The countdown to men’s ICC T20 world Cup 2022 in Australia has begun. It commences on October 16 and ends on November 13.
The final will be held in MCG – Melbourne Cricket Ground- on November 13. Australia is the defending champions and will have the home advantage.
Matches will be played at Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
A total of 16 teams will be playing including Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Namibia, Scotland, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Ireland, UAE, Netherlands, and Zimbabwe.
Among these 16, the top eight will qualify for super 12. The other eight team will be playing in group stage to get a spot in super 12.
The captain of the New Zealand Cricket team, Kane Williamson, on Monday said that he hopes Pakistan cricket team will keep no grudges against New Zealand.
Addressing a press conference in Sharjah, he said that Pakistan and New Zealand enjoy good relations and that the upcoming T20 World Cup match between two teams “will be played in right spirits”.
Kane Williamson’s comments came in response to the question asked if he expects any acrimony or grudges following the last-minute pullout of the New Zealand cricket team from their Pakistan tour.
Replying to the question, the NZ skipper said that the situation was very disappointing. “I know the team members were very much looking forward to the occasion and playing cricket in Pakistan, and it was ‘a real shame’ that it wasn’t able to go ahead,” he said on the eve of the match.
“The focus now is here at the T20 World Cup and no doubt after last night’s performance, Pakistan have some momentum and are feeling pretty good about their cricket,” he said.
“But there are also a lot of good relations within the two teams. Over the years, they have played a lot against each other, and several players have played with each other, as well. I am sure it will be played in the right spirit,” Williamson said.
Williamson praised the spectacular performance of Pakistan against India. “It was a fantastic performance. I think Pakistan has come to the T20 World Cup full of confidence, having played in these conditions more than most.”
“They certainly put it on the show last night and showed why they are one of the favorites in the competition,” he said shedding light on Pakistan’s performance against India.
“Tomorrow, I am sure they’ll be very strong again, so, for us, it is focusing on the cricket that we want to play and trying to adjust to conditions,” he added.
Pakistan is set to play New Zealand in their second match of Super 12s today (Tuesday).
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly decided to take a tough stance against the New Zealand Cricket Team (NZC) at the International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting, according to Geo News’ sources.
The board has decided to contact influential players and commentators from around the world and seek their support in this matter.
The ICC board meeting will be held during the upcoming T20 World Cup. The World Cup is scheduled to be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman from October 17 to November 14.
Prior to this Prime Minister, Imran Khan spoke personally to the Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and informed her that Pakistan has one of the best intelligence systems in the world and that no security threat of any kind exists for the visiting team, PCB has confirmed.
Earlier, Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja had said that New Zealand will hear Pakistan at the ICC meeting. Terming the abrupt decision as a “crazy day”, the chairman added that he felt sorry for fans and the players.
Last week, PCB, in its press release, revealed that New Zealand Cricket authorities unilaterally called off the ODI and T20 series without taking them into confidence and had not shared any details about the threats with the board or Pakistan’s security agencies.
Earlier, it was reported that the T20 WC 2021 is set to begin from October 17 in the UAE, with the final for the 16-team tournament scheduled for November 14. The tournament will start days after the Indian Premier League (IPL) final, which is likely to be held on October 15.
As per details, the venue for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 has been shifted to the UAE and Oman, with the tournament set to run from October 17 to November 14.
The tournament was originally set to be staged in India, but had to be shifted given the deadly second wave of Covid-19 there.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will remain the hosts of the event, which will now be held across four venues – Dubai International Stadium, the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Sharjah Stadium, and the Oman Cricket Academy Ground.
The first round of the tournament, comprising eight qualifying teams, will now be split between Oman and the UAE. Four of these teams will then progress to the Super 12s round where they will join the eight automatic qualifiers.
“The BCCI is looking forward to hosting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 tournament in UAE and Oman,” said Saurav Ganguli in the official statement.
The upcoming edition will be the first Men’s T20 World Cup played since 2016, when the West Indies beat England in the final in India.
The eight teams competing in the preliminary stage are Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman and Papua New Guinea, before the play-off stage and the Final on November 14.
Irish and British cricketer Eoin Morgan, who steered the England cricket team to victory in the 2019 World Cup on Sunday, has said that “Allah was with them”.
After a sensational win against New Zealand in the World Cup final held at Lord’s, Dublin-born Morgan was asked whether England team enjoyed the famed luck of the Irish.
“I spoke to Adil (England leg-spinner Adil Rashid), he said Allah was definitely with us,” he said in response.
“It actually summarises our team. Quite diverse backgrounds and cultures and guys grow up in different countries and to actually find humour in the situation we were in at times was pretty cool,” Morgan added.
Earlier, England lifted their maiden World Cup. Both the Englishmen and Kiwis scored 241 runs which led to a first-ever Super Over in the World Cup final.
Both teams scored 15 runs each, however, England was declared the winner based on boundary count in the match.
New Zealand’s defeat against England has put a heavy dent to Pakistan’s chances of qualifying for the 2019 World Cup semi-finals, but some fans are still hopeful to see Green Shirts end up among the top four teams.
Pakistan will get through if any of the following scenarios take place in their match against Bangladesh today.
FIRST SCENARIO:
If Pakistan win the toss and opt to bat first; they will have to score 400 runs and dismiss Bangladesh for just 84 runs.
SECONDSCENARIO:
The Green Shirts can also qualify by putting 350 runs on the scoreboard and dismissing all Bangladeshi batsmen for just 38 runs; however, if Bangladesh bat first, we stand no chance of qualifying.
These two scenarios would guarantee that Pakistan overtake New Zealand on net run-rate (NRR) as both teams are still running for the final spot in the semi-finals race.
New Zealand’s defeat to England has ended their campaign at 11 points on the World Cup points table. Pakistan is currently on nine points.
Teams receive two points for a win and one point for a tie or no-result washout.
If two sides are level on points at the end of the group stage, the one that has won more games goes through. Since they remain level, the side with the superior NRR — which in this case is New Zealand — advances.
Soon after England somewhat crushed Pakistan’s dreams of reaching the semi-finals, after the former defeated New Zealand by 119 runs, the International Cricket Council (ICC) trolled the Green Shirts over “another 1992 similarity”.
Taking to Twitter, ICC aimed a cheeky dig towards Pakistan cricket fans, who had been quite vocal on social media platforms regarding the startling similarities between the 1992 World Cup triumph and the ongoing 2019 tournament.
This is the first time England have qualified for the World Cup semi-finals since ’92
— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) July 3, 2019
“This is the first time England have qualified for the World Cup semi-finals since ’92. The similarities continue,” the tweet read.
Similar to the Pakistan cricket team’s run in the group stages of the 1992 World Cup, the Green Shirts have registered the exact same record of four victories, three losses and one washout in their 2019 campaign thus far.
However, England’s crushing victory over New Zealand on Wednesday means that Pakistan stand virtually knocked out of the tournament, unlike their fairy tale run in 1992 when Imran Khan lifted the World Cup in Melbourne.
Incidentally, England’s victory also ensures their first semi-final qualification since 1992.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved India’s request to replace injured batsman Vijay Shankar with Mayank Agarwal, who is set to fly out of India and join the rest of the squad in England.
Earlier in the tournament, Shankar was drafted in to replace Shikhar Dhawan, who sustained a thumb fracture during his match-winning century against Australia. He, however, failed to impress the team management — scoring just 58 runs in three matches.
Agarwal’s impressive domestic form, as well as his excellent record batting alongside KL Rahul, offers India a renewed hope after a campaign marred by constant injuries to their star players.
He has amassed a total of 3,964 runs in first-class cricket and has consecutive test match fifties to his name against Australia. Agarwal’s form while batting for Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is also admirable.
The Bangalore born batsman has scored 332 runs in 13 games, with a formidable strike rate of 141.88. At a time when India’s batting has struggled to pile up runs in the initial overs, Agarwal’s inclusion in the line-up could accelerate the run rate and lay the foundation for a big total.
However, for their match against Bangladesh, India have opted to start Dinesh Karthik instead of the newly-arrived Agarwal. A win for India would seal their spot in the top four, while a Bangladesh victory keeps the Tigers’ hopes alive for progressing to the semifinals.
The world is coming down, the flags are up and the
similarities between the 1992 and 2019 cricket world cups are uncanny.
Back in the 1992 edition, Pakistan were hanging loosely off
the edge, having their World Cup journey on the verge of conclusion before
striking back; which is something that can be witnessed in 2019 as well.
Good thing for Pakistan? The Imran Khan-led 1992 squad
lifted the coveted trophy 27 years ago.
While not just fans and critics, but even the International
Cricket Council (ICC), observe the eerie similarities between the two
tournaments, here’s a list of players from our current squad and their counterparts
from the ’92 cup.
Mohammad Amir and Wasim Akram
Like Akram in 1992, Amir is carrying Pakistan’s bowling
attack forward in 2019.
BabarAzam andJaved Miandad
Like Miandad, Babar has stepped up to perform brilliantly and
rack up runs for his side.
Shaheen Afridi and Aaqib Javed
Like Aaqib was a second fiddle to Wasim, Shaheen is undoubtedly
that to Mohammad Amir.
Haris Sohail and Inzamamul Haq
Inzamam played some brilliant innings in ’92; quite similar
to Haris’s against South Africa and New Zealand.
Shadab Khan and Mushtaq Ahmed
Mushtaq had a huge impact 27 years ago, while Shadab has one
for Pakistan in 2019.
Hassan Ali and Iqbal Sikandar
Hassan is rather non-existent in the World Cup so far; and just
like Sikandar, not many people might even remember if he even played or not.
Shoaib Malik and Saleem Malik
Saleem was horribly out of form in 1992 and did nothing for
his side; Shoaib hasn’t done anything so far either.
Imad Wasim and Ijaz Ahmed
Just like Ijaz, Imad is an “all-rounder” who is playing in the team for the sake of his label. Does knowing a little bit about both batting and bowling really make you an all-rounder? (Ijaz quit bowling in the later days of his career)
Imamul HaqandRamiz Raja
The thing both Imam and Ramiz have in common is the strike
rate. Imam in 2019 bats at the same strike rate as Ramiz did in 1992.
Sarfaraz Ahmed and Moin Khan
Both Sarfaraz and Moin, other than being wicketkeeper-batsmen, have a role crucial for the entire team. In Shoaib Akhtar’s words, “Moin didn’t, while Sarfaraz doesn’t perform up to the mark”.
Imran Khan
Last, but undoubtedly not the least is Imran Khan – the dashing skipper who steered his ‘Cornered Tigers’ to victory in the 1992 World Cup. In all honesty, Khan has no match on the cricket field; however, he still is the captain.
Head coach of the national cricket team, Mickey Arthur, has said Pakistan’s defeat against arch-rivals India was so painful that it left him “wanting to commit suicide”, Khaleej Times reported.
“Last Sunday I wanted to commit suicide. But it was, you know, only one performance,” he was quoted as saying.
Pakistan faced a humiliating 89-run defeat against India in Manchester on June 16, a result which sparked a furious backlash as the country’s hopes of reaching the World Cup semi-finals were put in grave danger.
“It happens so quick. You lose a game; you lose another game; it’s a World Cup; media scrutiny; public expectation and then you almost go into sort of survival mode. We’ve all been there,” Arthur said.
While the head coach’s emotional comment may have been exaggerated to show how passionate he is about his job, some believed it was in bad taste considering former coach Bob Woolmer’s sudden death after Pakistan suffered a bruising defeat against Ireland during the 2007 World Cup.
Pakistan lifted Arthur’s spirits with an impressive 49-run win against South Africa at Lord’s on Sunday. They now need to win their remaining three matches and improve their inferior net run-rate to have a chance of advancing to the semi-finals.
Pakistan play New Zealand in Birmingham on Wednesday.
