2021 T20 World Cup Team Review Time. Here is the complete dissection of every team. The best moments, analysis, stats, and what changes need to be made for each team to succeed in the upcoming 2022 T20 World Cup. Comment below on your favorite moment of this T20 World Cup and what you think about their prospects in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.
Australia—a name so synonymous to Cricket World Cups it is not even a surprise they somehow managed to win this one. Unlike most times, though, they were not even in Top 5 Favorites this time around. Even Bangladesh & Afghanistan were fancied more since Australia has lost their last 4 T20I bilateral series and were hammered 4-1 in Bangladesh.
Lots of good stories for Justin Langer’s group. A group of lovely characters, marked by Stoinis, Zampa, Wade, Maxwell combined with their star power in Warner-Smith-Cummins-Hazlewood-Starc deliver unlikely victory. Hazlewood’s accuracy, Zampa’s wicket-taking abilities, Warner’s consistency, Mitchell Marsh’s coming of age, Steve Smith’s boundary catching, and Stoinis-Wade’s finishing combined to make this a dangerous T20 side.
Now Australia has won everything—Women’s ODI & T20I World Cups, U-19 World Cups, Men’s ODI & T20 World Cups & Champions Trophy. Looks like life is all good for Australia and free of Paine…
Mitchell Marsh’s Dream Final, Matthew Wade-Marcus Stoinis Partnership, Cummins at the Death
Luck Factor (Or the Lack of)
Aaron Finch Wins All the Tosses
Broken Dreams
Starc 4-0-60-0 in the Final. Does he merit a place in the 2022 T20 World Cup Squad?
What Does Australia Need to Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?
Home World Cup, expectations on them. No team has won two consecutive T20 World Cups or a T20 World Cup at home. Now, they have a good T20 core group from which they can challenge the rest of the world. The real question here is—Can Australia continue playing the same brand of cricket?
2. New Zealand 2021 T20 World Cup
New Zealand are the best all-format team to beat at the moment, aren’t they? 2 ODI World Cup finals in a row (2015, 2019), current World Test Championship holders, and now the runners up in a T20 World Cup. Just like Australia, not many expected them to get to semi-finals, let alone the finals. With an early loss to Pakistan, things did start positively for them. Credit to them, they strangled India, survived threat against Namibia, and continued on their marching way before the Neesham-Mitchell assault shocked England.
Positives? Mitchell’s inspirational promotion & Top 3’s solo performances (Mitchell’s 72*, Williamson’s 85, & Guptill’s 93, Southee’s economical World Cup, shining Boult & Sodhi (if we take out Sodhi’s final), roaring Milne in his comeback, and Neesham, who finally gets his revenge.
Negatives? Conway-Phillips-Seifert had been one of the reasons for NZ’s success in T20I’s over the past year, but none of them had a stellar performance. Conway played a crucial recovery innings in the semi-finals, Phillips (once a keeper) bowled some tight off spin and hit Zampa for a six in the final, but other than that, nothing much of note. Also Guptill’s 27 (35).…say no more.
Kane Williamson (216) Martin Guptill (208) Daryl Mitchell (208)
Highest Wicket Takers
Trent Boult (13)
X Factors
Daryl Mitchell – the Opener, Neesham – the Finisher, Fielding Unit, Southee Reinvents Himself
Broken Dreams
Lockie Ferguson ruled out before the WC; Devon Conway injures himself by punching his bat after his semi-final dismissals; Misses the Final; New Zealand struggle early on and ends up on the runners up podium again.
What Does New Zealand Need to Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?
New Zealand made it to the final on the back of good strategy and smart cricket. However, it is unlikely that this squad will succeed again in 2022 in Australian conditions. Do all three of Ish Sodhi-Todd Astle-Mitchell Santner fit in the 15? Does Martin Guptill continue or will Finn Allen be given a chance? Can both Adam Milne & Lockie Ferguson make the XI? Where does Tim Seifert fit in the equation? So many questions, less than 335 days, as Jimmy Neesham puts it.
3. Pakistan 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review
Will Pakistan get a better chance? World Cup in the UAE, Babar Azam & Mohammad Rizwan in the form of their lives, bowling good as usual, fielding better than ever, Asif Ali finally coming into his own, and the 40 year youngsters Hafeez and Malik matching everybody else.
5 group matches, 5 different player of the match awards. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Asif Ali, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shoaib Malik. And the most runs of the tournament by their captain Babar Azam?
How did they get here? By completely dominating the match against India (via Shaheen’s opening spell including that ball to KL Rahul), completed a low scorer against NZ, crushed Afghanistan with Asif Ali’s 4 sixes, and brushed Scotland & Namibia by batting first.
Pakistan, who have been disappointed by NZ and England cricket boards, were writing a lovely beautiful story. However, just as in the 2010 T20 WC semi final against Australia, the story went off track. A left handed middle order batter finished it off with consecutive sixes against Pakistan’s best bowler. It was Mike Hussey Vs Saeed Ajmal 11 years ago. It was Matthew Wade Vs Shaheen Shah Afridi this year.
Shadab Khan (9) Haris Rauf (8) Shaheen Shah Afridi (7)
X Factors
Haris Rauf’s death bowling, Shaheen Shah Afridi in the Powerplay, Imad Wasim-Shadab Khan’s miserly spells, Babar-Rizwan partnerhship, Malik-Asif Finishing
Broken Dreams
Hasan Ali’s Form Lose a Close Semi-Final After Winning 5/5 Group Matches and dominating 35 overs of the semi=final
What Does Pakistan Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?
Although Pakistan were possibly the best team throughout this year, they will have to make several changes next year due to conditions. A 150-160 score may not be defendable, the bowling combinations might need to be tweaked, and some young aggresive batters like Haider Ali will need to be placed in the XI.
4. England 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review
I have two points of view on this England campaign. One can say that just like Pakistan, it was an underwhelming campaign since they dominated the group stages and failed to finish the semi-final like the Carlos Brathwaite final 5 years ago.
On the other hand, England were already missing Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, and Sam Curran. During the tournament, they lost Tymal Mills, their best death bowler, and Jason Roy. The fact that they still dominated the tournament shows the marvelous depth in English cricket right now.
The positives? Moeen Ali’s all round package, Chris Woakes’ opening spells, Tymal Mills’ international comeback, Adil Rashid’s magic, Livingstone’s off-spin/leg-spin, and Jos Buttler’s century.
Adil Rashid (9) Moeen Ali, Tymal Mills, Chris Woakes (7) Liam Livingstone, Chris Jordan (6)
X Factors
Tymal Mills’ death bowling, Moeen Ali’s all-round show; The Beast that is Buttler
Broken Dreams
Favorites fail to lift the T20 World Cup again; Tymal Mills & Jason Roy out injured mid-tournament; Morgan-Livingstone underwhelm with the bat
What Does England Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?
Given Eoin Morgan’s batting form, he is almost nearing the end of his England journey although his captaincy was still top notch. Ashes is around the corner, and it is too soon to predict squads since injuries/retirements/mental health breaks are around the corner due to their grueling schedule. Malan & Moeen might stay, but Morgan might not make the XI if Stokes is back. If England can find depth & consistency in their death bowling (need to look past Jordan & Tom Curran), then this golden generation might have lift the T20 World Cup trophy.
5. South Africa 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review
One of the two teams that would go back with positives. Despite the Quinton de Kock Controversy early on, South Africa held themselves up nicely under captain Temba Bavuma.
Anrich Nortje was devastating throughout the tournament, even a sub-par Kagiso Rabada got a hat-trick, Killer Miller came back to win a thriller against Sri Lanka, Rassie Van der Dussen-Aiden Markram made huge strides, and spinners Markram-Maharaj tied down the opposition. The peak of their journey was the final match where they defeated tournament favorites England, and dented their confidence going to the semi-finals.
The only two blips? The narrow loss against Australia in the opening game of the Super 12s and the slow chase against Bangladesh meant they finished they barely failed to qualify due to net run rate.
I had anticipated South Africa would miss ABD, Faf, Tahir, and Morris but evidently they made it work.
Nortje-Shamsi brilliant with the ball, Markram-van der Dussen brilliant with the bat, The Return of Killer Miller, and Temba Bavuma’s captaincy
Broken Dreams
Quinton de Kock & Cricket South Africa’s miscommunication and mini-scandal Failing to Qualify for the Semi-Finals on NRR again
What Does South Africa Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?
South Africa need more stability in their middle order. The bowlers can defend middling scores in all conditions, but inconsistency in batting and lack of death is holding them back. They have a good core, if they do not get the Group of Death again, they will definitely be semi-finalist contenders.
6. Sri Lanka 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review
The most improved and watchable team of the T20 World Cup. Sri Lanka was the only team in the first week to look a class apart. In the Super 12s, they began positively with an improbable chase against Bangladesh and pushed England to the edge. However, they never really recovered from their last over loss against South Africa.
Asalanka & Rajapaska were the pick of the batters, opposition had no clue for their mystery spin, and Lahiru Kumara’s aggressive attitude and speed took opposition by surprise.Wanindu Hasaranga is having a dream year, and he was one of the standouts of this World Cups, both with the bat and the ball.
Wanindu Hasaranga’s All-Round Show, Lahiru Kumara’s aggression, Nissanka-Asalanka-Rajapaksa form core for the future
Broken Dreams
Lose Steam Towards The End After Winning 5 Overall
What Does Sri Lanka Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?
From 2015, Sri Lanka had been in grave transition. They finally found a group of players they can persist with in the near future.Hasaranga, Asalanka, & Rajapaksa defined this team with their positive brand of cricket. Finally opener Pathum Nissanka and mystery spinner Theekshana are really good prospects for Sri Lanka. If the seniors—Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, captain Dasun Shanaka, (maybe Chandimal & Matthews as well?) and the pacers Chameera-Kumara can come together, they might be the dark horse for the next World Cup.
Unfortunately just failed the direct qualification to the Super 12s, so have to go through the double qualification once again.
7. India 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review
A tough tournament for Indian fans.
A dismal loss against Pakistan, a week long break, no intent against their WC arch-nemesis, New Zealand, and three spirited efforts against Afghanistan, Scotland, and Namibia to boost their net run rate. However, NZ’s victory against Afghanistan ensured India was never really in the tournament apart from outside mathematical calculations. It was the vulnerability against left arm seamers and good fast bowling once again that left India on the backfoot against Pakistan & NZ respectively.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s control in the middle overs and the intent shown by KL Rahul & Rohit Sharma at the end were some positives for India.
Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja (7) Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami (6)
X Factors
R Ashwin’s economical middle overs; Rahul-Sharma opening partnership (when they played with freedom)
Broken Dreams
India loses against arch-nemesis NZ; First WC Loss to Pakistan; Favorites crash out without a fight; Shami suffers social media abuse; Kohli’ bows out captaincy career without a title
What Does India Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?
Revamp their whole squad might be a rash decision, but something out of the ordinary is needed. Although some bold decisions were taken for this tournament, more game time is needed for a new-look T20I team. KL Rahul & Rohit Sharma should stay opening partners, Suryakumar, Pant, Bumrah, & Jadeja should remain in the fray, but the rest is up in the air, especially for Australian conditions.
Does Kohli fit in or do India do what England did to Root? Ashwin has been good, but Chahal definitely merits a place back. What about the Hardik Pandya problem? Can India find batters that in the top 4 that can bowl? India have the players, but maybe it is a curse rather than a blessing in ICC tournaments for this immense depth.
8. Afghanistan 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review
Afghanistan did not have the worst of tournaments and were in contention till the very last day of the Super 12s, but there is a feeling that they could have done better.
In these conditions, Rashid-Mujeeb-Nabi were devastating individually but could not all fire together. The openers gave them spark, but not consistently. Najibullah Zadran was in his peak for, Hamid Hassan was back, and captain Mohammad Nabi batted with responsibility. Muscular Gulbadin Naib had a decent outing, and so did Naveen-ul-Haq. The only team to bat first with confidence and defend scores, their change of strategies in the crunch game against India did not work out for them.
Post the Pakistan game, it all just fell apart. 4 sixes in a row prompted freak retirement announcement by senior batter Asghar Afghan in the middle of the tournament. They could not manage to upset India or NZ, which is all that was needed.
Mystery Spinners; Nabi-Najibullah late order hitting; Zazai-Shahzad provide some good starts
Broken Dreams
Did not upset any of the big 3 in the group—NZ, Pakistan, & India Tough close loss against Pakistan and subsequent retirement of Asghar Afghan in the middle of the tournament derailed their campaign
What Does Afghanistan Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?
First they need to ensure no administrative turmoil. For the last two World Cups now, they have had captaincy changes right before the tournament. Afghanistan might be upbeat for next year since many of their players have BBL experience in Australia. All they need ais a couple of fast bowlers and Qais Ahmed back, and this team can outdo any other on a given day.
9. Namibia 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review
The story of the tournament by far.
First time qualifying for a cricket world cup since 2003 and guess what? Not only winning one game but THREE GAMES! Defeated the European trio of Ireland (full member), Netherlands, and Scotland and got a direct entry to the 2022 T20 World Cup.
The middle order, led by David Wiese, was their saving grace but their disciplined bowling, led by Trumpelmann & Wiese, kept them in the game, even against the likes of Pakistan and New Zealand. Trumpelmann’s 3-wicket opening over & JJ Smit’s finishing heroics over Scotland was the highlight of their tournament. Kudos to captain Erasmus for playing the tournament with a broken finger.
Jan Frylinck (9) David Wiese (6) Ruben Trumpelmann (6)
X Factors
Lower Middle Order Trumpelmann’s Opening Spells
Broken Dreams
None Really. Except for their opening game against Sri Lanka, they competed well throughout the tournament even against Full Members
What Does Namibia’s Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?
If Namibia need to improve and go one step further, they need to add a bit of spice to their bowling attack. For their first 10 overs, they are good but need to keep opposition down at the death.Can they make it to the Super 12s again?
10. Scotland 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review
Scotland experienced high highs and suffered low lows.
From 53-6 in their opening game against Bangladesh, a Chris Greaves inspired victory gave them victory over Bangladesh. They dominated the early groups with 3 wins in 3 matches. They nosedived with a 130-run loss against Afghanistan’s spin in the first match of the Super 12s and never recovered. Their only hope was against Namibia which they made a game out of, but still lost.
The bowlers came to the party, especially Mark Watt (1/19, 1/23, 1/23, 1/23, 1/22, 1/13, 1/20, 0/41) but their famed batters let them down.
Richie Berrington (177) George Munsey (152) Matthew Cross (135) Michael Leask (130)
Highest Wicket Takers
Josh Davey (9) Safyaan Sharif, Brad Wheal (8) Mark Watt (7) Chris Greaves (6)
X Factors
Watt’s Economical (6.13) Consistency, Berrington’s Fifties, Fast Bowlers Accurate, Leask’s Power Hitting, The Rise of Chris Greaves, Matt Cross’s Commetnary Behind the Stumps
Broken Dreams
Kyle Coetzer & Heralded Top Order Suffer Collective Failure
What Does Scotland Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?
Are Scotland’s golden era ageing or was it just the conditions? The good thing is they have qualified for the 2022 T20 World Cup by the virtue of qualifying for the Super 12s. They need batting depth and power hitters to complement their bowlers. Should still make it past the early group into the Super 12s next year.
11. West Indies 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review
Well the Last Dance was not meant to be. Only one win overall, and that too by 3 runs.
Not only did West Indies not qualify for the semi-finals, they had a horrible time. Bundled out for 55 against England, they never really figured out what their approach will be. Go all guns blazing like Lewis tried or hang in there like Lendl Simmons? Gayle-Pollard-Russell were almost no shows, and Jason Holder as replacement (who should have been in the squad in the first place) was the only spark.
Akeal Hosein was the find for West Indies, filling Fabian Allen’s left arm spin shoe perfectly as were Pooran-Hetmyer briefly. It was good to see Bravo & Gayle having fun in what may be their last T20I.
55 All Out Obed McCoy Injury Lendl Simmons’ Slow Show Dwayne Bravo Retires Chris Gayle (almost) retires Horror show for T20 stars Gayle, Pollard, Russell Hat-trick Dream Unfulfilled
What Does West Indies Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?
A completely rejig of the squad is needed. Hetmyer, Pooran, Lewis, Holder, Fabian Allen, Akeal Hosein, and even Kieron Pollard might stay but it is the end of the road for Gayle, Bravo, Russell? and Rampaul. It would be interesting to see if Roston Chase stays and if ‘rotating the strike’ will come into their T20 philosophy. West Indies of the 2010s changed T20 cricket with their boundary hitting but they need to move on with the times.
12. Bangladesh 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review
Where do I even start?
I was a fan of the rising Bangladesh ODI team and had them as a semi-finalist possibility, but this team was a complete no-show. Expected to do well in spinning UAE conditions and after dominating Australia & New Zealand at home in dust bowls, this was a huge let down.
For the first time in recent WCs, the seniors did not stand up (Shakib in the first few games apart) which exposed the gaps in the rest of the team. The likes of Liton Das, Soumy Sarkar, and Afif Hossain have not really become consistent cricketers that Bangladesh needed.
The worst part was the last couple of games. Losing a WC happens, but giving up without a fight was truly disappointing as they were skittled for 73 and 84 respectively against Australia & South Africa.
Taskin Ahmed’s comeback spirit and Mahedi Hasan were the only positive.
Shakib Al Hasan (11) Mahedi Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman (8)
X Factors
Taskin Ahmed’s Energy Mahedi Hasan Shakib Al Hasan in the early stages
Broken Dreams
Mahmudullah’s captaincy decisions Mushfiqur Rahim’s lack of form Liton Das’s Horror Show Youngsters Fail To Rise to the Occasion Mustafizur Expensive Shakib Al Hasan’s Injury
What Does Bangladesh Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?
The next generation of Bangladesh cricket need to come in. Already the likes of Saif Hasasn, Najmul Hossain Shanto, leg spinner Aminul Islam, U-19 winning captain Akbar Ali among others have been selected for the Pakistan T20I series while Mushfiqur Rahim is dropped. I expect the Fab 4 to be in the squad in Australia, but maybe not a regular XI spot. This is the step in the right direction, but one year is too less for a T20I team to develop. It may take a few years to bounce back.
13. Oman 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review
Oman will have mixed feelings from this World Cup.
First of all, they were wonderful hosts and made sure the tournament started off the right foot (beautiful background as well). After winning the first game against PNG comfortably, they would have felt they are almost into the Super 12s, but they let the tense game against Bangladesh slip.
Bilal Khan, Zeeshan Mazsood (5) Kaleemullah, Fayyab Butt (4)
X Factors
Jatinder Singh-Aqib Ilyas Opening Partnership
Broken Dreams
Had a foot in the door early on, but could not maintain momentum; This was a good chance to qualify to the next round since all matches were at home
What Does Oman Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?
They need to go back and qualify for the 2022 T20 World Cup. They need to make sure their middle order batters can endure pressure moments. Qualification cycles can be difficult, so we do not know if we will see them again. With Zimbabwe back in the qualifiers, it will just be harder.
14. Ireland 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review
All was well and good with the world when Curtis Campher took 4 wickets in 4 balls and Ireland hammered the Netherlands. However, Sri Lanka’s big defeat rocked their NRR and a rising Namibia overthrew them as the ‘Associate giant.’
It was just destiny. Ireland upset the big teams 15 years ago to gain respect for the Associate nations, and now when they are a Full Member, a stronger set of Associate nations are beginning to upset them.
Josh Little the only positive for them apart from Campher.
Curtis Campher, The Double Hat-trick Man (or 4-in-4?)
Broken Dreams
Full Member Ireland seem to be regressing in T20Is despite strides in ODI cricket
What Does Ireland Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?
Ireland’s golden generation has ended, and it will take a while for the young guns to pick up but T20 cricket is just not suited to their styles.Probably the end of the road for Kevin O’Brien. Honestly, I do not see Ireland see improving much unless T20 franchise leagues start acquring talent like Paul Stirling and Josh Little.
15. Papua New Guinea 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review
Papua New Guinea brought the world to the Cricket World Cup. Although they did not win any games, their family-like spirit took the fans by delight.
The partnership between Assad Vala and Charles Amini against Oman displayed that these bunch of players possess a lot of talent if they are given the environment to flourish. Some good hitting at the end by Doriga as well against Scotland to keep the game interesting.
Charles Amini-Assad Vala show the flair in their side Brilliant diving catches and disciplined fielding throughout
Broken Dreams
Go Home With No Wins
What Does Papua New Guinea Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?
They have to go through qualification again. The next World Cup is near their home in Oceania, but is their World Cup qualification dream too far?
16. Netherlands 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review
Netherlands were a rising team over the last couple of years, but questionable selections and lack of preparation due to COVID-19 meant they could not carry their form in the tournament.
106/10, 44/10 and losing to Namibia after scoring 164/4. Not much of note apart from Max O’Dowd’s form. They came in with good form and called upon RTD & RVDM, but performances did not add up.
Netherlands’ World Cup In A Nutshell
Result
4th in Group A
Wins/Losses
0/3
Best Match
None
Highest Run Scorers
Max O’Dowd (123)
Highest Wicket Takers
Pieter Seelar, Fred Klaassen, Brandon Glover (2)
X Factors
Max O’Dowd continues his good form
Broken Dreams
The great Ryan Ten Doeschate retires without a proper sendoff (does not get selected for the last match)
What Does Netherlands Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?
They just need to play more between World Cups. They have a South Africa tour coming up. Hopefully they can gain good experience and build confidence. Will need to qualify again however.
Toss: New Zealand won the toss and chose to field first.
Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena & Marais Erasmus
What Actually Happened – New Zealand Vs England
Winner:New Zealand won by 5 wickets
Scores: England 166/4New Zealand167/5
Player of the Match:Daryl Mitchell 72* (47)
Best Figures
Tim Southee (4-0-24-1)
Liam Livingstone (4-0-22-2)
Most Runs
Moeen Ali 51* (37)
Daryl Mitchell 72* (47)
Moments of The Day: Neesham Has His Day as England Shocked
Moeen Ali & Dawid Malan, two batters of completely distinct styles of play with #3 as their preferred positions worked together to recover England after a slow start. From 53/2 in 8.1 overs, they took it to a solid 116 in the next 7 overs. Great ball striking from both, especially Moeen at the end to shift the momentum England’s way.
We have talked a lot about Devon Conway on this channel since his NZ debut, but he had not lit the tournament a light. Today was his day. When he came in, Chris Woakes had taken the two stars out—Guptill & Williamson. Although Conway was not the man of the moment, his strikes flipped the narrative on which Neesham and Mitchell could capitalize. Took them from 13/2 in 2.4 overs to 95/3 in 13.4.
Daryl Mitchell was not supposed to be New Zealand’s premier all rounder, but was picked over the dangerous Colin de Grandhomme. Mitchell was not supposed to be NZ’s opener. That should have been a toss up between Munro & Seifert. He was not supposed to be hitting the shot that would help NZ meet Australia in the final. Grant Elliot did that already in 2015. However, he did all three with the presence of his parents in the crowd. Dream moment.
Never lose hope even if you are struggling at the beginning. He struggled to get into the NZ side for years due to their all rounder depth. Today he could not hit anything and was going at a snail’s pace 28* (28). Neesham came, Neesham conquered, Mitchell started, stayed, and finished. 44 runs in the last 19 deliveries including a 6,6,4 to end the game with an over to spare.
Drama of the Day
A New Zealand-England knockout game was bound to have drama. The wounds (or happiness) runs deep from that day in July of 2019.
Bairstow, Livingstone, & The Catch – 2 years ago, Trent Boult, one of modern Cricket’s best boundary riders, stepped onto the boundary while completing a relay catch with Guptill. Stokes 6, Neesham bowling, NZ’s hopes crumble. Today it was Neesham batting. Similar ball, Neesham swings it to a similar part of the ground, and Bairstow-Livingstone complete a relay catch. Except Bairstow had touched the rope. History repeats itself, doesn’t it mate?
Bairstow, Livingstone, & The Non-Catch – The VERY NEXT ball, Neesham hits it again and mistakes it. The catch is their for the taking….and Livingstone freezes. He did not go for the catch, Neesham survived, and eventually New Zealand wins.
Jimmy Neesham did not make the 2015 CWC in NZ because Corey Anderson & Grant Elliot were selected. He contemplated early retirement in the years he was not picked. He came back, almost got NZ across the line with a Super Over Six in 2019, but was heartbroken. I am glad he is finally back – 2 sixes in the 17th over then another one an over later. Needing 57 in 4 overs, Neesham changed it to . The game changer of this semi finals.
He is not done though. He did not celebrate when the team won nor did he leave when the team left. Just reflecting on his mayhem and froze for a while.
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Devon Conway’s Broken Hand
Conway was playing so well. However when he got out on 46, stumped to part-timer Liam Livingstone he was disappointed in himself. He reacted by hitting the bat.
Now it is known he broke his hand due to that. Ruled out of the T20 World Cup Final and the India series that follows right after.
T20 World Cup Points Table, Most Runs, Wickets, Catches, Dismissals
No need to go elsewhere for thePoints Table, Highest Run Scorer, Highest Wicket Taker, Most Catches, and Most Dismissals. We will keep updating it in every article!
Babar Azam – 303 runs (Pakistan, 6 Matches), David Warner – 236 runs (Australia, 6 matches)
Image Courtesy: Graphic (original work), Kyle Coetzer – Photo by Francois Nel-ICC/ICC via Getty Images, Mahmudullah – Photo by Mike Hewitt-ICC/ICC via Getty Images
Toss: Afghanistan won the toss and chose to field first.
Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena & Langton Rusere
What Actually Happened
Winner: New Zealand won by 8 wickets
Scores: Afghanistan 124/8 New Zealand125/2
Player of the Match:Trent Boult 3/17
Best Figures
Trent Boult (4-0-17-3)
Rashid Khan (4-0-27-1)
Most Runs
Najibullah Zadran 73 (48)
Kane Williamson 40* (42)
Moments of The Day: Fielders, Bowlers, Williamson-Conway Brush Aside Afghanistan
Fast bowlers all chipped in to break Afghanistan’s hopes. Impressive Milne nicked out Shahzad, Boult got Zazai, and Southee dismissed Gurbaz. Afghanistan 19/3 in 5.1 overs and never recovered.
Najibullah Zadran was the lone star for Afghanistan. Scoring his best T20I score of 73 out of Afghanistan’s 125 shows you the impact he had. Such a clean striker of he ball. He now averages 33.29 at a SR of 141.28 in T20Is.
Afghanistan missed a trick by waiting to bring Rashid Khan till after the Powerplay, but he delivered. Runs dried up with NZ at 63/2 in 11 overs, still needing 62 in the remaining 9. With Williamson steady, Devon Conway finally played an innings of note. Reverse sweeps and sweeps eased the pressure as NZ won with 11 balls to spare.
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Afghanistan, India Crash Out
Broken Dream #1 is the obvious one – Afghanistan was expected to defeat one of the three big guns – Pakistan, India, or NZ.
Till Afghanistan reached Asif Ali, everything was well & good. 130 run victory against Scotland, brushing aside Namibia, NRR touching the roof. Post Asif Ali’s assault, Afghanistan’s body language dropped, Asghar Afghan retired midway, & Afghanistan did not give a fight to India or NZ. Semi-finals in friendly conditions was within reach, and they let it slip.
Broken Dream #2 – Indian fans tuned into this match for an Afghanistan upset. Not only did Afghanistan lose, they took out India with them. A dead rubber scheduled for tomorrow.
T20 World Cup Points Table, Most Runs, Wickets, Catches, Dismissals
No need to go elsewhere for thePoints Table, Highest Run Scorer, Highest Wicket Taker, Most Catches, and Most Dismissals. We will keep updating it in every article!
Image Courtesy: Graphic (original work), Kyle Coetzer – Photo by Francois Nel-ICC/ICC via Getty Images, Mahmudullah – Photo by Mike Hewitt-ICC/ICC via Getty Images
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#Surprise
#BrokenDream
So what do you say? Will we see any surprises? Are South Africa, Bangladesh, Afghanistan the dark horses for the tournament? How about rising Scotland? Any emerging players? Will we miss Faf, Tahir, Morris, Chahal, Narine, and more?
If you do not have enough information yet to do the predictions, check out these previews below.
#MostRuns: Buttler (may not be an Indian, cannot rule QDK too)
Discussion:
“…With Neesham, Boult, Lockie, Phillips, Kane, Jamieson all playing IPL advantage for them and not Pak…Guptill, Seifert, Kane, Conway, Phillips, Neesham, Santner, Sodhi/Southee, Boult, Ferguson, Kyle.”
“Babar, Rizwan out for less then 20 runs, then Pak may lose 99% if against NZ and India if chasing 170…For India, even after Rahul, Kohli, Pant Surya, Hardik, Jadeja, Shardul are there.”
“I feel having times like SA, Aus, WI, Eng in same group made Group B easy to qualify.”
Rohit-Rahul/Babar-Rizwan most settled opening pair
Imagine it is the 1940s. You are working at Bell Labs, one of the world’s premier research laboratories, an abode of inventions. Computers are at the beginning of their evolution, and programming still occurs on punched cards.
You work day and night in the week, and guess what? One error in the code and the program stops. Hard work down the drain. On the bright side, the machine detects and warns you that there is an error.
So as a brilliant scientist who has been a part of the Manhattan Project, what do you do? You work nights & weekends and develop an algorithm so that the machine can itself correct the errors, without the need for human intervention.
The year is 1950. You have published this paper and revolutionized computer science & information theory.
Now fast forward to the 2004. You are playing for the Indian national cricket team, one of the world’s premier cricketing nations, an abode of talent. Wicketkeeper batters are at the beginning of their evolution, and finishing limited over games is still at its infancy.
You work day and night on tours, and guess what? One poor series, and the selectors drop you. Hard work down the drain. On the bright side, selectors warn you that you have to play a different role in order to come back.
So as a budding young cricketer who has been a part of the 2004 U-19 World Cup, what do you do? You practice day in and day out, improve your technical faults, and comeback as a successful opener in swinging conditions to help India win a series in England in 2007.
A few months go by. Inconsistency creeps in. Dropped.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
The year is 2021. You have claimed your fame to glory in that Nidahas Trophy final and revolutionized the role of a finisher.
Your name is Karthik, Dinesh Karthik.
…
Dinesh Karthik’s story is not in the career averages or amount of runs scored. Neither is it in number of comebacks. It is in the way the comebacks were constructed. Over the years, inconsistency has decreased, reassurance has increased, and in his own words, he has managed to stay ‘relevant.’
In simple terms, he has perfected the art of self-correction.
Dinesh Karthik’s Initialization
Algorithms have improved vastly since the Hamming code days. Yet, there are three main components of a self-correcting algorithm: Initialization, self-calibration, and error correction.
Under-19 Days
On the back of good domestic form, Dinesh Karthik was selected for the 2004 U-19 World Cup. This team included future Indian nationals in Robin Uthappa, Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, and RP Singh. Following a decent domestic and India A season, he found himself in the national reckoning alongside Parthiv Patel as India were trying to find a permanent replacement to makeshift keeper in Rahul Dravid.
He would not bat in an ODI for another two years, but was picked for Tests against Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe. After having a top score of only 46 in his first six Tests, he finally made a mark scoring 93 in the second innings against Pakistan. However, a loss of form and Dhoni’s memorable 148 at #3 in that Pakistan ODI series meant Karthik was briefly dropped from the Test side and traveled only as a reserve keeper for the next year.
One of the interesting traits of Karthik’s unusual career has been that when he is dropped in Tests, he finds a place in ODIs and vice versa. Later in his career, he was recalled in ODI & Test cricket based on his T20 form.
Case and point is 2006. Karthik enjoyed a good run in the limited overs although he was out of the Test side.
Although he would not get a game in the ODI World Cup, he played as a pure batter in the inaugural T20 World Cup with Dhoni behind the stumps. Low scores followed in the T20 World Cup, but he provided India with a bit of magic in the semi-final—a one handed diving catch to dismiss Graeme Smith.
Nasser Hussain on commentary summed up Dinesh Karthik’s entire career accurately in one sentence
“They say Dinesh Karthik is the two extremes—he drops dollies and he takes some spectacular catches.”
Error Correction Part I: Karthik’s Golden Year in Test Cricket
The year 2007 was DK’s best time in Test cricket.
By this time, it was clear that he could not make the XI based on his keeping skills alone. The Fab 4’s presence meant that the middle order was crowded. However, Sehwag & Gambhir had been dropped, which meant there was a slight opening.
Enter Dinesh Karthik 2.0—the opener. With Wasim Jaffer, he formed a brief yet formidable partnership.
In the third Test at Cape Town, the Jaffer-Karthik experiment paid dividend with a 153-opening partnership in the first innings. Karthik scored 63 as an opener and followed it up with 38* at #7.
In the tour of Bangladesh, he was given a permanent opening spot and returned with scores of 56, 22, and 129, his only Test century. Then, came India’s tour of England. Despite not scoring a hundred, scores of 60, 77, & 91 meantthat he ended up as India’s highest Test scorer—263 runs, 3 fifties, 518 balls faced to go along Jaffer’s 409 balls, which helped India successfully dent the new ball.
“It’s good story Dinesh Karthik. He began life as a dashing middle order batsman and wicketkeeper, and he has been transformed really into an opening batsman of substance.”
India historically won 1-0, India’s first victory on English soil in 21 years (a decade of horror shows the significance of that series victory).
Pushed back to the middle order after just 2 more Tests, he could only muster 157 runs in 11 innings with a best of 52 against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand. He would get another opportunity in Tests in 2010 before being dropped for another eight years.
On his come back against Afghanistan’s inaugural Test in 2018, he himself said in a press conference that in his earlier stint in Test cricket,
“I guess I wasn’t good enough before… I was not consistent enough.”
When he was out of favor in Tests in 2008, he did receive several opportunities in ODIs, scoring a few middling scores and featuring in India’s 2009 Champions Trophy squad. His best ODI innings of 79 runs came in 2010 with a 196-run partnership with Sachin Tendulkar during his historic double century.
14 innings later, with only 1 50+ score & 2 ducks, he was dropped—this time for three years.
Error Correction Part II: Dinesh Karthik, Journey To The Center Again
More competition, more errors, longer time to fix. Enter Dinesh Karthik 3.0—the middle order batter.
It took a 3-year hiatus before Karthik stormed back. In IPL 2013 as the #3 batter for Mumbai Indians, he amassed 510 runs, only behind Rohit Sharma for MI. The innings where his highest score that season of 86 was possibly his best IPL innings (so far).
This performance earned him a ticket on the 2013 Champions Trophy and his best ‘List A’ moment came in the warm-up games, when he scored two back to back centuries, scoring 106* & 146* batting at #6. This tournament is fondly remembered for the beginning of the Shikhar Dhawan-Rohit Sharma opening partnership, which meant Karthik did not get much of a chance with 51* against West Indies his best knock.
A few months later, India failed to qualify for the Asia Cup finals and Karthik’s 21* vs Afghanistan would be his final innings for yet another 3 years.
Let us take a slight detour like his career took around 2014.
What is your favorite part about watching Dinesh Karthik? For me, it has always been his unconventional demeanor, starting from his batting routine. The moment he arrives at the crease, it is pure theater. Walking in with urgency, rolling the gloves around, dancing from side to side, taking guard, moving his helmet, meditating on the side. Excitement and apprehension at the same time.
As a keeper he is always chirping and speaking to the bowler, most famously with his partnership in KKR with Varun Chakravarthy or with R Ashwin in Team India.
But surely, so much energy must definitely be a burden. A volcano ready to erupt if the energy is not channeled properly.
A Nervous Bundle of Energy
In order to come back to the Indian national side, DK needed to recalibrate.
In a Breakfast With Champions interview with Gaurav Kapur, he described the time with Abhishek Nayar as a ‘mental bootcamp.’ 40-lap swimming, 45-minute uphill runs, sweeping the house, visualizing match scenarios, and extreme fitness training pushed DK out of his comfort zone. He reflected that
“When you push yourself out of your comfort zone when nobody is watching you and there is no glory attached to it and you just do it quietly because somewhere in life you want to achieve something, overall in time it does help you.”
This experience added an extra dimension to DK’s wide array of skills. He was always a good player of spin, but once he was in a good head space post-Nayar, he literally reinvented his batting—the sweeps, laps, reverse sweeps, and swivel across the crease came with increased frequency.
Errors Correction III – Consistency in Domestic Cricket
While his 2013 comeback was largely on the backs of the IPL, the 2017 comeback was due to the weight of runs in domestic trophy. He was among the runs in Ranji Trophy and has been consistent in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for the past five years.
At the peak of his batting powers, DK was hitting the ball as nicely as anybody at that time. Sanjay Manjrekar stated that at that time, Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya were the only two Indian batters who could time the ball from ball one.
By this time, the pattern was set. Another Champions Trophy, yet another come back. Although he did not make the XI, in the next few matches after the trophy he scored 50*, 48, 37, 64* in consecutive games across ODIs & T20Is. It was a signal that he had added consistency to his arsenal.
Accuracy Improvement – Dinesh Karthik, The Finisher
After grinding it out in domestic cricket and becoming a much more calm and mature individual, it was time for Dinesh Karthik 4.0 to enter—Dinesh Karthik, the finisher.
From after the 2017 Champions to before the 2019 Cricket World Cup, DK slowly grew into the finisher role, remaining not-out 20 times out of the 35 ODIs or T20Is he played in.
After 14 years of sharpening his skills, beast mode was finally unlocked in the Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka.
Short & sweet contributions in every game: 13* (6), 2* (2), 39* (25), 2* (2), and 29* (8). He could not be dismissed throughout the series.
The final was a night to remember. With Mustafizur’s wicket maiden in the 18th and a struggling Vijay Shankar at the other end, hope was all but lost.
The Night of the Final
Then comes in Dinesh Karthik. Rubel Hossain steams in and attempts a yorker. DK sits back and hits it over a long on for six. There is still life left in the game. Then came a heave for four and another one for six! Colombo crowd is going wild.
Couple of balls later, Karthik moves around crease and scoops it over fine leg—22 run over.
Final over, DK off strike, India need 12.
Wide, dot, 1,1, 4 (Shankar), Out. Five runs, one ball, one man. Over pitched delivery outside the off stump, DK times it with a full follow through. FLAT SIX. INDIA WIN! Captain Rohit Sharma said that DK was a bit upset being moved to #7, but he managed to channel the anger into good effect.
Given that India have not won a major ICC trophy since 2013, this memorable win stands at a high place for Indian fans. With 120 million and 211 millionviews for the 19th and 20th over respectively, this is easily the most watched cricket video (and possibly any sports video). Relive those moments below.
The Comeback Ends & The 2019 Cricket World Cup
He continued his Nidahas Trophy form in IPL 2018 with the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise, scoring 498 runs at 49.80 with a strike rate of 147.77.
However selection across formats would come back to haunt him. He would make another comeback in Test cricket, but scores of 4, 0, 20, 1, 0 would be the end of his Test career. He would be in and out of the limited overs side, sometimes batting at #4 in Asia Cup ODIS, and sometimes almost finishing T20Is in New Zealand.
A score of 97* in IPL 2019 followed as he narrowly made the cut in the World Cup squad.
The Russian Roulette selection among Dinesh Karthik, Kedhar Jadhav, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Vijay Shankar, and most infamously, Ambati Rayudu probably hurt all five and India in the 2019 Cricket World Cup semi-final. Surprisingly promoted to No. 5, he tried to stem the fall of wickets before Jimmy Neesham’s brilliant catch ended his ODI career.
Is There Another Comeback On The Horizon?
He was one of the casualties of India’s post-tournament analysis, even dropped from the T20I side, where he had reasonable success.
Post-COVID, he had a tough time at the 2020 IPL, averaging only 14.08, his second worst season. Although he took KKR to a playoff spot in 2018, he would relieve captaincy duties to Eoin Morgan for the remainder of 2020 and 2021.
Since then, he has been vocal about fighting for a place in one of the T20 World Cups in the next two years purely as a finisher. Still the best finisher in India alongside Ravindra Jadeja & Hardik Pandya, the real question is, will we see DK 5.0?
Commentary Stint and The T-Shirt Collection
Even though we do not know his cricketing career will pan out, there is already a brief glimpse into the future.
He has become a social media celebrity with his Sky Sports stint providing apt analysis, providing daily weather updates, and most famously, showing the world his enviable T-shirt collection.
Karthik’s Legacy: Did he underachieve or overachieve?
Representing your nation in one international tournament is is an honor. In a topsy-turvy career, Karthik has somehow managed to be a part of the 2007 ODI World Cup, 2007 T20 World Cup, 2009 Champions Trophy, 2013 Champions Trophy, 2017 Champions Trophy, and the 2019 ODI World Cup. Sprinkle a couple of Asia Cups in there as well.
There are two school of thoughts on Dinesh Karthik’s career. Did he fulfill his potential? Maybe. Maybe not.
From a glass half empty perspective, one can observe that as a gifted batter and a giant in domestic cricket, he could not make most of his opportunities and cement a place in the Indian national team. On the other hand, he never got an extended run in one format at a time, constantly playing in different roles and formats. Hence, the fact that we are still talking about him after 17 years is still an achievement.
DK’s career consisted of memorable high peaks in a relatively plateau of a career. Opening in England, twin List A tons in Champions Trophy warm ups, winning an IPL Trophy with Mumbai Indians and T20I World Cup in 2007, stumpings and catches galore, and giving fans the Nidahas Trophy Final to cherish, he has made his mark.
“Even if I don’t get the opportunity to play sport at the highest level, I want to be content with the fact that I have given it everything I have had. Not only on the field, but off the field.”
The Road Less Traveled By
Robert Frost wrote in his famous poem The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
When India needed a wicketkeeper, Dinesh Karthik was a wicketkeeper. India needed an overseas opener, in came DK, the opener. When they needed a #4, he became a #4. Finally, when all the spots were filled, he became a specialist finisher.
Although he was an anomaly in the previous era, current Indian wicketkeepers might keep an eye on his career very carefully. It is likely that not all of KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, KS Bharat will get a constant run. So they should be prepared to be dropped and come back stronger, maybe with a different role.
Dinesh Karthik’s career might not have gone according to the original plan but his journey has been interesting nevertheless. He modified his approach, adapted to the circumstances, and always strived to improve his individual game.
What Can We Learn From Dinesh Karthik?
Numerous players were dropped at an early age and could never find a way to come back. Others could manage to comeback only briefly because they were pigeonholed to a single role. Karthik frequently took the road less traveled by, refined his old skills, while learning new ones at the go.
When he arrived in the international arena, he was a good player who had the potential to excel in three formats and don several roles. After years of repetitive self correction and recalibration, he has now developed his own unique niche—overs 16 to 20 as a T20 finisher, a position where he is the best. Power-hitters like Pollard, Russell, and Pandya might be better finishers in general but not many have the match awareness and can play the field as Karthik does in those end overs.
So what can we learn from Dinesh Karthik? Always be self-aware, prepare for the worst, focus on the process, wear nice shirts, be yourself, adapt to the surroundings, be ready for the opportunity, and provide energy to others around you.
I would love to finish this article with a bang, but what can I say—The finisher is not yet finished.
The Stats
Test: 26 matches, 1025 runs, 25.00 average, best of 129, 100s/50s – 1/7, 57 catches, 6 stumpings
ODI: 94 matches, 1752 runs, 30.20 average, best of 79, 50s-9, 64 catches, 7 stumpings
T20I: 32 matches, 399 runs, 33.25 average, 143.52 SR, best of 48, 14 catches, 5 stumpings
T20: 321 matches, 6221 runs, 27.40 average, 133.55 SR, best of 97*, 193 catches, 61 stumpings
IPL & Dinesh Karthik’s Career In a Nutshell
2004: ODI, Test debuts
2004-05: Tests only
2006: T20I debut, ODIs only
2007: ODI World Cup, Test opener, T20I World Cup (winner), Syed Mushtaq Ali winners (captain)
2008: 1 T20I, 3 Tests only, Delhi Daredevils
2009-2010: Mostly ODIs, some T20Is, 1 Test, Delhi Daredevils
2011: Kings XI Punjab
2012: Mumbai Indians
2013: ODIs only, Champions Trophy winner, Mumbai Indians (winners)
2014: ODIs only, Delhi Daredevils
2015: Royal Challengers Bangalore
2016: Gujarat Lions
2017: Champions Trophy, ODIs, Gujarat Lions
2018: T20Is, Nidahas Trophy, Test recall, ODI #4 battle, Kolkata Knight Riders (captain)
2019: T20Is, ODIs, ODI World Cup, dropped, Kolkata Knight Riders (captain)
2020: Kolkata Knight Riders (captain, 7 matches)
2021: Syed Mushtaq Ali winners (captain), Kolkata Knight Riders
“The lead up to the [2008 auctions], Dinesh Karthik the person was convinced the best player from Tamil Nadu, the biggest name from Tamil Nadu playing for the country…definitely CSK were going to pick me. The question was whether they were going to make me captain or not….It was the biggest dagger to my heart. It’s been 13 years and I am still waiting for that elusive call from CSK”
As acclaimed twentieth century writer Khalil Gibran once remarked, “Exaggeration is truth that has lost its temper.”
India’s improbable victory in the 4th Test sent social media into frenzy. There were claims of it being the ‘greatest Test team’ going around or the ‘best Indian Test team.’ Although there is subtle merit to these claims, I argue that this is just an over exaggeration of the ground reality.
How Good Are Team India?
There is no doubt that the Indian cricket team has flourished in the 21st century. With a thriving cricketing culture, robust recruitment setup throughout the country, monetary power in the hands of the BCCI with the advent of the IPL, and a prospering India A system, India has the greatest depth and resources available.
The rise of Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav, and Ishan Khan across formats in less than six months attests to this claim.
Overseas Victories
India came back from 0-1 to seal the Border-Gavaskar series 2-1. Stories galore and the legend of this series will carry in the minds of fans forever. Similarly, a defeat in the third Test against England did not faze India. In the 4th Test, a 99-run deficit was overcome via valiant century by Rohit Sharma and memorable contributions in both innings by Shardul Thakur.
To give you an idea how far India have come along—This is India’s 4th victory in Australia & England since December (and 8th in Australia, England, South Africa since 2018). In the decade before, India’s only moments of glory in England & Australia were Headingly 2002, Adelaide 2003, England series 2007, and Perth 2008 (coincidentally Rahul Dravid contributing with 148, 233 & 72*, captain, and 93). So this 2-1 series victory (almost) should hold well with the Indian fans, especially after the suffering endured in the 2010s.
This Indian team is good. Really good. They have the spirit to come back from any circumstance, and they just never give up. The attitude instilled by Ravi Shastri-Virat Kohli is evident in the body language of each and every player.
However, is this team the best? I do not think so.
Collapse A Day Does Not Keep The Doctor Away
Team India is brilliant at comebacks, but why is there a need of comebacks in the first place?
The 2000s Australia team set the benchmark for Test greatness. Did you ever hear them coming from dire circumstances? Well, not much because they were so dominant, a comeback was not even necessary.
The same is true for the current World Test Championship winner, the New Zealand cricket team. When they win, they win emphatically.
If India are to instill their greatness in cricketing folklore, they must replicate their home dominance away as well.
Current Batting Side Does Not Fire In Unison
KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Ajinkya Rahane are all good batters individually, but they have rarely fired in unison.
When the top order bats at its best, the middle order collapses. When Pujara-Pant come together, the rest of the batters have already gone to the pavilion. Kohli is not back at his best yet and Rahane seems to have fallen off the charts altogether.
Even in the horrendous tours of 2011 and 2014, I do not remember performances like 36/9 or 78/10, let alone two. The batting collapses occur too frequently to be regarded as a modern great. What made the Sehwag-Dravid-Sachin-Laxman-Ganguly era great was their consistent overseas batting performances without having the caliber of fast bowlers at their disposals in the nets to practice with.
Now India finally has the bowling attack to take 20 wickets consistently, but a batting line up that is not even close.
Greatest Indian Bowling Attack
The reason India is succeeding away from home can be attributed to two factors: (1) comparatively lower standard of opposition, and (2) fast bowling unit.
Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur provide regular breakthroughs while Jadeja and Ashwin can play both as wicket-taking options and chief controller depending on the conditions.
Since the South Africa tour of 2018, Indian bowlers have taken all 20 wickets by pace on numerous occasions. Injury replacements are readily available as well.
So is India Good, Bad, or Just Okay?
The bowling attack? The best in their nation’s history. Their batting? Eh. Not so hot.
India might have one of the best line ups on paper but are definitely not the best Test team going around. Or at least just not performing to their full potential yet. The flaws in India’s team performance combined with miraculous comebacks and recency bias actually amplify the degree of their quality. India are so bad sometimes that it brings out the best in the team. Still a long way to go achieve dominance.
In other words, India are so bad that they are actually good. Think about it.
With India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan in this group already set, this is a mini Asia Cup battle. In the preliminary qualification round, if Sri Lanka is ranked 2 in Group A and if Bangladesh tops Group B, we might see a potential 5/6 Asian teams!
This might not be named the Group of Death from the outside, but I think this group will be closer than it appears. Here is our team-by-team analysis—Most Balanced, Surprise Exclusions, In-Form Inclusions and Predictions!
Prediction:Rank 3rd in Group 2. In spin conditions, if their batters can put up a decent score, expect Afghanistan to surprise a few of the big teams.
Does Afghanistan Have It In Them To Win the T20 World Cup?
Another World Cup. Another captaincy change right before the World Cup for Afghanistan. Rashid Khan had received the captaincy baton from Asghar Afghan, but he has resigned on the eve on the World Cup since he was not consulted for the WC squad. Add to that the current political situation, and Afghanistan’s entry in the WC is not even guaranteed.
Iconic trio Hamid Hassan, Mohammad Shahzad, and Shapoor Zadran return after years of international hiatus. Fitness will be the key concern, but Afghanistan have a good mix of youth and experience. They are also guaranteed 5 games in the main draw.
Unlucky to Miss Out: Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur (reserves), Washington Sundar (injured), Shikhar Dhawan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill, Natarajan, Khaleel Ahmed, Manish Pandey, Sanju Samson, Dinesh Karthik. If you want the list of all 75 players which form Indian cricket team’s depth, read this.
Surprise Inclusions: R Ashwin, Varun Chakravarthy, MS Dhoni (Mentor)
Watch Out For: Trial by Spin—Rahul Chahar, R Ashwin, & Varun Chakravarthy can single handedly bamboozle most batting lineups. With Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel providing control, India might not have to chase large targets. Expect Ashwin in powerplays, Chahar-Jadeja in middle overs, and if he plays, Varun at the death.
Prediction:Rank 2nd in Group 2. Since this side has not played together, India might drop a game or two till they figure out their best XI, but should find momentum towards the latter stages of the tournament.
Does India Have It In Them To Win the T20 World Cup?
A well balanced side overall. Selectors have finally picked IPL as the standard for T20I selection and separated it from ODI players. IPL dynasty Mumbai Indians have six players in this 15.
Shikhar Dhawan was the highest scorer for India in both the ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka and has been at the top of the charts (with decent SR) in the last two IPLs, but has still not made the cut. Bold move to cut Chahal but Chahar is the in-form leg spinner.
India have punted on spinning conditions and hence, exposed their fast bowling. Too much responsibility on Bumrah? Will we see a Sharma-Kohli opening partnership? Can India finally add an ICC Trophy after a decade of semi-finals and runner-ups trophy?
New Zealand T20 World Cup Squad
Batters
Spin Bowling All-Rounders
Medium Pace All-Rounders
Wicket-Keepers
Spin Bowlers
Fast Bowlers
Kane Williamson
Mitchell Santner
Kyle Jamieson
Glenn Phillips
Todd Astle
Trent Boult
Devon Conway
Mark Chapman
Daryl Mitchell
Tim Seifert
Ish Sodhi
Lockie Ferguson
Martin Guptill
James Neesham
Tim Southee
Adam Milne
Group 1 2021 T20 World Cup Squads: New Zealand
New Zealand Probable XI
Tim Seifert (WK), 2. Martin Guptill, 3. Kane Williamson (C), 4. Devon Conway, 5. Glenn Phillips, 6. Jimmy Neesham, 7. Mitchell Santner, 8. Tim Southee, 9. Lockie Ferguson, 10. Ish Sodhi, 11. Trent Boult
Average Age: 30
Unlucky to Miss Out: Colin de Grandhomme, Will Young, Finn Allen, Tom Blundell, Henry Nicholls/Tom Latham/Ross Taylor, Doug Bracewell/Hamish Bennett/Jacob Duffy/Blair Tickner, Ajaz Patel
Surprise Inclusions: Mark Chapman, Todd Astle
Watch Out For:Lockie Ferguson & Devon Conway. Ferguson’s KKR experience in UAE might come in handy and can Conway continue his dream debut year?
Prediction:Rank 4th in Group 2. Although a great team on paper, going against 3-5 Asian sides in UAE will just not be an easy task.
Does New Zealand Have It In Them To Win the T20 World Cup?
Interesting team selection this based on condition and form. Glenn Phillips-Conway-Seifert had solidifed their positions with a rich run of form last year. This meant that Will Young and Finn Allen could not break in the squad despite great T20I performances toward the end. Great depth in New Zealand cricket means several players had to miss out.
Colin de Grandhomme is the interestesting exclusion for me. If fit, he could have been devastating but Mitchell-Neesham-Santner-Jamieson have booked their tickets with a coule of good performances earlier in the year. Adam Milne unlucky to just be in the reserves because he is been on fire in the Big Bash and The hundred since his comeback. End of T20Is for Ross Taylor.
Pakistan T20 World Cup Squad
Batters
Spin Bowling All-Rounders
Medium Pace All-Rounders
Wicket-Keepers
Spin Bowlers
Fast Bowlers
Babar Azam
Imad Wasim
Hasan Ali
Mohammad Rizwan
Haris Rauf
Sohaib Maqsood
Mohammad Hafeez
Mohammad Wasim
Azam Khan
Mohammad Hasnain
Khushdil Shah
Mohammad Nawaz
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Asif Ali
Shadab Khan
Fakhar Zaman
Usman Qadir
Shahnawaz Dahani
Group 1 2021 T20 World Cup Squads: Pakistan
Pakistan Probable XI
Babar Azam (C), 2. Mohammad Rizwan, 3. Mohammad Hafeez, 4. Sohaib Maqsood, 5. Imad Wasim, 6. Azam Khan/Khushdil Shah/Asif Ali, 7. Shadab Khan, 8. Hasan Ali, 9. Mohammad Nawaz, 10. Haris Rauf, 11. Shaheen Shah Afridi
Average Age: 27
Unlucky to Miss Out: Fakhar Zaman, Usman Qadir (Reserves), Iftikhar Ahmed, Shoaib Malik, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Haider Ali, Sharjeel Khan, Imam-ul-Haq, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Amir, Usman Khan Shinwari, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz, Misbah-ul-Haq, Waqar Younis (Coach)
Prediction:Rank 1 in Group 2. Should get through the group with ease before collapsing in the semi-finals.
Does Pakistan Have It In Them To Win the T20 World Cup?
Pakistan have opted for a young squad dropping all of Shoaib Malik, Iftikhar Ahmed, Sarfaraz, and Wahab Riaz. If the lower order of Imad Wasim-Shadab-Hasan Ali can consistently score some quick runs, Pakistan will be in good shape.
The top 4 do not have competition from others in the squad, so expect Babar-Rizwan-Hafeez-Maqsood to play with freedom. Shaheen Shah Afridi-Haris Rauf-Nawaz-Hasan Ali-Shadab-Imad-Hafeez make a potent bowling line up as well. Would have liked Zaman, Qadir, Faheem Ashraf, and one of the seniors in the 15 but overall, the squad is pretty solid nevertheless.
Abraham Lincoln famously remarked, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
England cricket is having that moment right now with the County Cricket vs The Hundred debate. From the outside, everything seems fine—2019 World Cup victory, Anderson-Broad still going strong, finally a somewhat stable opening Test partnership in Burns-Sibley, and an enviable depth.
Deep down, though, there are gaping cracks. Tradition, history, club cricket, professional contracts, indirect impact on Tests are stacked against city-based franchises, new format, media rights, and emphasis on limited overs cricket.
Today, I am not going to present an argument from an English perspective—David Hopps, Andrew Miller, and George Dobell (twice) provide well-articulated balanced views. On the other hand, I express my observations as an outsider.
Is Controversy Helping County Cricket or Hundred?
Full disclosure—I am not from England. I have no particular affinity with a specific county and do not follow much of the County Championship, Royal London One-Day Cup, or the T20 Blast (unless of course Alastair Cook is nearing another ton or Shaheen Shah Afridi takes 4 in a row). Nor did I watch a single game of the Kia Super League.
Yet the endless debates and discussion on social media against The Hundred piqued my curiosity. I have since watched almost all games of The Hundred and have enjoyed them too. While County Cricket fans are trying to fight for their side, they might have actually helped publicize the Hundred.
First impressions—the possibility that a bowler can bowl 10 consecutive balls has added an extra dimension. Rashid Khan went as far as to say it’s now possible to take three hat-tricks! Imagine the flexibility with swing bowlers and death specialists. When a Joe Root-esque part-timer keeps it tight, let him or her continue.
I also like the speed of the game. The over-rate field placement penalty and the swiftness of DRS decisions has reduced the time down to less than 3 hours.
Most importantly, the cricket has been good, and it looks like a fun family time. Affordable tickets, priceless expressions of kids, last over thrillers, Lizelle Lee-Jemimah Rodrigues specials, find of Chris Benjamin, Alex Hales-Ben Stokes drama, and Bairstow being Bairstow. All good.
There is always room for improvement, however. Graphics are all over the place, crowds are not sell-outs, and even umpire Nigel Llong had to ask the DJ to dial it down a notch.
Disparity in Score Decreases
The simultaneous matches with the Women’s Hundred is turning out to be a gamechanger. The level of women’s cricket was criticized in Women’s T20 Challenge when the Velocity were bundled for 47 although conditions were not ideal.
In the Hundred, when the women’s team only scored 113-93, the men’s teams did even worse 87/10 a few hours later in a spin dominated pitch. The average scores are 124 and 137 so far for the women’s & men’s editions respectively, and quality of cricket equally enthralling.
Can County Cricket, T20 Blast, and The Hundred Coexist—Yay or Nay?
One argument has been why not just re-market the T20 Blast instead of creating a new format?
If we all agree that County Cricket, T20 Blast, and the Hundred are to coexist, the question then becomes of scheduling.
County Championship: 18 Teams, 3 Groups, 90 matches, April-July
The Hundred: 8 teams & 34 matches for Women’s/Men’s each, July-August
Add the home Test summer, the English rain, and this is a packed schedule. The issue with the T20 Blast is that it is played over 18 teams, broken over several months, with numerous games on the same day. The momentum is stagnant, regular international talent not retained, and coverage low.
About Time England Dominate The League World
England are the current ODI World Champions and one of the favorites for the T20 World Cup. If there was ever a time to invest in a franchise league of international standard, it is now before the likes of Eoin Morgan head towards retirement.
When the IPL was launched in 2008, India still had legends like Dravid-Tendulkar-Ganguly-Laxman to build stable fanbases & drive spectators to the ground but it was the 2007 T20 World Cup victory that ensured T20 would succeed in India. Yes, it might be weird that Jonny Bairstow from Yorkshire is playing for the Welsh Fire. There maybe no natural County support for an artificial franchise league, but Dhoni & Raina are not from Chennai either (far from it!) and probably possess the largest IPL fanbase.
England was reluctant to invest in franchise cricket and suffered till the 2015 Cricket World Cup debacle as a result. The rest of the world allowed India to become a monopoly in the T20 market. One can argue that losing Buttlers-Stokes-Morgans-Archers to the IPL 2 months in the year is indirectly hurting the County Cricket. Had English cricket invested in a T20 league earlier and provided it a window so it does not clash with domestic tournaments, they would have been at a better place. Shoulda, woulda, coulda.
There is still time. Who knows, a high-quality concentrated domestic tournament can extend England’s golden era and throw up new stars.
Better players, more competition, more spectators/TV viewership, more money, higher salaries—Players, counties, leagues, everybody happy?
With 38 teams & multiple groups, Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and the IPL coexist. A separate window for the IPL ensures availability of homegrown talent as well as majority of foreign players. Ranji Trophy provides professional support, SMAT is scheduled strategically a month before the auction to showcase new talent, and the IPL, in return, provides developed players, academies, & scouting systems back to the domestic teams.
From the looks of it, ECB has almost made up its mind about the Hundred at least for a couple of seasons. So why not try to find a solution that benefits all parties involved instead of opposing it?
I will leave you with Michael Atherton’s warning on commentary today. Fans are drawn towards a new format because it is exciting and different. Administrators get greedy and keep expanding like the IPL and Big Bash. A few years later, the format becomes diluted and ‘loses its pizzazz.’
Just a short 1-month Hundred can probably survive and not hurt other formats. However, if this format is to spread to expand to more teams, other countries, or become an international format, then there will be detrimental consequences. Until then we can have some fun and adapt innovations from this experiment into the existing formats. Keep the Hundred simple, but do not forget the county game either.
Lincoln was right. Now England must choose—an internal divisive cricket Civil War or a mutual partnership?
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Lots of world cricket recently. Cricket here, cricket there, cricket everywhere.
In the last month, New Zealand defeated India to lift the inaugural World Test Championship. South Africa swept the Test series 2-0 and won the T20I series 3-2 against the world champions, West Indies, who themselves blew Australia out of the park in the T20I series.
Ireland emerged victorious in an almost-perfect ODI match against South Africa. Finally, a last-minute England’s second-string squad whitewashed a full-strength Pakistan team 3-0, and a second-string India threatens to be too strong for Sri Lanka on paper.
If you tried predicting all the series above, most likely you would have missed a few. Cricket’s landscape is changing. A vast transformation is taking place.
No single team is unbeatable, and no team can be taken lightly. Case and point— Sri Lanka. Transition phase, lackluster, downfall, where are the glory days gone?—call them anything, but they are the only Asian side to win a Test series in South Africa and that too in 2019.
In the current ODI Super League, Ireland have blown hot and cold. They have defeated current ODI World Cup holders, England and South Africa. Those were no fluke victories either—chasing 329 and putting 291 on the board is no little feat. However, the Irish drew 1-1 against UAE, lost 0-3 against Afghanistan, and surrendered important Super League points to Netherlands in a 1-2 series loss.
Let us dissect this further. This uncertainty is not a recent phenomenon either. Due to the influx of ICC tournaments (almost one every year now), there is a higher probability of multiple teams claiming a world trophy.
Gone are the days of West Indies 1980s (1975/1979 WC winners, 1983 finalist) and Australia 2000s (1996 finalists, 1999/2003/2007 WC winners, 2006/2009 Champions Trophy winners).
South Africa (till 2015) and India been right up there over the last decade without putting their stamp of domination. West Indies have dominated T20Is, England have changed ODI cricket, and New Zealand have been a constant force.
Yet since the 2013 Champions Trophy, a different winner has conquered each ICC Trophy.
2013 Champions Trophy: India
2014 T20 World Cup: Sri Lanka
2015 ODI World Cup: Australia
2016 T20 World Cup: West Indies
2017 Champions Trophy: Pakistan
2019 ODI World Cup: England
2021 World Test Championship: New Zealand
In the next decade, 5 WTC Finals, 6 T20I World Cups, 3 ODI World Cups, and 2 Champions Trophies will provide ample opportunity for new winners.
Sure, with the bench strength that England, India, or New Zealand possess, they will be contenders but not certain winners.
ICC Has Gotten Something Right
Honest confession time. I have been critical of the ICC in the past, but must give it to them. They have a made a few decent decisions recently—pushing for cricket in the Olympics, extending future World Cups to include more Associate nations (14-team ODI WC, 20-team T20I WC), and most importantly, by providing much needed structure.
The first great thing ICC did was granting T20I status to all 104 nations in 2018. It was the right step in “globalizing the game” by ensuring standardization in terms of grounds, umpiring, and code of conduct. T20I World Cups scheduled every two years will ensure vigorous qualification structure.
To provide context in Test cricket, the World Test Championship was installed. It has numerous flaws, but the fact that spectators were critical of the points table, a record number watched the finals, and predictions for the next cycles have already begun show that the ICC have succeeded at some level in contextualizing Test cricket. The fact that Virat Kohli, Tim Paine, Joe Root, and Kane Williamson have been active advocates for the WTC has made it an even better spectacle to view.
The best of these ICC innovations has to be the 13-team ODI Super League that feeds into the new ODI World Cup qualification system. Every ODI series is a 3-match affair, and every team plays 24 matches. This is already a win for the likes of Ireland, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, and the Netherlands, getting opportunities to compete against the top teams consistently. By the looks of it, Sri Lanka and even South Africa are in real danger of not making direct qualification for the next World Cup, spicing things up.
These systems are only in their infancy, and by the time the structure is robust, cricket will be at a better place.
Looking Forward to the 2020s
The 2000s was a wonderful era for cricket—a collision of generations. Sri Lanka-Pakistan-India had strong teams, England, New Zealand, & West Indies were competitive enough, while South Africa & Australia were the teams to beat. ODI cricket was at its peak, Test cricket was still prospering, and the Sehwags & Gayles provided us a glimpse into T20 future.
The 2010s saw each team going through massive transition eras. Home advantage in Test cricket killed any semblance of competition. The overkill of T20 cricket questioned cricket’s existence at the core.
Cricket has seen a turning point, especially since 2019. All formats have seen riveting action.
Carlos Brathwaite’s Remember the Namegave T20Is its unique iconic image. T20 cricket is now at its pinnacle with T20 specialists popping in every country and most nations now possessing a stable T20 league.With two consecutive T20 World Cups coming up, each T20I series is closely followed.
Brendon McCullum’s New Zealand and Eoin Morgan’s England changed the way ODI cricket was played. The 2019 World Cup final, Ben Stokes/Steve Smith’s Ashes, and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy have created a new generation of cricket fans. A sporting Test cricket pitch can go a long way. Bonners-Myers 4th innings chase, Fawad Alam’s almost match-saving knock, and the World Test Championship final all gave chills.
Changes will continue, one team will no longer dominate, and that is only a good thing. World cricket has survived its chaotic phase and has come out for the better.
A new “Ninety-90 Bash” league has been sanctioned in the UAE.
PSL finished its post-COVID leg of the tournament, and the IPL will soon have its post-COVID leg in the UAE ending just a few days before the T20 World Cup begins. The BCCI has even proposed a 10-team IPL or two IPLs in a year from next year.
Where does this stop? T10 & T20 leagues are popping left and right. Tournaments beginning, stopping, and resuming whenever they feel like. What is the result? Debatable rotation policies, career-threatening injuries, early retirements, and players choosing leagues over international cricket.
Champions League T20 (CLT20) was an intriguing experiment held between 2009-2014 that unearthed stars like Kieron Pollard. Modeled on European football, what could possibly go wrong when the best T20 teams in the world competed together?
Yet, even with such good intentions, the tournament failed—Cluttered international calendar, revenue shortfall, growing success of the IPL, and the initial failure of other leagues were prominent factors.
The strength of the IPL contract meant that if a player represented multiple teams that qualified, they would be obligated to play for their IPL team.
By 2013-14, it was evident that the Indian Premier League was miles ahead. In 2013 (MI vs RR) & 2014 (CSK vs KKR) editions, both finalists were IPL teams. In 2014, 3 out of the 4 semifinalists were IPL teams (KXIP). The domestic teams from Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka, and South Africa failed to get this far after a decent show between 2009-2012.
CLT20 catered towards the IPL, and that is why it failed.
Why is the Revival of the Champions League Needed?
Seven years later, it is time to rethink the T20 calendar. The Big Bash is now a decade old. CPL & BPL are 8 years strong. PSL is 5 years old, and even Sri Lanka, South Africa, and England have formed stable leagues.
Half a decade ago, there were just a few T20 specialists—Brendon McCullum, Brad Hodge, AB De Villiers, Yusuf Pathan, and the World Cup winning West Indies generation. Now we have T20 specialists everywhere like Babar Azam, Tom Banton, Finn Allen, Dawid Malan, Tim Seifert, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, James Vince, Alex Hales, Paul Stirling, David Wiese, Rovman Powell—talented players that do not make the XI or even squads of the IPL teams.
Last year, Trinbago Knight Riders were undefeated to their CPL title –12 consecutive wins. Imagine a TKR versus Mumbai Indians Champions League battle? Will be a cracker of the contest if it is a fair contest—Which team does Trinbago’s captain Pollard play for?
How Can The International and T20 Calendar Coexist?
Here are some possible solutions:
If the player is contracted by a national team, they should be obligated to represent their domestic T20 league in case of a conflict. Hence, Pollard would play for TKR instead of MI.
For a nationally contracted player, maximum of 3 leagues per year should be enforced. This would keep conflicts to a minimum.
Boards should accept responsibility and postpone the league till next year’s window in case the league is suspended.
This would lead to an interesting mix of international players in the leagues. Since NZ/Australia do not play much between June-October, players might choose IPL-the Hundred/CPL-BBL, while English players might choose PSL-IPL-The Hundred.
The Ideal Cricket Calendar
ICC has announced its tournament calendar for the next eight years. Each year, either a T20 WC, ODI WC, World Test Championship Final, or Champions Trophy will occur. A couple of months should be sidelined as the pinnacle of the international calendar.
Here is how the T20 calendar stands so far:
Country
Tournament
Months
Years
Bangladesh
Bangladesh Premier League (BPL)
January – February
2012-
Pakistan
Pakistan Super League (PSL)
February – March
2016-
India
Indian Premier League (IPL)
March – May
2008-
Canada
Global T20 Canada (GT20)
June – July
2018-
England
T20 Vitality Blast
July – September
2003-
England
The Hundred
July – August
2021-
West Indies
Caribbean Premier League (CPL)
August – September
2013-
Afghanistan
Shpageeza Cricket League/ Afghanistan Premier League (APL)
September – October
2013- 2018-
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
T10 League
November – December
2017 –
Sri Lanka
Lanka Premier League (LPL)
November – December
2020-
South Africa
Mzansi Super League (MSL)
November – December
2018-
New Zealand
Super Smash
December – January
2005-
Australia
Big Bash League (BBL)
December – February
2011 –
If the Champions League needs to be revived, September-October is an ideal month subject to the dates of world tournaments that year.
The debate between T20 leagues and international cricket is over. The leagues are here to stay, so why not coexist in a peaceful manner? At the moment, everything is disorganized, so why not organize it for the greater good of cricket.
Champions League History (2009-2014)
Year
Host
# of Teams (# of Nations)
Winners
Runners-Up
Teams
2009
India
12 (7)
New South Wales (AUS)
Trinidad and Tobago (WI)
New South Wales, Victorian Bushrangers (AUS) Sussex Sharks, Somerset Sabres (ENG) Deccan Chargers, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils (IND) Otago Volts (NZ) Cape Cobras, Diamond Eagles (SA) Trinidad and Tobago (WI) Wayamba (SL)
2010
South Africa
10 (6)
Chennai Super Kings (IND)
Warriors (SA)
Victorian Bushrangers, Southern Redbacks (AUS) Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore (IND) Central Districts Stags (NZ) Warriors, Highveld Lions (SA) Wayamba Elevens (SL) Guyana (WI)
2011
India
10 (5)
Mumbai Indians (IND)
Royal Challengers Bangalore (IND)
Southern Redbacks, New South Wales Blues (AUS) Somerset (England) Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians (IND) Warriors, Cape Cobras (SA) Trinidad and Tobago (WI)
