ANALYSIS
Follow UsAfter a lot of delays, the T20 World Cup is finally set to get underway in Oman and UAE from Sunday (October 17). In the first round of the tournament, eight teams will fight it out to make it to the Super 12s, but only four can go through. It has been quite a ride for some of the teams to make it this far and in all likeliness, we might see a surprise or two in this early part of the mega event.
Let’s take a closer look at the teams participating in the Qualifiers:
Namibia
The last time Namibia played on a global stage such as this was way back in 2003 when they played the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. They were not expected to win any of the matches then, and that’s exactly how it turned out, but the expectations from the current Namibian team is different.
Mode of qualification: Finished fourth in the 2019 T20 World Cup Qualifiers.
Players to watch out for:
Left-arm pacer Jan Frylinck has been in tremendous form of late. Earlier this month, he picked up 6 for 24 against UAE, which are the third best figures in T20Is.
Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus finished as the leading run-getter in the Qualifiers in 2019 and his side’s highest run-getter in T20Is with 522 runs at a strike-rate of 140.70. His off-breaks have also fetched 13 wickets at an economy rate of 5.31.
David Wiese may not have gotten off to the best of starts in a Namibian jersey, but his experience will be key to his side’s progress in the tournament. Wiese has picked up 27 wickets from as many matches in T20s this year, striking once every 15 deliveries. With the bat he has struck 235 runs at a strike-rate of 121.1.
Namibia fixtures – vs Sri Lanka, Abu Dhabi, October 18
vs Netherlands, Abu Dhabi, October 20
vs Ireland, Sharjah, October 22
Last 5 T20Is (Latest first): LLWWW
The Netherlands
The Netherlands are by no means pushovers, which is something they have proved over a consistent period of time. Other than beating England twice in the T20 World Cup, they have gone past UAE and also tasted victories over Ireland twice, which makes the first match against them an intriguing contest.
Mode of qualification: Won the 2019 T20 World Cup Qualifiers
Players to watch out for:
As their coach Ryan Campbell said, Max O’Dowd and Colin Ackermann are the two players to watch out for. We couldn’t agree more. O’Dowd is Netherlands’ leading run-getter in T20Is since 2019 with 874 runs at a strike-rate in excess of 126. In Netherlands’ previous T20I series in Nepal, O’Dowd scored his side’s first-ever century, smashing 133* off just 73 deliveries scored 243.
Ackerman, who captains Leicester in the English County, has scored 234 runs at a strike-rate of close to 124 in this period and is also a handy off-spinner. This could be a chance for him to show off his 360-degree skills.
Stephan Myburgh in fine form in the 2014 World T20, in which he scored three fifties on his way to 224 runs from seven innings. The southpaw will look to replicate his efforts in this match as well.
Netherlands fixtures – vs Ireland, Abu Dhabi, October 18
vs Namibia, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, October 20
vs Sri Lanka, Sharjah, October, 22
Last 5 T20Is (Latest first): WLLTW
Ireland
Like the Netherlands, Ireland too are no strangers to competing on the big stage. With some big hitters and skiddy bowlers in the side, the Irish side look to be a balanced unit, capable of defeating any teams on its day. With an excellent set of all-rounders like George Dockrell, Paul Stirling and Curtis Campher among others, the men in green are perhaps the strongest they have been in any T20 World Cup edition. They are sure to add to their tally of three wins from 15 matches in the tournament.
Mode of qualification: Finished third 2019 T20 World Cup Qualifiers
Players to watch out for:
There’s little doubt that Paul Stirling will be pivotal to Ireland’s chances of going past the group and beyond. He has easily been their best batsman in the shortest format in the recent past, amassing 566 runs at a strike-rate of 135.40, since 2020, which includes three fifties and a century in 17 innings. His off-break bowling could also come in handy, if needed.
Fast bowler Mark Adair has been unstoppable and has the numbers to back up his incredible performances for the Irish side. In his nine T20Is since 2020, Adair has picked up 18 wickets at 14.33and has struck once every 11 deliveries, which is a phenomenal effort. He has been particularly impressive in the powerplay, having picked up 10 wickets at 9.6. Only Belgium pacer Ashiqullah Said (11) and New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee (13) in this time period.
Left-arm pacers have more often than not found success in T20 cricket and that is what Josh Little will be looking to prove when he takes field in the World Cup. He bowled well in the warm-up match against Bangladesh, snaring a couple of wickets. Since 2020, he has picked up 11 wickets in T20Is, with only Simi Singh (14) and Adair (18) ahead of him among Ireland bowlers.
ALSO READ: Craig Young: Win over England one of my proudest moments in an Irish jersey
Ireland fixtures – vs Netherlands, Abu Dhabi, October 18
vs Sri Lanka, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, October 20
vs Namibia, Sharjah, October, 22
Last 5 T20Is (Latest first): LLWLL
Sri Lanka
Former World T20 champions Sri Lanka have been on a slippery slope for some time now and now find themselves playing an extra round before making it to the Super 12s. While on paper, Sri Lanka seem like they could ease through to the next round, funnier things have happened in the tournament previously, that could throw up a few surprises. The Lankans seemed to have found their feet under relatively new captain Dasun Shanaka, who has led the side to four consecutive wins in the warm-up matches. Will the form continue?
Mode of qualification: Ranked 9th in ICC T20I rankings as on December 31, 2018
Players to watch out for:
Wanindu Hasaranga has shown glimpses of what he is truly capable of in the recent past, but has not been particularly consistent. However, he is Sri Lanka’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is since 2020, having picked up 24 wickets from 15 innings at 14.70 and at an economy rate of a shade under six. He has not lived up to the hype with the bat, having scored just 145 runs at a strike-rate of 106.61 in this period.
Dushmantha Chameera might be among the leading wicket-takers in ODIs this year, but picked up five wickets from the two warm-up matches recently after warming the benches in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Chameera is tough to contend with especially at the death, as he has conceded at a little over six and has struck once every 8.7 deliveries in overs 16-20 since 2020.
Just 125 runs since 2020 at a strike-rate of less than 100 does not do justice to the talent Avishka Fernando possesses but with scores of 83*, 33, 62* and 61 in the four warm-up games ahead of the T20 World Cup, he seems to be well and truly ready for the mega event. Sri Lanka will hope he carries his form into the tournament as well.
Sri Lanka fixtures – vs Namibia, Abu Dhabi, October 18
vs Ireland, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, October 20
vs Netherlands, Sharjah, October, 22
Last 5 T20Is (Latest first): LLLWW
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (PNG) enter their first-ever World Cup event after a stellar performance in the Qualifiers. From a hopeless 19 for 6 against Kenya, PNG went on to win the game by 45 runs to book their place in the T20 World Cup. They may have lost to the Netherlands in the final, but that does not take away from the fact that PNG have earned their place at the big stage. However, it would be naïve to think that they will have an easy passage but with the talent they possess, one cannot completely rule them out from making it through to the next round.
Mode of qualification: Runners-up in the 2019 T20 World Cup Qualifiers
Players to watch out for:
PNG captain Assad Vala has been around for a while and has been among their consistent performers recently. Since 2020, Vala has scored 377 runs at 26.92 and with his off-spinners he has struck 15 times at 12.13. Having led PNG to their maiden T20 World Cup, can he also inspire them into the next round?
ALSO READ: Assad Vala: To go into the same dressing room as Sangakkara was unbelievable
Norman Vanua is a player their new head coach Carl Sandri rates quite highly. He became the first PNG bowler to pick up a hat-trick in T20Is – feat he achieved in the qualifiers against Bermuda. He is no mug with the bat either, having scored 242 runs at 22 in T20Is since 2019 and overall, he strikes at over 150.
Charles Amini has a reputation of tonking the ball a long way and like his idol Shane Warne can turn the ball a great deal as well. Hailing from a family of cricketers, Amini has scored 329 runs at a strike-rate of over 125 and with the ball, has picked up 16 wickets at a miserly economy rate of 5.80.
PNG fixtures – vs Oman, Al Amerat, October 17
vs Scotland, Al Amerat, October 19
vs Bangladesh, Al Amerat, October, 21
Last 5 T20Is (Latest first): LLLWW
Bangladesh
Bangladesh go into the tournament at the back of series wins over Australia and New Zealand. With the talent they possess, they should ideally make it out of the group, which comprises of Oman, PNG and Scotland. They lost both their warm-up games – against Ireland and Sri Lanka – but should put up a much better showing when the first game against Scotland comes along. Could this be the year of the Tigers?
Mode of qualification: Ranked 10th in ICC T20I rankings as on December 31, 2018
Players to watch out for:
Shakib Al Hasan did not have a particularly good IPL, but he holds key for Bangladesh going into the tournament. He will bat in the top three or four and his four overs will be crucial for his side. In T20Is since 2020, Shakib has scored 196 runs at 17.81 and with the ball, he has struck on 12 occasions at 21.35. If Bangladesh are to progress, these numbers will have to improve.
Mustafizur Rahman has picked up 18 wickets in T20Is this year, only behind Waseem Abbas (24) of Malta and Zimbabwe’s Luke Jongwe (26) among fast bowlers. He has been excellent especially at the death picking 11 wickets at an economy rate of 7.2 this year. He has been clever with his cutters, Yorkers and his change of pace, which is something he will look to replicate in the T20 World Cup.
22-year-old Mohammad Naim made useful contributions with the bat in the home series against New Zealand and Australia. In fact, he is Bangladesh’s highest run-scorer in T20Is since 2020 having amassed 427 runs at 23.72. However, he will have to work on his strike-rate, which is a shade less than 100 during this period, but the talented youngster could be given a long rope to prove his worth.
Bangladesh fixtures – vs Scotland, Al Amerat, October 17
vs Oman, Al Amerat, Abu Dhabi, October 19
vs PNG, Al Amerat, October, 21
Last 5 T20Is (Latest first): LWLWW
Oman
Oman’s rise has been nothing short of inspirational. Since Duleep Mendis took over as the team’s head coach, Oman, who were in the fifth division have now attained ODI status and are set to take part in their second T20 World Cup. They beat Ireland in the 2016 edition and could are well-poised to make home conditions count to make it out of the group, which is something Mendis is confident of.
Mode of qualification: Finished sixth 2019 T20 World Cup Qualifiers
Players to watch out for:
All-rounder Khanwar Ali has been in fine form in the shortest format, having scored 387 runs at 24.18 and with the ball, he has picked up 27 wickets at 12.77 since 2020. While he is someone who could open the batting as well, his leg-spinners have been called into action in the warm-up matches, in which he has picked up three wickets in as many matches. Earlier this month, he also bamboozled the PNG batsmen, registering figures of 5 for 15 in an ODI. He certainly goes into the tournament full of confidence.
Jatinder Singh has scored nearly 500 runs at a strike-rate of 127.43 in T20Is since 2019, but his performances in the warm-up match does not induce much of confidence. He has managed just 7, 5, 8 and 1 in the warm-up games and Oman will hope that his string of low scores ends with this and does not carry it into the tournament.
Aqib Ilyas too is someone who is rated quite highly in in the Oman Cricket circuit. He has scored at a strike-rat of over 113 in T20Is since 2019 and has also done well in the warm-up matches scoring 59, 30 and 78 in the last three matches. The fact that he can roll his arm over for a few overs of spin is an added advantage.
Oman fixtures – vs PNG, Al Amerat, October 17
vs Bangladesh, Al Amerat, Abu Dhabi, October 19
vs Scotland, Al Amerat, October, 21
Last 5 T20Is (Latest first): WLWLW
Scotland
This is Scotland’s fourth appearance in a T20 World Cup, but have managed to win just one of their seven matches in the tournament, which came against Hong Kong in 2016 in Nagpur. However, they have improved significantly over the last five years, which gives them a chance this time around.
Mode of qualification: Finished fifth 2019 T20 World Cup Qualifiers
Players to watch out for:
George Munsey has been in staggering form in T20Is especially since 2019. He scored an unbeaten 127 off just 56 deliveries against Netherlands a couple of years and since then has just gone from strength to strength. In T20Is since 2019, the southpaw has scored 657 runs for Scotland at a stunning strike-rate of 162.22, which includes a century and five fifties in 20 innings. Along with his opening partner Kyle Coetzer, Munsey will hope to get his team off to a flying start.
ALSO READ: George Munsey: To come so close and not qualify for the 2019 World Cup was heart-breaking
Pretoria-born Richie Berrington is also someone to keep a close watch on. He has scored 650 runs at a strike-rate in excess of 133 in T20Is since 2019 and his medium-pacers have fetched him nine wickets at 28.77. He has been in impressive form since arriving for the T20 World Cup, scoring 41*, 61 and 25 in his last three innings.
No Scottish bowler has picked up more wickets than orthodox spin bowler Mark Watt in T20Is since 2019. His 27 scalps in this period have come at an economy rate of 6.66, 13.3 deliveries and 14.81 runs apart. He has picked up six wickets from the two warm-up matches and is set to spin a web around the batsmen this edition.
Scotland fixtures – vs Bangladesh, Al Amerat, October 17
vs PNG, Al Amerat, Al Amerat, October 19
vs Oman, Al Amerat, October, 21
Last 5 T20Is (Latest first): LWLLW
