T20 World Cup 2021: Weekly round-up of the Group 2 teams
The seventh edition of the T20 World Cup got underway on 17th October 2021, with Oman co-hosting the grand event for the first time. Eight teams were divided into two groups during the Round 1 phase of the tournament.
The Super 12 stage - featuring heavyweights like India, Pakistan, England, Australia and the West Indies - began a week later on October 23rd. Scotland and Namibia managed to clinch their berth in the Super 12, joining India, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Afghanistan in Group 2.
All six teams have played at least one match so far, with the points table shaping up fascinatingly. Let's take a look at how each Group 2 team have performed.
Pakistan
Three out of three!
Congratulations Pakistan 😍🙌👏
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#WeHaveWeWill https://t.co/OybzkZu6s5
Pakistan never fail to spring a surprise. The Men in Green kicked off their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign in emphatic fashion to end their unwanted winless streak against India in World Cup matches.
Captain Babar Azam's opening partnership with Mohammad Rizwan helped Pakistan thump their arch-rivals by 10 wickets.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, meanwhile, fared well with the ball, showing evidence of his talent through his searing spell against India. The likes of Haris Rauf and Asif Ali have been notable additions to the side.
Pakistan have won their first three games of the tournament and have all but sealed their place in the semi-finals. The T20 World Cup 2009 champions look like the side to beat this year and will be gunning for their second T20 title.
Afghanistan
Despite the tribulations in the country, the Afghanistan cricket team find themselves in contention for a semi-final berth.
The Afghans brushed aside Scotland in their opening Super 12 encounter, courtesy of a fifer from Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan's four-wicket haul. While Naveen ul Haq is a clever addition to the side, they seem short of a fifth bowler.
Their batting, on the other hand, has shown glimpses of what they're capable of producing. While the top order fired on all cylinders against Scotland, their second game versus Pakistan didn't give them too much joy as they ended up losing the contest by five wickets.
Despite the setback, the Afghans have shown that they're capable of going toe-to-toe against some of the best sides in the world.
Namibia
This year's T20 World Cup has been nothing short of a fairytale for debutants Namibia. Having got through to the Super 12 stage after impressive performances in Round 1, Namibia are currently in third in Group 2, above India and New Zealand.
With self-belief and faith in their resources, a team of just 16 contracted players have made it into the Super 12s of the T20 World Cup. That in itself is a massive achievement for Namibia, who are making their first appearance in the T20 World Cup.
With their World Cup dream a reality now, the Namibians have the chance to throw caution to the wind and play pressure-free cricket to express themselves. Ruben Trumpelmann did exactly that in their opening Super 12 game against Scotland, running riot with three wickets in the first over.
No matter what happens from here on for the Namibians, this lot has made themselves and the entire country proud.
New Zealand
For most tournaments, New Zealand have been the perennial dark horses. There was a similar sense around their T20 World Cup campaign this year. However, the start to their campaign hasn't gone according to plan.
The Kiwis are generally a solid outfit who follow their set conventional template. However, this year they might have gone for something different. They opened the batting with Daryl Mitchell in the first game against Pakistan and it's fair to say that the experiment didn't pay the expected dividends.
It meant that a specialist batter in Devon Conway was pushed lower down the order. That could change though, with Martin Guptill doubtful against India on Sunday. The lack of specialist T20 batters might be the Achilles heel for the Blackcaps.
On the bowling front, the injury to Lockie Ferguson means Adam Milne will join the duo of Tim Southee and Trent Boult to provide some penetration in the bowling line-up, a role in which Ish Sodhi specializes in the middle overs.
It's early days for the Kiwis but having lost their first game against Pakistan, they find themselves in must-win territory already. Their encounter against India on Sunday is set to be a mouth-watering clash.
India
Time to reflect and come back stronger 👍
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Even before the T20 World Cup 2021 started, India were termed favorites. However, Virat Kohli's men have been knocked off their high horse as they suffered a thumping 10-wicket loss at the hands of Pakistan in their tournament opener.
It is not often that we see the current Indian team being thoroughly outplayed, but that was the case against Pakistan. The top order's failure exposed some frailties in the middle order, while the hunt for a finisher in the side still goes on.
The bowling attack lacked serious penetration against Pakistan as they couldn't pick up a single wicket, which might bring about a few changes in the side.
Hardik Pandya's value to the team remains the biggest question mark. If he can't bowl, the Indian side will lack some much-needed balance.
India haven't been able to lay hands on the T20 World Cup since winning the inaugural edition in 2007. If Virat Kohli and co. fail to beat New Zealand on Sunday, the wait for a second T20 title might be further extended for the nation of 1.2 billion people.
Scotland
Like Namibia, Scotland began their T20 World Cup journey in Round 1. They were unbeaten in the first round and seemed like the team to beat, but the Scots' fortunes have turned rather quickly.
In what were their two most winnable games on paper against Afghanistan and Namibia, Scotland were on the wrong side of the result in both matches.
Scotland's batters have been undone by two brilliant bowling performances in their first two Super 12 games, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Ruben Trumpelmann both running riot against the Scots.
Having lost both their games so far, Scotland are on the brink of getting knocked out of the T20 World Cup 2021. Considering that they play Pakistan, India and New Zealand in their remaining three Group 2 fixtures, Scotland's elimination is just a matter of time.