Written by: Mustafa-ur-Rehman
Posted on: November 09, 2022 | 
| 中文
Shadab and Williamson
The ICC T20 World Cup 2022, currently being played in Australia, is shaping up to be one of the most competitive T20 World Cups ever. This event was initially scheduled for 2020, but was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Super 12 group stage, splitting twelve team across two groups, has recently concluded, with New Zealand, India, England and Pakistan qualifying for the semifinal.
As things stand, hosts and defending champions Australia, along with two-time champions West Indies, who failed to qualify for the Super 12 group stage, are out of the tournament. South Africa, considered dark horses before the start of the T20 World Cup, were off to a very strong start before crumbling in pressure situations, eventually being dumped out by Netherlands on the last matchday of the group stage.
All captains at the start of the mega event
Plenty of associate nations and minnows got their chance to shine at the biggest stage of world cricket, and did not disappoint. Zimbabwe, Netherlands and Ireland, despite being unfancied due to their team strength on paper, gave their fans and the entire world of cricket plenty to cheer about. Asian champions Sri Lanka, entering the tournament on the back of their historic Asia Cup win in the UAE, were shocked by Namibia in the very first game of the tournament. However, Namibia, despite being bolstered by the experienced all-rounder David Wiese, missed out on qualification to the group stage.
Netherlands would go on to finish the group stage at the third position in the standings, putting in some spirited performances culminating in the historic win against dark horses South Africa, who were eliminated from the T20 World Cup as a result. Zimbabwe would also create a piece of history in the group stages, recording a thrilling last-ball win over Pakistan in Perth. Led by Pakistani-origin all-rounder Sikandar Raza, Zimbabwe were impressive throughout the group stage, with Sikandar Raza’s individual brilliance and leadership making him an early candidate for Player of the Tournament.
Pakistan versus South Africa match
Ireland, featuring veteran globetrotters such as Paul Stirling, also secured a huge upset against its neighbors and tournament favorites, England. All these results by lesser-known teams have led to calls to increase bilateral cricket engagements with them, and continue giving them the platform to shine. Netherlands, Ireland and Zimbabwe deserve more international cricket at the highest level, in order to make sure cricket remains a truly global sport.
Hosts and defending champions Australia, despite heading into the tournament as early favorites, never really got going. They looked off color for most of the World Cup, after a huge loss to New Zealand in their opening game in Sydney, eventually missing out on a semifinal berth and finishing third in their group. Similarly, South Africa had a disappointing tournament. Despite racing to the top of the charts early on, the Proteas let their challenge title slip away, capped off by a stunning 13-run upset at the hands of the Netherlands in Adelaide.
Another major talking point at this T20 World Cup has been rain and its impact on matches. Throughout the group stage, unfortunately, rain has been a factor throughout the tournament with several matches affected, including four 'no results' and three matches decided by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method. An entire day’s play of scheduled matches had to be abandoned on the 28th of October, creating complications for all teams and their qualification scenarios. Afghanistan, in particular, would feel hard done by, as their games against both Ireland and New Zealand were abandoned due to rain, without a ball being bowled. This has raised major concerns over the scheduling of the tournament and affected its appeal to the global audience.
Pakistan has had one of its most unpredictable tournaments ever. Entering the tournament after that disappointing Asia Cup final loss to Sri Lanka in Dubai, Pakistan was looking to shrug off their mercurial tag and give their fans plenty to cheer about in Australia. Despite a narrow loss against India in a blockbuster opening game at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Pakistan remained hopeful of progressing. However, a shocking last-gasp defeat against Zimbabwe left them winless after two games and on the brink of a World Cup exit. However, a spirited comeback in the next three games, along with plenty of fortune with results going their way, Pakistan pulled off a sporting miracle by qualifying for the semifinals. With speedster Haris Rauf on song, pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi’s return to form after an injury layoff, all-rounder Shadab Khan working his magic with both ball and bat, and exciting youngster Muhammad Haris playing some brilliant cameos, Pakistan will be looking to keep the momentum and go all the way in Australia. Opening duo of Babar and Rizwan have had a disappointing tournament so far, with Babar striking under 62 for his 39 runs in five games and Rizwan scoring 103 runs at a paltry strike rate of 100, second lowest amongst the 40 players with at least 100 runs in the ongoing megaevent.
Team Pakistan
Tournaments top performers, so far, include India’s Virat Kohli and Surya Kumar Yadav, Pakistan’s Shadab Khan, Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, England’s Sam Curran, Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga, New Zealand’s Gleen Phillips. Virat and Yadav are the top run getters in Super 12 stage of the tournament, with 246 and 225 runs in five games at the strike rate of 138 and 193 respectively. Virat is also highest run-scorers in the history of T20 WCs with 1091 runs in 24 innings, leaving Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardena’s tally of 1016 runs behind. South Africa’s speedster Anrich Nortje is the highest wicket-taker in the Super-12 stage with 11 wickets, while Pakistan’s Shadab Khan, India’s Arshdeep Singh and England’s Sam Curran, all have 10 wickets each.
Team Pakistan against India
As things stand, the semifinal stage has set up some mouthwatering encounters. Asian juggernauts India, led by a resurgent Virat Kohli and standout performer Suryakumar Yadav, will be looking to overcome England, who have plenty of match-winners as well as familiarity with Australian conditions on their side, on the 11th of October at Adelaide Oval. On the other hand, a buoyant Pakistan will look to use their momentum against an attacking New Zealand side in the other semifinal on the 10th of October at Sydney Cricket Ground. The final of the megaevent is scheduled on the 13th of November at 1 pm PST at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam
Don’t go anywhere, the cricket party’s just getting started.
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