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Predictable results are boring: No upsets from underdogs yet

By Gowhar Geelani. Dated: 9/23/2012 12:06:39 AM

The ICC World T20 tourney in Sri Lanka has not been grand for the minnows. So far the contests have been fairly one-sided affairs. Afghanistan’s loss to England by 116 runs is the third biggest margin of defeat in the history of international T20 cricket. Ireland’s performance against the mighty Aussies too has been thoroughly disappointing. Zimbabwe’s dismal show against Sri Lanka and South Africa is indicative of the fact that lot of home work needs to be done to make such events competitive and interesting enough for lovers of the game. Sadly, Afghanistan, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh have been unimpressive. This is not great news for the event by any stretch of imagination.
Zimbabwe lost its first contest against Sri Lanka by 82 runs and the second against South Africa by ten wickets. These are huge margins. Australia won against Ireland by seven wickets. The most disappointing performance has unexpectedly come from Bangladesh, which lost to the Kiwis by 59 runs. Much was expected from Bangladesh in Asian conditions, but their performance against New Zealand at Pallekele has been depressing to say the least.
The manner in which the twelve participating teams have been divided into four different groups has made the results pretty predictable. Afghanistan, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, it seems, will crash out from the tournament. Zimbabwe and Afghanistan are already out from the competition.
Brendon McCullum’s knock of 123 in just 58 balls against Bangladesh is yet another reminder of his match winning ability and aggressive brand of cricket. Luke Wright’s belligerent innings of 99 against minnows Afghanistan is good news for team England. Wright is doing right things at the right time!
England, India, Australia, West Indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Pakistan and New Zealand are all set to qualify for the Super Eight stage. Some interesting contests are just around the corner. New Zealand versus Pakistan and India against England are huge contests. It is hoped that contests in the Super Eight phase will generate some interest amongst the cricket enthusiasts.
The International Cricket Council [ICC] has been promoting T20 format as a brand since 2007. Experts argue that this version of cricket is an advert for the game. But one-sided affairs and predictable results could damage the ICC’s promotion cause.
Teams like Australia, South Africa, England and West Indies will be tested against the spin in the next phase. Games involving Australia and West Indies, Sri Lanka and South Africa, India and England, and Pakistan and New Zealand will give us a fair idea how the foreign teams will perform against the quality spinners like Ajmal, Mendis and Ashwin. As the tournament progresses it will be interesting to see how the surfaces will behave in the Lankan Island.
Group D is rightly been described as the group of death. New Zealand’s dominance over Bangladesh in the first group encounter is bound to cause panic in the Pakistan camp. Bangladesh will be determined to improve on their last performance, which makes Pakistan’s job a little more difficult. Pakistan can’t afford any complacency at any stage. Too much reliance on Saeed Ajmal’s magic could prove devastating. New Zealand and Pakistan are expected to qualify for the next stage, though.
India has its own share of concern. Skipper M S Dhoni’s too much reliance on part-timers like Yuvraj, Rohit and Raina and his reluctance to use five specialist bowlers could prove costly for India in a crunch situation.
Coming days could bring a lot of fun. Only nail-biters can salvage pride of this format.
[The columnist is a professional writer and journalist with international experience. Feedback at gowhargeelani@gmail.com]