ICC Men’s T20 World Cup:The super 12 round of the T20 World Cup has started off in some style. New Zealand stunned hosts and defending champions Australia in the first game. Their win has thrown open the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Australia was considered outright favourites for the trophy. But the loss to New Zealand has thrown their plan in tatters. South Africa’s tryst with rain saw them sharing points with Zimbabwe in the other group. All these factors have thrown up interesting scenarios for the rest of the tournament.
We look at four teams who might make it to the semis of this edition:
#4 Pakistan
If there is one team that looked good despite losing their first game then that is Pakistan. They gave it their everything in the match against arch-rivals India. Their openers who have scored half the amount of team runs this year departed early. Pakistan still went on to post an above-par score at the MCG. But it was their fast bowling combined with the bowling smarts of Shadab Khan that made everyone sit up and take notice.
The trio of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf were unplayable on occasions. They have too good a T20 side not to make the semis. Their campaign hinges entirely on the game against South Africa.
#3 India
They posted one of the most memorable wins of all time with the first game of their campaign. India won a game they had no business winning. From being stranded to 31-4, needing 115 runs in the last 10 overs, India sealed a win on the last ball. They walked into the tournament with minimal expectations but this win has put the spotlight entirely back on them. India’s Achilles heel in the ICC tournaments has been the knockouts. The team will be wary of this during the crunch game.
#2 New Zealand
They were almost written off even before the tournament began. Everybody believed that the Kiwis had a team that was past its prime. But all it took was three overs to change the narrative. Finn Allen took apart Australian new ball bowling. The Aussies couldn’t recover from that early charge. New Zealand bowlers on the other hand were right on the money from ball one. Their well-rounded bowling attack will be a difficult one for any team in the tournament to overcome.
#1 England
They did stutter on their way chasing a modest score in the first game. But England has enough arsenal in their ranks to topple any side. They are the only side who have batting depth up to number 10. Their bowling has variety in form of pace and spin. Two champions allrounders add more balance to the squad. England has plenty of match-winners. They can be difficult to stop once they find momentum.
