.

 

[MJJ]

Amazingly enough, he had the best figures out of all our seamers.

no way. Just checked..how did he manage that. I was hoping for his overs in the end

 

[ha_rooney]

Sami should not even be in the squad. much rather us give some youngster a chance rather than have him in their.

Agreed. I would've thought Junaid Khan would be included, Sami has always been overrated imo.

 

[MJJ]

Agreed. I would've thought Junaid Khan would be included, Sami has always been overrated imo.

was a decent bowler when he first started but then started believing the hype of being the next akhtar. Worryingly this is something that can happen to umar akmal as well.

 

[KM]

Strange where Praveen Kumar has disappeared.

 

[Varun]

Why bowlers bowl length balls at the death, i'l never understand.

 

[kps88]

Why bowlers bowl length balls at the death, i'l never understand.

If you're talking about the India-Pak game, it's because all their attempted yorkers were turning into medium paced full tosses.

 

[Sultan]

Off we go!

Sri Lanka batting in the first match of the tournament.

 

[Sultan]

This guy Vitori has a very suspect action.