Vaibhav Tripathi, Author at Unified Sports

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 has reached the business stage of the tournament. In a surprise result, the minnows Netherlands defeated South Africa in Group 2, eliminating them from the race to qualify for the semi-finals. The Group of Death (Group 1) went down to the wire thanks to washouts. But eventually, New Zealand and England sealed the top two spots. It went to D-Day, with defending champions Australia banking on Sri Lanka to beat England. England needed to beat Sri Lanka to pip Australia to the second spot thanks to their positive Net run rate, and they did exactly that.

In this post, you’ll Read about
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
OPPORTUNITIES

India and Pakistan have sealed the two spots in Group 2. What seemed like an India-South Africa top-two finish turned out to be something else. The Proteas choke again in the all-important match against the Netherlands. Thereby, India tops Group 2 and will face England in the second semi-final at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide. On the other hand, Pakistan will square off against Group 1 topper New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the first semi-final.

England hasn’t played their best cricket yet, but one cannot undermine the fact that they have been the most dominant force in white ball cricket over the last few hours. However, their record against India is poor in T20Is. The 2010 T20 World Cup winners had a roller coaster ride in the Super 12s. Jos Buttler’s team thrashed Afghanistan after they bundled out the opposition for 112 in their opener in Perth to justify their favorite tag in the tournament. But a five-run shock loss via the DLS method to Ireland and a washout against Australia put them on a sticky situation. The Englishmen roared back to outplay New Zealand, and Ben Stokes’ composed knock of an unbeaten 42 propelled them into the semis in a tense four-wicket win over Sri Lanka.

STRENGTHS-

To everyone’s surprise, England’s bowling has been far more superior than their batting in this edition of the World Cup. All-rounder Sam Curran has been in great form with the ball. He’s the highest wicket-taker for his side with 10 scalps to his name followed by Mark Wood. Chris Woakes like Bhuvneshwar Kumar hasn’t picked a lot of wickets but he has been economical. Ben Stokes has been a man of crisis for England, he proved that again versus Sri Lanka in the last match of the Super 12. Stokes’ contribution cannot be discounted as he has been picking wickets at crucial junctures. In the spin bowling department, Buttler has a variety of options in Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, and Liam Livingstone. Spin cannot be counted in the strengths of the English side, but in a format like T20, any player can surprise you on a given day.

In Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, and Ben Stokes, the three lions have perhaps the most explosive batting lineup. This batting order on their day can put any bowling attack to shame. Fielding has been a key part of England’s success so far in the tournament. Skipper Buttler has taken some blinders and out-fielding too has been top-notch. There are plenty of multi-utility options for Buttler on the side. Stokes, Curran, Livingstone, or Moeen, anyone can turn the game on its head with the bat or ball.

WEAKNESSES-

In the last year and a half, no other team has struggled to contain the flow of runs in the overs 16-20 as much as England has. England has given a lot of runs at the backend which will be a cause of concern when they take on the best batting team of the Super 12s – India. The absence of someone like Jofra Archer will certainly come back to haunt them during the knockout stage. The player of the match against Sri Lanka- Adil Rashid has shown signs of struggle right from the start of the tournament. He hasn’t bowled his best spell yet in the ongoing World Cup. The wily leg spinner has made a reputation of a wicket-taker in the middle overs and so far he hasn’t lived up to the reputation. Despite having three good spinning options, the spinners have been ineffective. Harry Brook, England’s newest batting sensation has had a forgettable campaign and the same is with other stars like Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone.

OPPORTUNITIES-

Openers got some important runs in the last game and for England to do well, their top order will have to carry the same momentum in the game against India. Captain Buttler will have the opportunity to better his record against Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Bhuvneshwar has dismissed him five times in T20Is. If Dawid Malan misses out on selection due to injury then Phil Salt will be the most likely replacement. This will be a golden opportunity for Salt to cement his spot by taking his team to the final. Having played in Adelaide before in the Big Bash League for Adelaide Strikers, Salt knows the ground well and that will certainly help his team.

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The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 has reached the business stage of the tournament. In a surprise result, the minnows Netherlands defeated South Africa in Group 2, eliminating them from the race to qualify for the semi-finals. The Group of Death (Group 1) went down to the wire thanks to washouts. But eventually, NZ and England sealed the top two spots. It went to D-Day, with defending champions Australia banking on Sri Lanka to beat England. England needed to beat Sri Lanka to pip Australia to the second spot thanks to their positive Net run rate, and they did exactly that.

In this post, you’ll Read about
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
OPPORTUNITIES

India and Pakistan have sealed the two spots in Group 2. What seemed like an India-South Africa top-two finish turned out to be something else. The Proteas choke again in the all-important match against the Netherlands. Thereby, India tops Group 2 and will face England in the second semi-final at the Adelaide Oval. On the other hand, Pakistan will square off against Group 1 topper New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the first semi-final.

The Men in Blue started the tournament alight at a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground when over 90,000 fans witnessed Virat Kohli’s masterclass to overhaul Pakistan’s 159 in the final over. India defeated the Netherlands by 56 runs but lost to South Africa by five wickets in the third game. However, India finished as the topper of Group 2 after defeating Bangladesh by 5 runs in a rain-curtailed match and Zimbabwe by 71 runs in the final game by 71 runs. After winning the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, the team is looking to clinch their second T20 title. In this article, we analyze the Indian team ahead of their big-ticket clash against England at the Adelaide Oval in Semi-Final 2.

Strengths:

India is likely to start as marginal favorites, primarily due to their series victory against Jos Buttler and Co. a few months ago in the latter’s backyard. Right from the start of the tournament, the Indian batting unit was expected to turn up and pave the way for the team, and they have lived up to the expectations of everyone and done justice to the hype created around them. The current top scorer of the T20 World Cup 2022, Virat Kohli, has been the most consistent batter in the tournament. He has already scored three fifty-plus points and only gotten out twice in five games. While complimenting Virat’s efforts, Suryakumar has matched India’s number 3 and outclassed everyone in the tournament in terms of producing impactful performances. The dynamic middle-order batter has been in sensational touch over the past few months. He has carried his form into the ongoing tournament and has made the most of his opportunities, scoring 225 runs in five matches at an average of 75 with a blistering strike rate of 193.48. The batting unit has been equally able to set targets and chase them.

Contrary to what was predicted about the Men in Blue’s pace bowling department in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, the fast bowlers have stood up to the occasion, raised the bar for themselves, and used the conditions of Australia in their favor. India’s pace attack looked as lethal and potent as any other top-bowling side in the tournament. In fact, the bowlers have never let the side down in the five matches. While Arshdeep Singh has been the most successful bowler with 10 wickets, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the most economical. Having made his comeback in the T20 World Cup 2022, Mohammed Shami has proven to be a wicket-taker in the middle and death overs for India. Hardik Pandya has complimented the lead pace battery of India well with his right-arm medium-pace bowling.

Weaknesses:

India’s woes at the top have been a subject of concern for the Men in Blue. Both batsmen have had a rough patch in this tournament from the very beginning. Although KL Rahul scored two back-to-back fifties in the matches against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, Rohit Sharma is still unable to find his form, and that is seriously worrying for Team India. Rohit Sharma, who is known to be destructive at the top, hasn’t been the hit man’ we all know. In the ongoing World Cup, the Indian skipper has hammered one half-century, but the pair haven’t fired in unison at the top. They haven’t really fired anyone yet. In the Super 12s, India had the third-worst strike rate of 95.00 in the powerplay overs; Only behind Zimbabwe and the Netherlands. The Indian openers have failed to stitch together a single fifty-plus score in the tournament till now.

It has been a mixed bag of fortunes for Hardik Pandya across departments this T20 World Cup. While he has picked up eight wickets at an economy rate of 7.46, his batting returns have left much more to be desired. With just 65 runs to his name at an ordinary strike rate of 101.56, Pandya has endured a tough campaign with the bat so far. Spinners have clearly disappointed in this edition of the World Cup, as the bulk of the job has been done by the pacers. Ravichandra Ashwin and Axar Patel have been more defensive than attacking, which can hurt India in the semi-final. India still hasn’t figured out who is going to be their first-choice wicketkeeper against England. Dinesh Karthik has had a poor tournament thus far, while Rishabh Pant has only played one game.

Opportunities:

During the entire tournament, India’s fielding couldn’t find the target, even from close range. The fielding standards have been reduced as per their standards. That shortcoming persists. India’s catching, especially in the deep, and Dinesh Karthik’s glovework against spinners have been below par. Against England, India has to raise its standards in the field. If Pant plays, he will have to make the opportunity count, as he has been sidelined for a long time now. Pandya will have to make a mark as a batter if India wants to reach the semi-final. The all-rounder bats at the crucial position of number 5 and he would be hoping to dictate terms with the bat.

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The group stages of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia have concluded, with four teams, New Zealand, England, India, and Pakistan, advancing to the semi-finals, which are scheduled for November 9 and 10.

After a grueling 27-day period, four teams out of sixteen managed to book their place in the semi-finals of the silverware event.

The Super 12s stage brought out some of the best performances from top international cricketers as they set the stadiums in Australia on fire.

During the round-robin matches, cricket fans witnessed plenty of excitement, and even on the last day of the group stages, the Netherlands’ shock win over South Africa helped Pakistan reach the semi-finals. Now, Pakistan and New Zealand will lock horns in the first semi-final on Wednesday at Sydney Cricket Ground while India and England will come face-to-face in the second semi-final on Thursday at Adelaide Oval.

In this post, you’ll Read about
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities

The 2021 T20 World Cup finalists New Zealand finished the Super 12 stage as the group toppers with only one defeat to their credit. The Blackcaps will be the top contenders to make the final, and here in this article, we analyze their team before they play against Pakistan in Sydney.

Strengths:

New Zealand has been the best team in the T20 World Cup 2022 so far. A huge share of the credit for their success should be given to Kane Williamson. The New Zealand skipper has been brilliant with his tactics on the field. His decision to play Finn Allen over veteran Martin Guptill has proven to be the right call. Williamson’s style of captaincy might be very different from that of his predecessor, McCullum, but he has been successful in carrying forward the good work done by McCullum. Apart from this, New Zealand has several quality performers in their squad who have the experience and proven match-winning skills to do well in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.

The best part about New Zealand’s success this year, different players have stood up at different times to make match-winning contributions. Finn Allen has the best strike rate in the tournament amongst openers, while Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, and Daryl Mitchell have made their presence felt with the bat. Glenn Phillips has been New Zealand’s MVP in this tournament. At 25, he’s the second-youngest member of the Black Caps’ Twenty20 World Cup squad, but he’s been their brightest star during their run to the semifinals in Australia, scoring 195 runs across five innings. Williamson’s welcome return to form is a good sign for the Kiwis ahead of the knockouts. Bowlers have been bowling fantastically well as a group. The seasoned duo of Tim Southee and Trent Boult provided the team with firepower with the ball across the game’s three formats. Nothing less would be expected of them. The same goes well with the spin twins, Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi. The Kiwi bowlers have adapted well to the conditions, and they will be keen to see their team home this time around.

Weakness:

In the Super 12s, batters did well to a great extent, but there’s a weak link in this batting group. Perhaps one of the biggest weaknesses, which is glaring, is the lack of a finisher in the New Zealand team. Yes, Daryl Mitchell and James Neesham are there, but both haven’t come to the party yet. This makes the batting lineup look fragile, especially the middle to lower middle-order. If Pakistan can get to New Zealand’s lower middle order quickly, then the Blackcaps will be in trouble. The other factor that can play against the Kiwis is the weather. Sydney has always favored teams from the Asian subcontinent. Against New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Pakistan would feel at home. The spin-friendly conditions will suit the Men in Green the most. It would be tough for New Zealand to crack down on their opponent at the SCG.

Opportunities:

Inarguably, New Zealand has emerged as the most consistent side as far as ICC events are concerned post-ICC Men’s World Cup 2015. Despite making the knockout rounds in the last two editions of the T20 World Cup, Kane Williamson and his team haven’t managed to get their hands on the coveted trophy. With his captaincy and ability to encourage his players, Williamson will be mindful of the fact that he has a talented team at his disposal. This will give Williamson another chance to win the T20 World title.

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After a grueling 27-day period, four teams out of sixteen managed to book their place in the semi-finals of the silverware event.

The Super 12s stage brought out some of the best performances from top international cricketers as they set the stadiums in Down Under on fire.

The group stages of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia have concluded, with four teams, New Zealand, England, India, and Pakistan, advancing to the semi-finals which are scheduled on November 9 and 10.

During the round matches, cricket fans witnessed plenty of excitement, and even on the last day of the group stages, the Netherlands’ shock win over South Africa helped Pakistan reach the semi-finals. Now, Pakistan and New Zealand will lock horns in the first semi-final on Wednesday at Sydney Cricket Ground while India and England will come face-to-face in the second semi-final on Thursday at Adelaide Oval.

In this post, you’ll Read about
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities

The 2009 champions had a heartbreaking start to their campaign when they lost a last-ball thriller to arch-rivals India, then suffered a shock defeat to Zimbabwe. When it seemed like this was the end of Pakistan’s World Cup dream. The team fought back well by winning three games on the bounce. They looked dead and buried, and victory over the Netherlands was hardly impressive as they lost four wickets in their modest chase of 92.

But Pakistan conjured up a dominant performance to hammer South Africa and Bangladesh to reach the semi-final, with the Dutch doing them a favour by stunning South Africa.

Strengths:

One minute down next minute up is the phrase associated with Pakistan and rightly so. They have been deemed one of the most mercurial sides in world cricket because of their unpredictability. When they were expected to go down against South Africa, they somehow managed to thump the Proteas even after losing wickets in clusters. Pakistan has been home to some world-class bowlers, who have made their presence felt in the international circuit time and time again.

Sticking to tradition their bowling attack wears a very indomitable style. In Super-12s, it was no different. The bowlers were very hard to put away and their economic rates in the tournament were a testament to the same. The likes of Haris Rauf, Naseem, and Shadab Khan performed well from the beginning. Pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi’s last two match-winning contributions have only added to Pakistan’s strength. If anything, their pace battery has only strengthened as they now have Mohammad Wasim Jr in their ranks. In his first game, the right-arm seamer picked 4 wickets. Vice-captain Shadab has been brilliant with the bat and ball. While he’s the leading wicket-taker for his team in the tournament, he has also made valiant contributions with the bat.

Before the T20 World Cup, the blame was on the middle-order batters. They needed to provide more support to the opening pair of skipper Babar Azam and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan. But now no one can point them out as the middle-order batters were not stepping up but the tables have now turned entirely since they landed in Australia. Middle-order batters Iftikhar Ahmed and Shan Masood are the leading run scorers for their team. Shadab has stepped up when the team needed him the most against South Africa. All in all, to everyone’s surprise, Pakistan’s middle order has fared well.

Weaknesses:

Unlike Pakistan’s bowling, their batting has been a cause of concern for the Men in Green. Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam is struggling big time at the top and has only one double-figure score. He is currently seeing a rough patch in his form as he has managed only 39 runs off 63 balls in the T20 World Cup 2022 so far. The premier batter has failed to score runs and provide good starts to the Pakistani innings. Last World Cup’s highest run scorer, Babar has been one of the pillars of Pakistan’s success in T20I cricket but he has failed miserably in this edition. He has batted at an average of 7.8 in this competition. His batting partner Rizwan, on the other hand, scored 103 runs in the mega event, but that is considered by many to be below par compared to the lofty standards set by him over the past few years. Both openers have been the weakest link in the ongoing World Cup.

Another thing is Pakistan has often copped severe criticism for their conservative batting methodology and the reason behind it is the presence of too many anchors on the team sheet. Babar, Rizwan, and Masood are all world-class batters, but they cannot play at a set tempo in a format like T20. The lack of power hitters at the back end has been a cause of concern for them. Last year it was Asif Ali, who stood for them but this time he’s struggling to even get a place in the playing XI. Pakistan’s habit of losing wickets in clusters can hurt them in a big semi-final clash against New Zealand.

Opportunities:

Since taking over as captain of the team, Babar has an envious win percentage of over 60.00. His cabinet has plenty of bilateral trophies but an ICC multi-nation title is what eludes him. He will be looking to add his maiden global title to his bag. The upcoming match against New Zealand will provide an ideal opportunity for the out-of-form opening pair of Babar and Rizwan to rediscover their form with the bat. It also presents an opportunity for the in-form batters like Iftikhar, and Masood to continue on their merry way. Youngster Mohammad Haris rang the alarm bells with his aggressive intent since his inception in the side and this could be his time to rise to the occasion. Babar’s team could not have asked to play the semi-final at a better venue than the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) as the conditions are likely to suit their gameplay.

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Ireland scripted history by registering one of the most famous wins over England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in a Super 12 fixture of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022 on Wednesday, October 28.

Ireland skipper Andrew Balbirnie contributed with a knock of 62 runs from 47 balls, while the bowling unit dismissed the opposition batters at regular intervals. England’s skipper, Jos Buttler won the toss and put Ireland in to bat first. Veteran opener Paul Stirling was dismissed earlier in the innings, but Andrew Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker forged a crucial partnership for the second wicket to lead the team’s comeback.

In this post, you’ll Read about 3 Heroes of Ireland
Andrew Balbirnie
Joshua Little
Lorcan Tucker

The duo took the team from 21/1 to 103/2. Despite getting off to a good start, the Irish batters couldn’t cash in on the opportunity to score big at the end. They suffered a late collapse, forcing them to be bowled out for 157 in 19.2 overs. Joshua Little led the bowling attack with the wickets of English openers Jos Buttler and Alex Hales. England couldn’t quite recover from the early blows, and when the rain came,

they were found to be 5 runs short of the DLS par score. Eventually, the game was called off, handing Ireland one of their most memorable wins. It was another cliffhanger in this edition of the T20 World Cup. Ireland, with their resilience and a bit of help from the rain gods, pulled off a miraculous win over their neighbors. In this article, we focus on the three heroes of Ireland’s spectacular win over England.

Andrew Balbirnie

The captain of the Irish team led the team from the front. Despite losing his opening partner early on, Balbirnie kept attacking the opposition bowlers. It seemed like he had a plan on how to tackle the express pace of Mark Wood, the swing of Sam Curran, and Chris Woakes. He was smart enough to pierce the gap and score boundaries. The best part about his innings was his composure. He never looked out of sorts and stitched together an all-important partnership with Lorcan Tucker. The right-handed opener was dismissed in the 16th over.

His innings of 62 runs off 47 balls won him the Player of the Match award. Balbirnie has been the leading scorer for his team in T20Is this year. He has made 581 runs in 25 matches at an average of 24.2, and a strike rate of 130.56.

Joshua Little

If not Balbirnie then Little would’ve earned the player of the match award. The left-arm seamer has been the best performer for his nation with the ball this year. He has taken 34 wickets in 24 T20I innings in 2022 at an average of 20.44, an economy of 7.77, and a strike rate of 15.7. The Irish cricketer bagged two wickets for just 16 runs in three overs in the historic game against England

He first removed England’s best and most dangerous T20I batter Jos Buttler and later he earned the wicket of Alex Hales, who has the best record among all the Englishmen in Australia. It was Little’s spell with the new ball that really put England on the backfoot in a tricky run-chase. Little changed the course of the game and turned the tides in his team’s favor.

Lorcan Tucker

It was captain Andrew Balbirnie’s innings that hogged the spotlight, and his innings overshadowed the contribution of Ireland’s second top-scorer. The 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman made an important 34 runs off 27 deliveries, which helped Ireland post a fighting total of 157 runs on the board. Batting at a crucial number 3, Tucker played his part with the bat as well as with gloves in his hands.

Although playing second fiddle, he still shared an 82-run stand with his captain, Balbirnie, dishing out punishment to the English bowlers. They were going strong and might have guided the team to a huge total, but a stroke of luck broke their stand. Tucker was unfortunate to be involved in one of the unluckiest of dismissals. Balbirnie was facing the delivery, and he pushed the ball bowled full straight to the bowler.

Adil Rashid tried to stop the delivery, but it went past him before touching his fingers. Tucker had already taken a start at the non-striker’s end, backing his instinct, but was found to be short of his ground.

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The first round of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 is in the history books. Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Ireland, and Zimbabwe are the four teams that have qualified for the Super 12 stage of the tournament.

Two-time T20 World Cup winners, the West Indies, surprisingly failed to make it to the next round after losing two of their three games. Meanwhile, Namibia also faced an early exit from the tournament.

All 12 teams have been finalized, and there will be players from each team who will be looking to make a mark on the global stage. With the Super 12 round set to begin, there are certain usual suspects who arrive with a big reputation for delivering on the big stage. But at the same time, there are also some players who go under the radar or are forgotten because of having had a rather quiet few months. In this list, we will look at the six such players who will make it big in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022.

Bas de Leede

In any form of the game, if a player can bat in the top order and can chip in with the ball to pick key wickets for the opposition team, then that player becomes a generational talent like the South African legend Jacques Kallis. One such player is Netherlands’ Bas de Leede. This year has been a breakthrough year for de Leede. His highest international score (91*) and the best bowling figures came this year. The Dutch all-rounder has been scoring runs at a staggering average of 57.83. In the Super 12 qualifiers, de Leede failed with the bat, but he was at his best with the ball. He finished the qualifying stage with 7 wickets in three games to help his team qualify. De Leede’s form will decide the fate of the Netherlands in the Super 12 stage.

Ireland’s all-rounder Curtis Campher is a well-known figure after he scalped four wickets in 4 balls in the last edition of the T20 World Cup. Campher has emerged as a hot topic recently due to his heroics in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The prolific all-rounder seems to be a key player with the bat and the ball, giving Ireland a boost in both units. His versatility in both departments makes him a perfect T20 player. In the match against Scotland, Campher played one of the most memorable knocks by scoring 72 off 32 balls to seal a victory for his team. Looking at his class and current form, he certainly will be a player to watch out for.

Fazalhaq Farooqi

Afghanistan’s upcoming fast bowling sensation, Fazalhaq Farooqi, has been one of the most exciting prospects coming from the Asian subcontinent. The left-arm seamer has the ability to move the new ball in the powerplay overs, and at the back end, he uses the variations to great effect to outfox the batters. He has been a regular feature in the playing eleven and has made the most of the given opportunities. In the 13 T20Is this year, Fazalhaq has taken 17 wickets at a brilliant economy rate of 6.93, with a best of 3/11. He’s relatively new to the international arena, and the ongoing World Cup will provide an ideal platform for the Afghan star to showcase his skills.

Harry Brook

At only 23 years of age, Brook has already had more ‘breakthrough’ moments than most people can count in a career.

England’s white-ball batting line-up has previously been an unimpeachable force, and Brook has been a pioneer of that approach. He has had a fantastic start to his T20I career, scoring 316 runs in 14 matches with a strike rate of 149.06 and an average of 35.11. Batting at No.5 for England, Brook has excelled against both seam and spin. Brook’s maturity and the manner in which he has scored his runs have made him near undroppable at No.5.

This tournament represents an opportunity for Brook to further prove his worth on a high-profile stage.

Michael Bracewell

Since his inception in the team, Michael Bracewell has been one of the most prominent members of the team across formats. Bracewell, who is more of a batting all-rounder for his domestic side, emerged as the joint-highest wicket-taker in the last bilateral series, with eight wickets in five games at a scarcely believable economy rate of 4.94. Those returns earned him the Player-of-the-Series award. The Kiwi player is primarily a batter, but he hasn’t been required much with the bat in a power-packed Blackcaps batting line-up. To be brutally honest, Bracewell has been an integral part of the T20 set-up only due to his craftiness with the ball in hand. Skipper Kane Williamson has been able to utilize Bracewell’s potential to the fullest, giving him the responsibility of bowling in the powerplay overs and then in the middle phase of the innings. Bracewell can have an all-around impact on this year’s T20 World Cup.

Sikandar Raza

The Zimbabwe all-rounder has been in the form of his life. Raza is having a remarkable year, and the qualifiers were no different either. The swashbuckling batter registered 40 off just 23 deliveries in a 64-run stand with his skipper for the fourth wicket against Scotland to take his side to the cusp of victory and eventually to the Super 12s. Batting in the middle order, Raza has smashed 612 runs at an average of 40.80 and a strike rate of 154.94 this year. His career-best score of 82 came against Ireland in the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup. With a remodeled action, the right-arm spinner has bagged 5 wickets at an exceptional economy rate of fewer than 6 runs per over. The way Raza is playing, he seems to be unstoppable at the moment. He’s playing his own brand of cricket, and that’s been fruitful for him. Now heading into the Super 12 stage, Raza would be hoping to continue the same run of form against the top sides like India, South Africa, and Pakistan.

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Probably no other side has hustled towards building a perfect eleven for the 2022 T20 World Cup as much as Australia. Chasing their second T20 World title with the Australian team, the defending champions will be looking to form the ideal playing eleven. The squad is more or less similar, the only change is the addition of T20 powerhouse Tim David in place of Mitchell Swepson. Backup wicketkeeper Josh Inglis, who was part of Australia’s World Cup winning squad last year, has been unfortunately ruled out of the tournament. In the Australian team, Cameron Green has replaced him in the squad. But not all is lost for the Men in Yellow. Despite injuries, the Aussies will start the tournament as one of the firm favorites—a side that their opposition will be wary of. Australia has some aggressive batters in the squad, like Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, and, of course, Tim David. The batting unit is looking solid with a mix of aggression and experience in the form of Aaron Finch, David Warner, and Steve Smith. They will rely on their big hitter to clear the ball out of the stadium frequently.

Their main headache would be selecting Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, and Tim David. The recent rise of Tim David makes it tough to leave him out. where Marcus Stoinis is a match-winner. It’s a tough decision to leave out a player like Steve Smith. But they would have to make this decision; at least to start with. Amidst the selection conundrum, we pick the best possible Australian playing XI for the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022.

Openers- Aaron Finch and David Warner

Skipper Aaron Finch and David Warner are one of the most destructive opening pairs with the experience of 41 innings, accumulating 1544 runs, including four 100-run stands and six fifty-plus scores.

The pair also holds the record for the most unbeaten fifty-plus opening partnerships in men’s T20I (3). Both seasoned T20 campaigners will be key to Australia’s success.

Middle order- Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David

The hero of last year’s World Cup final– Mitchell Marsh is an automatic choice at number 3. Marsh has made that position his own, and alongside Finch and Warner, he will form a formidable top 3. As far as the toss-up between Smith and David is concerned, Australia should go with a more attacking option in Tim David rather than Smith. With Marsh fixed at 3, Smith will have no role to play as there’s no vacant spot for him. In an ideal scenario, Australia cannot afford to have Marsh and Smith in the same lineup at 3 and 4 respectively. Smith’s omission promotes Maxwell at 4. Although Maxwell has been going through a lean patch, the maverick batter will still be a sure starter in the lineup. He also gives an extra bowling option to Captain Finch. Stoinis will come in at 5, again an all-rounder who can change the course of the game with the bat and can chip in with the ball as well. Tim David at 6 is the real deal for Australia. If they want to retain their title, David will play a big role in that. The right-handed explosive batter has been a valuable and timely addition to the team. Australia’s middle order is packed with power hitters, right from numbers 3 to 6. The best part about this middle order is that all the batters are versatile, which makes this line-up flexible.

Wicketkeeper- Matthew Wade

Matthew Wade will don the gloves for the defending champions. The left-handed batter has been terrific with the bat at number 7 giving the finishing touches at the back end. In the all-star Australian lineup, the dynamic batter serves as the team’s designated finisher. He also provides a second option at the top and has also opened the batting for the Aussies in the past. Regarding his keeping abilities, the 34-year-old seldom drops a catch and stumps balls pretty quickly.

Bowlers- Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

Talking about the Australian team’s bowling attack, they have one of the most potent bowling attacks in world cricket. A pace bowling attack comprising Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood is certainly one of the most well-rounded pace attacks in the competition. Starc’s express pace, along with Rabada’s accuracy, makes Australia a dangerous bowling unit.

Couple that with the medium pace of Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, and Marcus Stoinis and it makes Australia one of the most exciting bowling line-ups in the tournament. Kane Richardson also provides a more than reliable backup option for the rest of the bowling unit. Zampa has been the frontline spinner for a long time now. The wily leg spinner has the knack of picking big wickets at crucial junctures of the game. Zampa at 11 completes the bowling attack and the Australian line-up.

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Ind Vs Pak have enjoyed a storied rivalry in international cricket, with the best of the games between the two teams coming in the shortest version of the game. Whenever these two teams take center stage, nothing gets bigger than the game between the two nations. The thrilling games between the two arch-rivals have raised the stakes of the high-profile battle in Melbourne this year in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022.

The Asian Giants are all set to add a new page to their old book of rivalries when the two teams meet at the MCG on October 23. It all started in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup when a young Indian team led by charismatic leader MS Dhoni thumped Pakistan in a nail-biting affair to clinch the first-ever World T20 title.

In the T20 World Cups that have taken place over the years, India has won every game except the first-ever encounter that was decided by a bowl out after the game was tied and the most recent match of the T20 World Cup 2021.

The last time Ind Vs PAK faced each other in Dubai was during the T20 WC 2021, when Pakistan had outplayed India out of the contest by defeating them by a big margin of 10 wickets. Expectations are high from both sides to perform well in the high-pressure match, but this time it is expected to be an even contest between the two sides. A thorough entertainer is expected on the cards.

MCG Overview:

The pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground is traditionally a batting-friendly surface. Batters enjoy batting in this particular venue as they can trust the true bounce and pace of the wicket and accordingly can play their strokes. The venue so far has seen a total of 15 T20I encounters. In these games, nine matches have been won by the teams batting second. Despite being a batting-friendly venue, teams have struggled to score big totals here, especially 200+ totals. MCG is one of the biggest grounds in the world and that’s why the boundary percentage of this ground is the lowest (49.3%) in comparison with other venues in Australia. However, surprisingly MCG has the highest run rate (8.30). Batters will have to run hard to accumulate runs for their team. The average score batting first at the MCG is 141 and the highest score by a team is 184/3 which India achieved in 2016. While David Warner‘s 89 against South Africa in 2009 is the top batting display, results in the venue do not depend largely on the coin toss.

India

Yet again, India will rely heavily on their batting heading into an ICC tournament. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are two of the most experienced batters at the international level in T20 cricket.
In recent times, India has been the most dominant team with a strong list of players in its inventory. The batters have taken the team to many wins in recent matches. Players like Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli are in brilliant form. MCG has been a happy hunting ground for the Indian batters, their first 50-over World Cup win over South Africa came at this very venue. Skipper Rohit Sharma blasted a match-winning hundred at the same venue in 2015. Suryakumar Yadav- India’s best T20I batter this year has been in sublime form with the bat. The No.4 slot in the Indian team has been a revolving door, but the stylish right-handed batter appears to have cemented his position there at long last. A blistering strike rate of 177 with an average of touching 39 in 34 matches sets Suryakumar up for a stellar World Cup.
Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik have been doing exactly what they have been assigned. India’s change in approach to play an aggressive brand of cricket with the focus being on prioritizing the strike rate over the batting average has helped them to produce results in their favour.
Team India’s batters will love the conditions at the MCG, as all the batters including the ones who will be on the bench know exactly how to play on bouncy tracks. Running between the wickets will be crucial and it will play to India’s advantage. The current Indian batting line-up is an ideal foil to the MCG conditions.

Pakistan

Probably, Pakistan has the most established opening pair in skipper Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan but after them, the batting looks fragile and completely out of sorts. Pakistan’s overdependence on their opening pair has not been hidden from anyone, especially in T20I cricket. Their middle order has been fragile for a long time now, inviting criticism from former cricketers around the globe. But still, the team looked to favour dependence on top-order and bowlers rather than bringing in change in the middle. In a non-ideal scenario where either Babar or Rizwan fails to fire, there aren’t many options in the middle order to take up the responsibility.
Spinning all-rounders Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz peeled out timely cameos to gloss over the middle-order cracks. While other teams have fixed their combinations right, Pakistan is still struggling to fill in the voids in the batting order. Fakhar Zaman or Shan Masood, who will bat at number 3 is still an unsolved problem. The number 4 position has been vacant for a long time and a number of players have been tried but no one stood up like Surya did for India. Leave alone the openers and you will find other batters struggling to play the short ball. Bounce is going to be a factor at the MCG on the match day and Pakistan batters might struggle to ride the bounce. When England visited Pakistan, Mark Wood with his express pace used the short ball ploy against the Pakistani batters and it worked out well. The Men in Green have loopholes in their batting lineup and this may well cause them the game.

Conclusion

Pakistan’s over-reliance on Babar and Rizwan is going to hurt them badly and the fact that the other batters struggle against the short ball it’s going to require individual brilliance from someone to help the team’s cause. India on the other hand will be much more confident heading into the game with some quality batters in their ranks. Unlike the Pakistani players, Indian batters are good against the short ball. We expect the Indian batters to outscore their counterparts let’s see what happens in IND Vs PAK.

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ICC T20 WORLD CUP: HOW WILL INDIA AND PAKISTAN FARE AT THE MCG?

Ind Vs Pak have enjoyed a storied rivalry in international cricket with the best of the games between the two teams coming in the shortest version of the game. Whenever these two teams take center stage, nothing gets bigger than that game. India’s first-ever loss against Pakistan in World Cup history has raised the stakes of the high-profile battle in Melbourne this year in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022.

The Asian Giants are all set to add a new page to their old book of rivalries when the two teams meet at the MCG on October 23. It all started in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup when a young Indian team led by charismatic leader MS Dhoni thumped Pakistan in a nail-biting affair to clinch the first-ever World T20 title.

In the T20 World Cups that have taken place over the years, India has won every game except the first-ever encounter that was decided by a bowl out after the game was tied and the most recent match of the T20 World Cup 2021.

The last time these two sides faced each other in Dubai was during the T20 World Cup 2021, when Pakistan comprehensively outplayed India by a margin of 10 wickets. Both sides have high expectations to perform well in this nail-biting game, as they are very evenly-matched teams going into the fixture. A blockbuster is expected to be on the cards.

An overview of the venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground

The MCG track has changed over the years, and now with every passing domestic season, we can see a considerable amount of grass cover, swing, and seam movement for the quick bowlers that make a good contest between bat and ball.

The fast bowlers in particular enjoy bowling at this venue as they get that extra bounce off the wicket, but the batting-friendly nature of the wicket is the reason why pacers give runs at 8.71 runs per over. Spinners also enjoy bowling on this surface with the big boundaries coming into play, and they keep getting wickets as the game progresses. Statistically, spinners have enjoyed more success at the MCG in comparison with pacers. Finger spinners concede runs at a rate of 7.10 per over, while wrist spinners concede runs at a rate of 7.59 per over. The iconic MCG has so far seen a total of 15 T20I encounters. In these games, nine matches have been won by the teams batting second. Additionally, dew does not play a big part in the game, so tossing won’t be a huge factor that can influence the outcome of the game.

PAKISTAN

In cricket, fast bowling and Pakistan are often mentioned in the same breath, with some of the fiercest pace bowlers coming from the country. In the current Pakistan squad, it is again the fresh, fast bowlers of Pakistan who have redeemed their team and made them a credible contender for the cup. The last time Ind Vs Pak met in a World Cup game, Pakistan’s spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi dismantled India’s top order while others supported him to restrict India to a modest total. However, it was not just the fast bowlers; spinners also played their part in the historic win. From the last World Cup, Pakistan’s bowling lineup is more or less the same, only Hasan Ali will be missing the high-octane clash. Along with Shaheen and Haris Rauf, Pakistan also has promising newcomers in Naseem Shah, Mohammad Wasim, and Mohammad Hasnain in their fast bowling camp. Shaheen can inflict early damage on any opposition, while Rauf is a middle-death overs specialist.

In the spin department, vice-captain Shadab Khan and left-arm spinning all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz have been terrific since the last World Cup. In addition to both of these spinners, skipper Babar Azam also has the luxury of having Iftikhar Ahmed on this side, who can roll his arm over when needed. Lately, Iftikhar has proven to be a reliable option with the ball for Pakistan in the middle overs. Overall, the attack looks complete, with a good variety of bowlers.

There is no doubt that Pakistan has the talent and potential in their bowling group to challenge any batting line-up in the world.

INDIA

The Men in Blue sustained a huge blow when fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury. Bumrah’s absence will have a significant impact on the outcome of the game, knowing the game-changing skills the right-arm pacer possesses. India has added veteran speedster Mohammad Shami to the squad as a replacement for Bumrah. Despite adding a seasoned campaigner in Shami and having two of the most successful T20I bowlers in the country, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal, the Indian bowling attack looks depleted.

They might have to heavily depend on players like Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel, who don’t have any experience playing on a big stage like the T20 World Cup. Bhuvneshwar will have to act as the leader of the bowling attack. He has been having a great year with the ball, as the right-arm pacer has bagged 32 wickets in 24 matches while conceding runs at a rate of 7.21 per over. Bhuvneshwar will be key to India’s success, as he troubled Babar Azam in the Asia Cup 2020 and will look to do the same at the MCG. India has found a new hero in Arshdeep, who has made a name for himself as a wicket-taking option. Whether in powerplays or death overs, he has been a valuable asset to the team. Harshal Patel’s recent struggles with the ball have added to India’s woes. Rohit Sharma and team management may well have to turn up to Shami for the Indo-Pak game. In the spin department, India has 3 quality options – Chahal, Axar Patel, and Ravichandran Ashwin. India will rely heavily on them to get crucial breakthroughs. In all likelihood, the Men in Blue will take the field with the potent duo of Chahal and Axar. All in all, there is no doubt India will dearly miss the presence of Bumrah and with a few of the bowlers not in great rhythm, India will have to pin their hopes on their seasoned campaigners – Bhuvneshwar, Chahal, and, Shami to come good. Arshdeep will be a dark horse for the game. Indian fans will hope that things fall into place and that their bowling will punch above its weight.

CONCLUSION

Pakistan clearly edges out India on the bowling front in IND Vs PAK . The Pakistan team has a good blend of bowlers who are in form, whereas the Indian team will have to do a lot of thinking to field the most potent attack. The only advantage India has over Pakistan is a seam bowling all-rounder in Hardik Pandya who can be the difference-maker with the ball, as he did in the Asia Cup earlier this year. The conditions at the MCG will favor Pakistani bowlers more as compared to Indian bowlers. In IND Vs PAK

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In a few days, team India will begin their journey in the T20 World Cup 2022, one of the year’s biggest cricketing events. Going into the World Cup, India is considered one of the leading contenders to win the prestigious title.

There is no shadow of a doubt that India’s best performance in the global event came in the inaugural edition, when the MS Dhoni-led Indian team defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in the final to lift the title in 2007 and became the first team to do so. However, since then, the side has failed to bring back the glory. After rewriting history in 2007 in South Africa, they have only made it to the final of the tournament on one other occasion, which was in 2014 against Sri Lanka. An ICC trophy has eluded India since 2013, when they won the Champions Trophy in England under Dhoni. In particular, if we talk about the 20-over World Cups, then from 2007 until now, it’s been a really long wait for India to claim their second T20 World title. In the second edition of the global event, India crashed out of the Super Eight stage. The story was no different in the second edition in 2010.

In the 2012 T20 World Cup, India failed to advance to the second round despite losing just one game in the tournament due to a poor run rate. In the 2016 T20 World Cup, India made a semifinal exit after losing to the West Indies, while in the 2014 T20 World Cup India lost in the finals against Sri Lanka and ended as runners-up of the tournament. But despite those defeats, during this period, the Indian team has been a top-five team in T20I cricket. This raises the question of why the team struggles in the ICC events.

Let us try to zero in on the major factors behind this drubbing in the T20 World Cups.

2021 T20 World Cup (Finish: Super 12)

In the 2021 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Team India had a season to forget. After suffering a thumping defeat against arch-rivals Pakistan in their first match, followed by another loss to New Zealand, the men in blue could not proceed to the knockout stage.

India could not make it into the semi-finals in what was the first instance since 2012 that the team crashed out as early as the group stage of a major ICC event. A few selection calls, like the omission of wily leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and picking Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Chahar ahead of him, hurt India as the Indian spinners underperformed in the last edition. At the start of any tournament, a team needs to start well, and India lost the first two games to Pakistan and New Zealand, respectively, which hampered India’s chances.

2016 T20 World Cup (Finish: Semi-finalists)

2016 was another year in which India entered as the favorite to lift the coveted trophy as they were the host nation. On the back of strong performances in the Asia Cup, India started the event with a disappointing loss against New Zealand in Nagpur but then won consecutive games to reach the semi-final stage. In the semi-final, the Dhoni-led Indian team surrendered to the two-time champions West Indies to end their campaign. It was that semi-final game in particular where India’s lack of discipline with the ball hurt them at the end. Man of the match from that game – Lendl Simmons got three reprieves and on the two occasions, the Indian bowlers were found guilty of bowling no balls. Dew also played a big part in that game, even when India was defending a total of 192. But that cannot hide India’s abysmal display with the ball. West Indies capitalized on the home team’s sloppy bowling display and used the conditions to their advantage in a high-scoring semifinal showdown.

2014 T20 World Cup (Runners-up)

In 2014, they were comfortably the best team in the tournament but contrived to lose the final to Sri Lanka in a disappointing manner. India remained unbeaten before losing the final, winning all five games. The loss also put paid to their hopes of becoming the only cricket nation to hold all three World titles at the same time. In a crunch game, India could only manage to get to a below-par total of 130 in 20 overs. The hero of the 2011 World Cup – Yuvraj Singh turned into a villain and produced arguably his worst-ever T20 performance on the biggest stage. The left-handed batter looked completely out of sorts in his 21-ball essay and single-handedly stopped India from gaining any momentum in the final overs. Bowlers failed to defend such a low score and India without any resistance, surrendered to the enemy.

2012 T20 World Cup (Finish- Super 8)

With two victories each in Group B of the Super Eight stage, India, Australia, and Pakistan had finished joint first in the pool but the other two teams qualified for the semifinals on their better net run rates.

It was a near-miss for India in the fourth edition of the T20 World Cup held in Sri Lanka. India lost just one match and defeated the likes of Afghanistan, England, and South Africa. India’s only loss came against Australia. In the first match of the super eight stages against a strong Australian outfit, India scored 140 runs which the Aussies chased down easily within 15 overs. India’s bowling wasn’t their strongest suit in the 2012 edition and that was reflected in the game against Australia. Poor execution with the ball was the prime reason behind India’s thumping loss to the Aussies. Due to that loss, the net run rate got affected and in the end, it proved to be a difference maker.

2010 T20 World Cup (Finish- Super 8)

India was placed in Group C along with South Africa and Afghanistan. India had a good start in the tournament, as it defeated Afghanistan and South Africa in its first two matches. However, India once again got knocked out after losing games against Australia, the West Indies, and Sri Lanka. This tournament was a big failure for the team, as they were again knocked out in the Super 8 stage. India couldn’t capitalize on the excellent start to the tournament, and the team lacked a united effort, especially in the second half of the tournament, which led to the team’s downfall. To add to it, India’s conservative approach didn’t help their cause.

2009 T20 World Cup (Finish- Super 8)

The defending champions started the tournament as the favorites to reclaim their title. The expectations grew when India was placed in a weak group along with Bangladesh and Ireland. In the group stage matches, India did well and easily qualified for the super eight stages. However, in the super eight round against the big guns, India again faltered on the big stage and had to face a shameful and early exit. In the super eight, India lost three matches in a row against the West Indies, England, and South Africa.

At the big stage, the Indian team failed to win even a single match and was kicked out of the tournament. This tournament was a nightmare for the Indian team. India’s batting was the biggest letdown. Batters like Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, and MS Dhoni failed to create any sort of impact, and that really hampered India’s winning chances.

Conclusion:

India’s journey in the World Cups has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride. In almost every edition, the team starts the event as favorites and ends up choking either in group stages or in the knockouts. The reason can be the overexhaustion of the players due to the heavy scheduling of the matches before the ICC events. Then, the lack of big-match temperament in players and the conservative approach are things that have been pulling the team down time and time again. The selection has at times been questionable and certainly can be counted as one of the main reasons. These reasons have hindered the Indian team from winning ICC tournaments.

Expectations from the upcoming edition:

This time, the number one-ranked T20 I team looks in good form. In 2022, India played 27 T20I games, winning 21 of them. They have lost 6 times, while 1 game ended without a result. India beat England at home, outclassed South Africa twice this year, and also recently clinched a three-match T20I series against Australia. Despite not having the pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, many cricket pundits and bookmakers have come out with very favorable odds for India to win the T20

World Cup this year. We believe India will struggle to make it to the final due to the bowling unit – which seems to be the weakest link of the team.

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