Thrillers, Upsets Dominate T20 WC as Race for Top 4 remains Wide Open

An essential part of T20 cricket’s mass appeal lies in its ability to spring surprises. Many experts believe that T20 is a format tailor-made for upsets as the shorter the duration of a match, the greater are the chances of less-fancied teams toppling the favourites. The T20 World Cup so far has lived up to this view of cricket’s shortest but most popular format and has produced a range of thrillers and upsets that have kept players, fans and even experts hugely entertained but often on tenterhooks.

EXCITING NAIL-BITER
The most exciting nail-biter was between arch rivals India and Pakistan. It was expected to be a close contest but the 90 thousand plus crowd who added to the thrill of the match were left spellbound by the skill level exhibited in the game. Pakistan is one of the strongest bowling sides of the championship and chasing a target against them under lights, when the bowl swings more, is an even more difficult task. Despite major hiccups, a Kohli masterclass saved India the blushes a day before Diwali. His innings was unanimously praised and picked as one of the alltime greatest T20 knocks. The victory brought India 2 crucial points and set their campaign off to a wonderful start.

PAK SUFFERS A SHOCK
In their next match too, Pakistan suffered a shock defeat to Zimbabwe in a game that they were expected to win easily. The match went down to the wire and batting second, Pakistan needed just 130 runs. But their middle order wobble meant that they required 11 runs of the last over with just 4 wickets remaining. A fine over by Brad Evans and a run out on the last ball saw Pakistan fall short by just 1 run. The result put more pressure on Pakistan as they now depend on other teams to see them through to the semi-finals. Though they have now won against Netherlands, India’s loss against South Africa on Sunday has jeopardized Pakistan’s hopes of going deep in the championship.

INDIA’S OWN JITTERS
India’s own jitters in the field against South Africa halted the winning momentum they had gained after beating Pakistan and Netherlands. While India won the recent T20 series against the Proteas, the World Cup clash was expected to be a tough contest on Perth’s bouncy pitch against tall South African pacers. India struggled against the short pitched bowling and capitulated meekly. But for Surya Kumar Yadav’s belligerence, the match would have ended far too quickly for them. Surya single-handedly pushed India’s total to a respectable 133 but it meant that the bowlers had to pull up their socks in helpful conditions for swing bowling.

NAIL BITING LAST OVER
The fact tat India could push the match till the last over is a testimony to the discipline their bowlers exhibited on the night; had the fielding been better, it could have been three wins in three games for Team India. Ultimately, the batting brilliance of David Miller and Markram helped the Proteas get the much needed 2 points to climb to the top of the points table. Now, the equation is clear for the Indian team - they need to win their games against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe to enter the semis. A blip in either game will make them depend on others or even see them catch an early flight back home! There have been close finishes in Group 1 too. Australia being the defending champions were expected to start their campaign on a winning note. But the Kiwis have a knack of turning up at the World Cup super-charged and causing many upsets. The result was that the Aussies were pummelled by 89 runs in their first match of the tournament.

RAIN SPOILS THE SPORT
Several matches have also been affected by rain and that has made the situation in Group 1 more complex. England lost to Ireland on Duckworth Lewis and then shared points against Australia due to relentless rain in Melbourne. Now, New Zealand and Australia sit pretty at the top of the points table and all fans now expect a real heart-stopper of a contest between England and the Kiwis. The match will virtually seal the semi-final spots from the group. Ultimately, given the high voltage thrillers and numerous upsets so far, this is possibly the most open T20 World Cup ever. At the half-way stage of the tournament, no team is looking like a clear favourite to lift the trophy. In both the groups, the tussle to be among the Top 2 is a tough and tricky one. An important factor for the close clashes and last-ball thrillers are the conditions on most Aussie grounds that favor fast bowling in a big way. As the World Championships heads towards its climax over the next week, fans can look forward to a sumptuous feast of exciting cricket and nail biting finishes!!

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

SIDDHAARTH MAHAN  The writer is a specialist on Sports and Cinema who works as an actor in the Hindi film industry