World Cup Observations and Takeaways – Part One
THE 2024 International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup is currently underway, and it is being jointly hosted by the West Indies and the United States.
Here is a look at some of my observations, and takeaways, from the first week of the tournament.
June 1 – UNITED STATES vs CANADA
Observations: Two nations not known as cricketing powerhouses (in either T20 or One Day International format) but they produced a quite exhilarating match in Texas. Canada posted 194/5 with Navneet Dhaliwal top-scoring with 61 (44 balls, six fours and three sixes) while Barbados-born Nicholas Kirton notched 51 (31 balls, three fours and two sixes).
The United States, who won the toss, responded with 197/3 off 17.4 overs with Aaron Jones, who was raised in Barbados, smashing an unbeaten 94 (40 balls, four fours and 10 sixes) while Andries Gous contributed 65 (46 balls, seven fours and three sixes).
Takeaways: The third-wicket partnership of 131, in 9.1 overs, between Gous and Jones, tilted the balance of the match firmly in the United States’ favour. Jones, in particular, showed no nerves in the tournament’s opener, and one hopes that it will be a sign of things to come.
June 2 – WEST INDIES vs PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Observations: It was weird to see the West Indies playing a T20 international, on a Sunday, in the morning, but who pays the piper calls the tune. Anyway, Papua New Guinea, on a typical slow Guyana pitch, were restricted to 136/8 with Sese Bau hitting 50 (43 balls, six fours and a six). Andre Russell (2/19) and fellow pacer Alzarri Joseph (2/34) did the damage for the WI.
Maybe a bit of complacency crept in, but the West Indies struggled in their reply, before reaching 137/5 off 19 overs, courtesy of Roston Chase’s unbeaten 42 and Russell’s 15 not out. Skipper and off-spinner Assad Vala got 2/28 for Papua New Guinea.
Takeaways: Bau’s well-constructed innings was impressive for the lowly-fancied Papua New Guinea outfit, as well as their fielding and determination. But, on the other side of the coin, the much-maligned Chase proved to be the major difference between victory for the WI or Papua New Guinea.
June 2 – OMAN vs NAMIBIA
Observations: Another pitch which gave much assistance to the bowlers, especially the slower-paced ones, but this game featured the first Super Over in the World Cup. Oman were dismissed for 109 with two legitimate deliveries remaining; Khalid Kail was the top-scorer with 34. The new-ball pair of Ruben Trumpelmann and David Wiese took 4/21 and 3/28 respectively.
Namibia, in their response, made 109/6 courtesy of Jan Frylinck’s 45. Mehran Khan claimed 3/7 for Oman.
In the Super Over, Namibia made 21 without loss and then restricted Oman to 10/1.
Takeaways: A seasoned campaigner, Wiese was calm amidst the tension, in the Super Over, to guide Namibia over the finish line. In addition, while the scores were low, it was good to see a pair of association nations give it their all, especially away from home.
June 3 – SRI LANKA vs SOUTH AFRICA
Observations: The wicket left many questions, most noticeably why was there few warm-up matches to test the validity of the pitches being used at the New York venue. That being said, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 77 with Anrich Nortje returning figures of 4-0-7-4. South Africa’s batsmen were hardly convincing, but they reached 80/4 off 16.2 overs.
Takeaways: Is this pitch at New York really World Cup standard? It was clear that it offered too much in favour of the bowlers, with the batsmen labouring to post totals of over 100.
June 3 – AFGHANISTAN vs UGANDA
Observations: Uganda got a baptism of fire during their first match at the 2024 T20 World Cup. Led by a 154-run opening stand between Rahmanullah Gurbaz (76 off 45 balls with four fours and four sixes) and Ibrahim Zadran (70 off 46 balls with nine fours and a six), Afghanistan amassed 183/5. Cosmas Kyewuta took 2/25 for Uganda.
Fazalhaq Farooqi (5/9) and Naveen-ul-Haq (2/4) were virtually unplayable as Uganda were skittled out for 58 off 16 overs.
Takeaways: Afghanistan were clinical in conditions that suited them (both batting and bowling) and Uganda, well they have a lot of learning to do, in such a short-paced tournament.
June 4 – SCOTLAND vs ENGLAND
Observations: As was feared, with the ICC giving priority to a franchise tournament (in April and May) rather than a global tournament in the Caribbean’s dry season, the Scotland-England match was abandoned due to rain.
Takeaways: George Munsey (41 off 31 balls) and Michael Jones (45 off 30 balls) – each hitting four fours and two sixes – guided Scotland to 90/0 off 10 overs before persistent rainfall ended the game prematurely.
June 4 – NEPAL vs NETHERLANDS
Observations: A low-scoring affair in Dallas, Texas. Nepal were bowled out for 106 off 19.2 overs with captain Rohit Paudel scoring 35 (37 balls, five fours) while Logan van Beek (3/18) and Tim Pringle (3/20) did the damage for the Dutch.
Opener Max O’Dowd led the way with an unbeaten 54 (48 balls, four fours and a six) as the Netherlands responded with 109/4 with eight deliveries to spare.
Takeaways: Both teams apparently seemed to have cancelled each other out, but O’Dowd’s innings was pivotal as the Netherlands registered their first win of the competition.
June 5 – IRELAND vs INDIA
Observations: The first game to be played at the New York venue and all the talk, after the dust was settled, was the quality of the pitch on offer. Ireland were skittled out for 96 off 16 overs with Gareth Delany top-scoring with 26. Hardik Pandya was the leading wicket-taker with 3/27.
Rohit Sharma had to retire hurt on 52 (37 balls, four fours and three sixes) after he was struck on the arm by Josh Little. Rishabh Pant was unbeaten on 36 as India reached 97/2 off 12.2 overs.
Takeaways: With the pitch offering variable bounce, most of the batsmen looked uncomfortable, especially against pace. The game’s governing body ICC issued a media release after the match indicating that they were prepared to do extra work to ensure better surfaces at the venue.
June 5 – PAPUA NEW GUINEA vs UGANDA
Observations: Another match where runs were a premium, but Uganda registered their first victory of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Hiri Hiri (15), Lega Siaka and Kiplin Doriga (12 apiece) were the only batsmen to reach double figures as Papua New Guinea were brushed aside for 77, off 19.1 overs. Frank Nsubuga had figures of 4-2-4-2 for Uganda.
Led by Riazat Ali Shah’s 33 (56 balls, one four), Uganda responded with 78/7 off 18.2 overs. Alei Nao (2/16) and Norman Vanua (2/19) were the major wicket-takers for Papua New Guinea.
Takeaways: With Afghanistan and New Zealand next to face, it seems highly unlikely that Papua New Guinea will be able to book a ticket to the Super Eights.
June 5 – AUSTRALIA vs OMAN
Observations: Australia got their campaign underway with a comfortable 39-run victory over Oman. Marcus Stoinis’ unbeaten 67 (36 balls, two fours and six sixes) and David Warner’s 56 (51 balls, six fours and a six) were the mainstays in Australia’s total of 164/5. Mehran Khan got 2/38 for Oman.
Ayaan Khan’s 36 and Mehran Khan’s 27 were the only scores of note, as Oman were restricted to 125/9. Stoinis completed an outstanding match with figures of 3/19.
Takeaways: The main one was Aqib Ilyas’ fantastic catch at short cover, which saw Glenn Maxwell dismissed for a golden duck, off the bowling of Mehran Khan. Australia were good but not spectacular, while Oman were outplayed, both with bat and ball.
June 6 – PAKISTAN vs UNITED STATES
Observations: The United States showed that their victory against Canada, on the opening night of the World Cup, was no fluke as they got the better of Pakistan, in a Super Over affair, in Texas.
Batting first, Pakistan made 159/7 with skipper Babar Azam notching 44 and Shadab Khan 40. Nosthush Kenjige got 3/30 and Saurabh Netravalkar 2/18 for the US.
At their turn at the crease, the US posted 159/3 with captain Monank Patel scoring 50 (38 balls, seven fours and a six) while Aaron Jones scored 36 not out and Andries Gous 35.
The US made 18/0 in their Super Over, before restricting Pakistan to 13/1.
Takeaways: Despite playing a game in the morning time, the US did not let the sunny, humid conditions affect them as they caused the first upset of the 2024 tournament. It may take a while for cricket to win the hearts of all Americans but this result can be a stepping stone for the growth of the sport in the US.
June 6 – NAMIBIA vs SCOTLAND
Observations: Scotland registered their first win of the competition courtesy of a five-wicket triumph at Barbados.
Namibia lost wickets at regular intervals and were only able to compile 155/9, with captain Gerhard Erasmus leading the way with 52 (31 balls, five fours and two sixes). Brad Wheal claimed 3/33 for Scotland.
In their response, the Scots scored 157/5 with Richie Berrington providing a captain’s knock of 47 while Michael Leask chipped in with 35. Erasmus took 2/29 for Namibia.
Takeaways: Scotland did what they had to do in this match, get full points against a fellow associate member team. They never wilted under pressure and will go into their next match against Oman with some confidence.
June 7 – CANADA vs IRELAND
Observations: Canada recorded their first win of the tournament, at the expense of Ireland, at New York. Nicholas Kirton had a game-high 49, with Shreyas Movva chipping in with 37, to guide Canada to 137/7. Barry McCarthy took 2/24 and Craig Young 2/32 for Ireland.
The Irish, in their run chase, were restricted to 125/7, despite 34 from Mark Adair and 30 not out from George Dockrell. Jeremy Gordon snapped up 2/16 and Dilon Heyliger 2/18 for Canada.
Takeaways: A second straight defeat for Ireland put their hopes of a Super Eights spot in danger, but Canada’s victory over a Test-playing nation could spark great interest in the tournament, as the lower-ranked teams show that they want to compete against, and even beat the best.
June 7 – AFGHANISTAN vs NEW ZEALAND
Observations: All the talk before the game was about New Zealand’s reluctance to play at least one practice match before the start of the tournament, and it showed big time, as they were trounced by 84 runs against Afghanistan in Guyana.
Afghanistan compiled 159/6 on the back of another century opening-stand (103) between Rahmanullah Gurbaz (80 off 56 balls with five fours and five sixes) and Ibrahim Zadran (44 off 41 balls with three fours and two sixes). The new-ball pair of Trent Boult and Matt Henry captured 2/22 and 2/37 respectively.
Gurbaz’s individual score was higher than New Zealand’s entire total – 75 off 15.2 overs. Glenn Phillips (18) and Henry (12) were the only batsmen to get into double figures. Fazalhaq Farooqi and captain Rashid Khan had identical figures of 4/17.
Takeaways: Afghanistan proved that they can be a dark-horse in the title race, while New Zealand will have to turn things around, next Wednesday, against the West Indies to keep alive their hopes of advancing past the first round.
June 7 – SRI LANKA vs BANGLADESH
Observations: A gripping, but low-scoring contest at Dallas, saw Bangladesh prevailing by two wickets.
Sri Lanka were restricted to 124/9 courtesy of opener Pathum Nissanka’s 47. Mustafizur Rahman grabbed 3/17 and Rishad Hossain 3/22 for Bangladesh.
In a game of twists and turns, Bangladesh reached 125/8 with an over to spare, with contributions of 40 from Towhid Hridoy and 36 from Litton Das. Nuwan Thusara snapped up 4/18 for Sri Lanka.
Takeaways: With a second loss on the trot, Sri Lanka look unlikely to advance past the first round. Bangladesh, who were making their tournament entry, gained a valuable win, with rookie leg-spinner Hossain impressing for a country who were notorious for fielding a litany of finger spinners.
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