T20 World Cup: Predicting where teams in Group 1 will finish
Over the past few days, the excitement for the T20 World Cup has reached fever pitch. The first round of the competition culminated on Friday and the cricketing community has been treated to some mind-bowling cricketing action already.
That, though, has also meant that there is more clarity around the four teams that will be qualifying for the Super 12 stage, which begins with Australia clashing swords against South Africa on Saturday.
Courtesy of what transpired in the first round, Group 1 – long proclaimed as the “Group of Death” has become even more dangerous. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have joined the likes of Australia, England, South Africa and the West Indies.
In essence, it seems a travesty that four of the aforementioned teams will have to miss out. Yet, in the environment of a T20 World Cup, this is perhaps what most teams would’ve prepared for, even before the groups were penciled down.
So with just a night’s sleep remaining before the Super 12 phase of the T20 World Cup begins, the time is ripe to delve deeper into the match-ups these sides offer and predict how this group might materialize. And, of course, earmark the two nations that would emerge from this rubble relatively unscathed to qualify for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.
#6 Bangladesh
Before the T20 World Cup, Bangladesh were touted as one of the dark horses to win the entire thing. Their bowling attack had done brilliantly against Australia and New Zealand and with pitches expected to bear a similar tinge of abrasiveness in the UAE, they seemed to be in fine fettle.
However, the twin successes against Australia and New Zealand masked their batting shortcomings – shortcomings that have since stuck out like a sore thumb, meaning that with five defining Super 12 matches coming up, the Tigers seem the least likely to qualify from Group 1 for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.
On paper, Bangladesh have a relatively favorable start to their campaign, considering they meet fellow qualifiers Sri Lanka at Sharjah. Yet, with the way the Islanders have been playing, the Tigers would be naïve to write them off. Moreover, at Sharjah, where both sets of spinners will get equal purchase, Bangladesh’s lack of batting firepower could prove to be their undoing.
Their next game is against England at Abu Dhabi – a game where their deficiencies might be exposed further. As they shift back to Sharjah for the encounter against the West Indies, it seems that they might have too much on their plate by then.
Having said that, there is no denying the quality in Bangladesh’s ranks and their proclivity to cause an almighty flutter at the T20 World Cup. However, the inconsistencies in their batting unit might just pull them down and might prove to be the ultimate tilting scale, as far as qualifications for the T20 World Cup semi-final are concerned.
#5 Australia
Over the years, a T20 World Cup crown has remained the missing piece in Australia’s white-ball jigsaw. While there have been times when they’ve looked dominant (especially in 2007 and 2010), they’ve almost always fallen short when push has come to shove in a T20 World Cup.
This time, though, there aren’t many expectations from the Australian side, considering their first-choice stars haven’t played a lot of T20 cricket together. Batters of the ilk of David Warner, Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith have been participating in T20 leagues, namely the IPL. But the different dynamics of featuring together for the national side is something that they might have to guard against.
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Prima facie, Australia seem to have a favorable draw in terms of the venues of their T20 World Cup games. Sharjah, which could’ve been a banana skin, has been avoided, meaning that the Aussies would hope to capitalize. The problem, however, is that they seem to struggle against any kind of spin and on any kind of surface – a weakness that will be mercilessly exploited.
Though Group 1 doesn’t have a lot of spin-friendly sides, it still houses Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. South Africa also have two decent spinners while the West Indies, armed with Akeal Hosain, Dwayne Bravo and Obed McCoy, can also cause Australia problems on sluggish surfaces.
A major positive for the Aussies is their fast-bowling battery, which comprises of Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins. However, with them showing an inclination to bulk up their batting – something that comes at the expense of one of their pacers, they might not be able to utilize it as much.
So if early evidence is used as an indicator, it seems that that elusive T20 World Cup title could drift further away from Australia in the UAE.
#4 Sri Lanka
A year ago, many would’ve scoffed at Sri Lanka’s prospects at the 2021 T20 World Cup. At the time, they were a team in turmoil, were shunting players at the drop of a hat and were switching captains every other day. Now, some sort of normalcy has been restored and they have put all their eggs in Dasun Shanaka’s basket. So far, the Sri Lankan skipper has delivered too.
While he hasn’t contributed majorly, he has ensured that there is a bit of cohesion in the Islanders’ ranks. Their batting, despite the patchy returns of Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Perera, looks solid. Avishka Fernando seems to have come of age, whereas Pathum Nissanka has also played his part to perfection.
Wanindu Hasaranga, meanwhile, has illustrated why he is considered one of the most impressive young all-rounders in T20 cricket. Not only has he picked up wickets, he has also contributed handsomely with the willow.
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Additionally, the Islanders play three of their five fixtures at Sharjah – a venue that might aid their spinners and might also help their batters, considering it would mirror what they usually find in Sri Lanka. More importantly, these games are against Bangladesh, England and South Africa – teams that have tended to struggle against high-quality spin attacks.
From that perspective, Hasaranga, in addition to Maheesh Theekshana, might have a huge role. And with the way they are bowling, it wouldn’t be too far fetched to suggest that Sri Lanka could make an almighty splash at Sharjah and indeed, the T20 World Cup.
That, though, doesn’t mean that the Islanders will end up winning the T20 World Cup altogether. There are still plenty of grey areas to address and usually, that particular process doesn’t happen overnight.
But as things stand, they seem best-placed to throw a spanner in the works when the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup begins.