An important first hurdle for Sri Lanka, West Indies
The first round of the T20 World Cup begins on October 16. Sri Lanka and West Indies are expected to make it to the Super 12s comfortably, but Namibia, the Netherlands, Ireland and Zimbabwe could all provide the odd upset.
Not many expected Sri Lanka to win the Asia Cup after its struggles across formats in the last few years. While taking victory lap at the Dubai International Stadium and thanking fans for their support after emerging as the champion, captain Dasun Shanaka and the rest of his team took an oath to play competitively in the T20 World Cup.
Can Sri Lanka upset the apple cart again? The challenge will be harder not only because more competitors will jostle for space, but also because the pitch and weather conditions in Australia will be very different from those in the United Arab Emirates.
To challenge the front runners, Sri Lanka has to first come through the qualifying round beginning October 16. Two teams from Group A – involving Namibia, the Netherlands, and the UAE – and two teams from Group B – involving the West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Scotland – will join eight other teams in the Super 12s, the second phase of the competition.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva and Wanindu Hasaranga will be the three main weapons in Sri Lanka’s arsenal and good performances from them could catapult the team to the top once again. Seasoned campaigner Rajapaksa showed excellent composure batting at No. 5 in the Asia Cup, and his form would be vital to the team’s chances.
The quicker the team gets accustomed to the pace and bounce on Australia’s pitches, the easier it will be to challenge the best teams. Shanaka believes the warm-up matches from October 10 to 15 would serve that purpose.
Tough nuts to crack
In the T20 World Cup held last year, Sri Lanka had dismissed Namibia for 96 in the opening round. Expect Namibia, which went on to qualify for the Super 12s, to put up a stiffer challenge this time. The Netherlands, which has played a lot of white-ball cricket this year, could also be a tough nut to crack.
Led by Gerhard Erasmus, the Namibian team has a good blend of youth and experience. JJ Smit, Stephen Baard, Jan Frylinck, Nicol Loftie Eaton, Ruben Trumpelmann and David Wiese will form the core alongside the captain. The 37-year-old Wiese, who moved to Namibia from South Africa, recently had a successful stint in the Caribbean Premier League, thrice picking threefors for St. Lucia Kings. He finished as the second-highest wicket-taker for the Kings, bagging 12 wickets in 10 matches at an economy of 6.75. He also scored 126 runs at a strike rate of 150. And so his presence in Australia will indeed be of huge significance for his team.
Netherlands played limited-overs inter
nationals against Afghanistan, New Zealand, West Indies and England this year, so it has exposure that it can use to its advantage at the T20 World Cup. All-rounders Roelof van der Merwe and Colin Ackermann have returned to the squad. Van der Merwe did not get much of an opportunity in The Hundred, scoring just 45 runs in two innings for Northern Superchargers and picking just one wicket. But his experience could make the difference Down Under. Ackermann can bowl some solid medium pace and his experience can come handy in the Australian conditions. The Scott Edwards-led side has a strong pace bowling department, comprising Brandon Glover, Timm van der Gugten, Logan van Beek and Paul van Meekeren.
Unsettling build-up
West Indies will be the favourite to top Group B. The two-time world champion has had an unsettling build-up to the tournament: Shimron Hetmyer was dropped from the squad after he missed a ‘rescheduled’ flight to Australia. He has been replaced by Shamarh Brooks.
Hetmyer’s absence could be a major blow for the team as he has time and again shown his match-winning skills. But Brooks comes after a successful stint in the Caribbean Premier League, scoring 241 runs in seven innings for Jamaica Tallawahs, including an unbeaten 109 in the qualifier final en route to the title. The team management will want him to continue in the same vein.
The West Indies squad has impactful players in Rovman Powell, Johnson Charles and Kyle Mayers. All-rounder Mayers was the MVP of the Caribbean Premier League, scoring 366 runs and grabbing eight wickets for Barbados Royals. Having decided to look beyond Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, the selectors have gone for a pace-heavy lineup comprising Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Obed Mccoy, and Sheldon Cottrell. Some of the players have been away from international cricket for a while and will bank on their CPL performances to get going in Australia.
In a bid to get acclimatised to the conditions, West Indies played Australia in a T20I series and this will eventually help the side get its combination right ahead of the bigticket event.
All eyes on Sikandar Raza
Ireland and Zimbabwe will be hoping to cause a few upsets. Zimbabwe has enjoyed success over the last few months under coach Dave Houghton and it would be hoping to emerge as the second team from Group B to qualify for Super 12. All eyes will be on Sikandar Raza, who has scored three One-day International centuries since August. While the format shift will be a challenge for Raza and the team, the presence of captain Craig Ervine and Sean Williams brings enough experience to the line-up.
In the absence of the recently-retired Kevin O’brien, Ireland will be relying on Paul Stirling, Harry Tector and captain Andrew Balbirnie to handle the batting responsibilities, while George Dockrell and Gareth Delany will lead the spin unit. The 22-year-old Tector scored just 124 runs in eight CPL innings, but earlier in the summer, he had scored an unbeaten 64 and 39 in the two T20IS against India.
Both Ireland and Zimbabwe have stunned superior opponents in past ICC events and they would want to recreate some magic this time too.