What next for England?

With the England-Sri Lanka series slowly meandering to an end, it feels like the time is right to see where the England team is currently at, and what personnel changes are set to be made. In this blog I’m taking a look at the openers, the Stokes v Woakes ‘situation’ and the all-important number 3 position. I’m going to reserve a separate blog (which I will post this week) about the spinner, whether it be Ali or Rashid and how England should look to fill the position going forward.

The Openers

While Cook’s spot was never under threat, as it never should be, Hales was under the spotlight coming into the series. After a number of shaky showings against South Africa, Hales’ temperament as an opener as well as his ability to take the shine off the ball was seriously questioned. Three matches later, with scores of 86, 83, 11, 18 and 94, Hales has at minimum bought himself another series or two. Hales still has a clear weakness against spin, whereby he looks to take it on as if he’s still in T20 mode. This will be something which Pakistan will undoubtedly be aware of and look to target – particularly Yasir Shah should be find his place back in the starting line-up.

Woakes for Stokes, Stokes for Woakes?

Ben Stokes is currently ruled out with a knee injury and faces a battle to be fit for the first Pakistan Test on July 14^th. This could actually pose some problems for the selectors. Chris Woakes has come into the team in place of the injured Stokes and has been a more than adequate replacement. Firstly, he has a number of good showings in the Championship this year, including a century against Notts and a 9-fer against Durham. Since coming into the team, Woakes has proved to be a very useful foil for Anderson and Broad. When they struggled to make the grade in the second Test, it was Woakes who stepped up and found the all-important spell to unsettle the Sri Lankan line-up. Woakes has also proved that he knows how to handle the bat, better than most number 8s out there. Strength in depth, in both bowling and batting is one of the things which has set England apart from Sri Lanka over the last number of weeks. Even if Ben Stokes does regain fitness in time, it would be unlikely that we would see Woakes dropped straight out of the team. Quite simply, he has earned an extended run in the squad. While he is in form, it would be foolish to change things up.

The Number 3 Spot

After a difficult series, and a difficult 2016 overall, it looks like Nick Compton has worn the England jersey for the last time. While it is never nice to see any player struggle so much, across five international games and four domestic games Compton has a top score of 45, including 8 single-digit scores.

Who will fill up the number 3 spot now? A number of options exist – James Vince may be given a chance at number 3, however his showings at number 5 have been poor, with a top score of 35 across 6 innings simply don’t cut it at international level. Bayliss has openly admitted his desire to have Joe Root bat at number 3. In theory this might be a viable solution, with those above him dropping down the order. This would also free up a spot for Jos Buttler to re-join the side and take over the gloves, with Jonny Bairstow batting at number 5 as a specialist batsmen.

The more likely option seems to be a recall for Scott Borthwick, the legspinner turned batsmen. A number of media outlets have reported that Borthwick is the hand-picked replacement for Compton. Borthwick has notched up 574 runs this season at an average of 82, with a top score of 188*. It doesn’t hurt that Borthwick has picked up 10 wickets, and would provide a possible back up for England’s frontline spinner. Pakistan would undoubtedly prove a very difficult test for any new player, but if Borthwick is thrown into the firing-line and manages to prove his worth, he may be one to fill the number 3 spot for the foreseeable future.

What do I think the solution is? A lot will depend on the pitches. Root at 3 might not be the best idea considering his value at number 4, but it is really up to the selectors to decide whether any other players make the grade. In theory, the groundsmen will and should look to produce pitches which negate spin somewhat (Pakistan’s fast bowling stocks aren’t too bad either though).

Two scenarios make sense to me:

XI: Cook, Hales, Borthwick, Root, Bairstow, Ali, Buttler, Woakes, Finn, Broad, Anderson

XI: Cook, Hales, Borthwick, Root, Bairstow, Stokes, Ali, Buttler, Woakes, Broad, Anderson

Please drop me a comment or even a tweet (and follow me) at @craigjirwin if you have any comment or just simply disagree with me!

The Time For Change: Part 2

In what is very much a follow up to my previous blog, are we experiencing a revolution in Test cricket? With the announced two-tier Test system and with day-night Tests being announced (it looks like we’ll see one in Kolkata soon enough), it looks like the ICC are finally moving into the 21^st century. In this post, I want to take a quick look at the ‘other issues’ which exist in modern Test cricket, including pitches, the toss, DRS, tour preparations and the length of Test matches.

Just to make one thing clear from the outset, do I think Test matches should be shortened to 5 days? No, simply no. The modern 5 day structure encourages results. While it does mean that teams can gradually tick along at less than 3 runs per over for more than 100 overs, is that really a problem? After-all, this is Test cricket. Sure lots of matches finish up in 4, but the last thing we want to see are more draws. This will become even more interesting with the prospect of the two-tier almost league system; teams will be motivated to push for results. The more difficult it is to draw a game, the better.

While some liberty exists in producing pitches, whether they be fast tracks that we experience in Australia (particularly the WACA) or those which produce a bit of uneven bounce and favour the swing bowlers in England, some form of pitch standardisation is needed. Across the world it will be very difficult for pitches to all be identical, but that isn’t what we want to see. While I love seeing Test matches finish up inside 4 or even 4 and a half days, this should be as a result of one team out-performing the other, and it shouldn’t be because the groundsman has simply defeated the (often) visiting team. The clearest example of this problem was seen last year when South Africa visited India and were absolutely pummelled. They weren’t defeated by the Indian team as much as they were by the groundsmen. The pitches were awful, offering up near unreadable spin from the first ball. Of course, both teams had to deal with the same problems, and while the South African’s knew that spin would play a big part in the tour, none expected each pitch to be a birthday present to Ravi Ashwin. Simple not good enough. On the flip-side, no one wants to see a flat track that provides nothing for the bowlers. Again, I love seeing big scores being posted. Jonny Bairstow’s rich vein of form has been a treat to watch lately, but he has earned though runs, rather than being gifted road pitches to play on. The onus is on the ICC to encourage some sort of balance. Teams will still have some liberty to tailor the pitches to their own liking, but not to the level that was seen last year in Nagpur. The easier way to prevent this is to impose fines, or even points deductions whereby such pitches are produced.

Probably one of the more ‘controversial ones’ – largely because we love a bit of a gamble. Cricket is a game of skill, but there is often an element of luck. The luckiest man is the one who calls the toss correctly. But what if we eliminate the toss? This is something which has been trialled in the English domestic game. Take away the toss, and let the away team decide whether they want to bat or bowl first. This is probably one of the best ways to also incentivise better 5-day pitches. If the away captain wakes up to a lovely cloudy morning, then they bowl. Sunny skies and a chance for big runs? Well bat of course. By allowing such an option, it would provide a better template for an even contest. The home team will still undoubtedly be able to read the conditions better, but the gulf between the teams would be seriously reduced. Something which has more so been proposed for the shorter format, it’s unlikely to see such a change in the near future of Test cricket. It’s certainly one which is worth a few words though.

Three words which are very unpopular with the BCCI – Decision Review System. DRS is great, but it isn’t perfect. The ICC need to invest, and invest seriously. Currently tests are being carried out in MIT to effectively shore up the currently system. Get some top class DRS technology and make it mandatory for all series. Not just that, but if DRS is going to be used, it has to be the same across every series – hotspot, snicko and ball-tracking. One thing which popped up yesterday during England’s first innings saw Jonny Bairstow being reprieved because only 49.9% (so Michael Holding tells us) of the ball was going on to hit the stumps. ESPNCricinfo reported last night that the ICC were looking to review this and reduce the burden to 25% – good, great even. Too often the game is tipped in favour of the batsman. If the ball is going to cartwheel the stumps, the batsman should be walking back to the dressing room. Kumar Sangakarra made his views pretty plainly – ‘high time the ICC got rid of this umpires call. If the ball is hitting the stumps it should be out on review regardless of umps decision.’ In reality, there around about 20 other things with DRS which could be talked about, but it’s probably best if we leave it there!

‘That’ Jonny Bairstow decision – source: http://www.ozaccess.com/sports/cricket.html

The last thing which has become clear over the last number of months is the need for better warm up matches. This was a complaint of the Sri Lankan team leading up to the on-going series against England. A possible solution would be to have two or three matches prior to the beginning of a series against an ‘A’ team. England’s current ‘A’ team or the England Lions as they are known have a very good pool of players who aren’t too far off an England call up. This would allow players who are on the fringe of the Test team to show their worth against a Test nation, while ensuring that the visiting team is given the best chance to familiarise themselves with the conditions against quality opposition. There needs to be a way to ensure that visiting teams face quality opposition and not simply a ‘second XI’ of one of the domestic teams.

While I don’t see the ICC or even the collective boards waking up tomorrow and making these wholesale changes, I do think they are discussion points which are becoming more and more important to move the international game into the 21^st century. It’s all about balance – trying to keep things fair between bat and ball, the home team and the visiting team. Hopefully this will see more and better contested cricket in the future.

Thanks for reading!

The Time For Change

The Revolution of Test Cricket?

Test Cricket is undergoing a revolution at the moment – of sorts. The future of Test cricket is constantly being talked about, as well as the changes which are needed to ‘save’ the format. In this blog I want to take a look at two areas which have received a lot of press of late – the proposed two-tier Test structure and the introduction of day-night Test cricket.

 

Two-tier Test Structure

Last week ICC Chief Executive David Richardson made a number of announcements unveiling the ICC’s plans for the next number of years. The most significant of those plans or proposals was that of a new two-tier or two-division Test structure. The plan looks to reduce the number of one-sided or near uncontested series, improving the overall standard of the cricket played while looking to increase the number of teams playing the most elite format of the game. While the ICC have previously taken steps to almost push the Associates into the dark (reducing the number of teams in the World Cup; moving the World T20 to a 4-yearly tournament), the new announcements look to reverse the trend somewhat.

A two-tier Test structure would likely see a 7-5 team split. Based on the current rankings, the top tier would consist of Australia, India, Pakistan, England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka. What stands out about this immediately is that storied rivalries and series such as the Ashes, India-Pakistan and the Trans-Tasman would continue to exist (at least they would for now). The second tier would therefore be made up of West Indies, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and two Associate nations. Issues do exist around Zimbabwe at the moment, having not even played enough matches to be ranked in the longest format of the game. Their board seem completely unwilling to promote the longer format of the game (or pay their players), driving a number of players away, including their former captain and one of their best ever players in Brendan Taylor.

Generally speaking, the two-tier system has been well received. However, with every proposed change, criticisms and problems will exist. Financially, playing second division cricket would be problematic for the likes of West Indies, who rely on series against the larger nations in order to make a profit. There are also questions as to whether players would be driven away from Test cricket if they are demoted to second division cricket. For the likes of Bangladesh and the Associate nations, I don’t think this would pose a problem at all. For Zimbabwe, well it’s near impossible to know where Zimbabwean cricket will be in 12 months’ time. The real problems lie with West Indies, who are already struggling to retain their best players in the Test arena.

More specifically, the new proposals have drawn criticism from the likes of Dwayne Bravo and Mark Wood. While Bravo believes that the short format is the only way forward, with youngster recognising the more lucrative benefits as well as the lesser time commitments. Wood’s point-of-view is a little bit different. His problem with the new proposal is that it will prevent players from facing every Test playing nation. This isn’t entirely true however, as the relegation and promotion system would ensure that the divisions don’t stay stagnant. But do we really want to see every country facing each-other? What if this just results in one-sided series like we’ve seen between Sri Lanka and England over the last two weeks? I personally don’t believe that Sri Lanka in their current state match up to the top teams (at the time of writing, they are giving England a little bit of trouble in Lord’s – of course). I’m more interested in seeing Test series between England, South Africa, Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand and India.

While I am biased of course, I’m also hugely in favour of growing the game internationally. The Associate game rarely has its chance to shine, largely relying on the major ICC tournaments to get any TV time. The Intercontinental Cup has allowed a lane-way to Test cricket for one country, but that’s all it is. A laneway. It’s narrow and dark and we really don’t know what lies at the end of it. In 2016, that simply isn’t good enough anymore. A two-tiered Test structure which includes Associates? Yes please!

 

Day-Night Tests

No matter what, no matter how good it is for the game, people will always be critical of any changes to the game. That said, any cricket follower will know that one of the more unique aspects of cricket is that it is always in a state of flux. Rules and regulations seem to change every few months, tests are carried out on DRS and equipment rules are introduced on the regular; sure even the weather can change the landscape of a game in minutes. What about day-night cricket? The shorter-format of the game relies on day-night matches. People can tune in or attend matches after work or school, meaning larger crowds at the matches and more people tuning in. Day-night cricket has now been trialled in Test cricket. Yes, the most traditional elite format of the game is experiencing some very big changes.

After the inaugural day-night Test in Adelaide, both captains praised the success of the match, while the media were very much on board. Financially the benefits are clear – more people at the matches, more eyes on the screen. Brendon McCullum stated that day-night cricket was ‘here to stay’, and the recent announcement of a day-night Test between Australia and South Africa solidifies that.  The second day-night Test match will be held in November of this year in Adelaide once again. While I’ll happily watch any match between Australia and South Africa, this is definitely one that I will be more interested in. While Cricket Australia are keen to boast the profile of the game in such a manner, will day-night cricket become the norm? In the ideal world, day-night Tests will become a part of every series, even if just for one match. Such a Test will always receive added attention and scrutiny simply because change is scary. This all makes sense. This extra attention only adds to the intrigue and excitement around the game. While neither Alastair Cook nor Steven Smith believe a day-night Test will feature in Ashes cricket any time soon, Cricket Australia are keen to make the change.

Again, with every problem, critics will pop up and proclaim that this change is the worst thing to happen in cricket since Sourav Ganguly stood topless on the Lord’s balcony – a travesty indeed. The problems associated with day-night Tests surround the quality of the ball and how well it holds up. Again, this is an on-going process. While the ball isn’t exactly the same as the traditional red ball, it still held up pretty well in the Australia – New-Zealand match. The only way to solve this is to keep looking to improve the balls, to play matches and to line them up beside red-ball tests. Changes will exists, but how significant are they? If the ball is falling apart after 30 overs it’s clearly as issue. If such changes aren’t happening until over 60-70, well the issue isn’t quite as extreme. Dare I suggest that the ball could be changed earlier? No of course not! The other significant problem related to conditions, how the ball behaves and how the conditions change as the match progresses. In some respects, this is something which is out of our hands. If we wake up to cloudy skies on day one of a Test match which sees James Anderson swing the ball around corners, there isn’t much we can do. Players will, with time, become better and better at reading the conditions. It will become more difficult to bat later in the day, naturally. That will be something for players to hone their skills to different periods in the day, and it will also see captains needing to make tactical decisions regarding declarations, which bowlers to bowl at what times and so on. So what do I say to day-night cricket? Bring it on! The more, the merrier. It’s impossible to make everything perfect, but we can slowly but surely work towards it. Cricket Australia is leading the charge, and hopefully with time they can drag the old-boys to the front of the queue.

 

The simple fact of the matter is that Test cricket needs to change to survive. Test cricket in its current state can’t compete with the faster T20 format. For fans, T20 cricket makes more sense – it’s easy to sit and commit a few hours too, it’s all over TV and doesn’t cost an arm or leg and people can tune in after work or school. For players, T20 cricket boasts lucrative opportunities that Test cricket can’t. With the exception of England, Australia and India, Test cricketers aren’t very highly paid. The clearest example of this is the demise of West Indian cricket, with players preferring domestic T20 tournaments such as the IPL, the Big Bash, BPL and even the Blast to international series.

While a two-tier system and day-night Tests won’t solve every problem, it will help to finally move the game into the 21^st century. If there are any lessons that can be learnt from the more popular T20 format – the game needs to and can grow with the inclusion of more teams. The elite-boys club of the past doesn’t really work anymore.

 

*I’ll get another blog up tomorrow about the ‘other problems’ which exist in modern Test cricket, including pitch standards, DRS, the toss, tour preparations and the length of matches.

The Golden Age of Associate Cricket?

‘How can we improve playing no cricket?’

These are the words of frustrated Scotland captain Preston Mommsen. This is probably the best way to sum up the state of Associate cricket. Every time an Associate teams plays; they’re playing for points, for contracts & for funding. The impact of the washout of the Oman v. Netherlands match saw the Netherlands eliminated from the tournament, after only 2 matches. Dutch captain Peter Borren summed up the horrible situation in 1 simple tweet – that 1 washed out match equated for 10% of Netherlands’ matches in 2016. That, right there, is the biggest problem with the modern game. Not only are the Associate teams not getting enough games against the top teams, but they aren’t even getting enough games against each other. Mommsen isn’t the first person to stand up and express their disgust at the state of Associate cricket. Anyone who tuned into the 2015 World Cup would have seen Porterfield make a similar plea to the ICC.   

Guaranteed funding for Associate teams is a must. Over the last number of years, teams such as Scotland and Netherlands have been starved of International cricket. The majority of their T20 and ODI games have come against Associates, while they’ve each only played only a handful games against full members (outside of major events). Although Afghanistan and Ireland have both fared better over the same period of time, they have still seen very little cricket against the top teams.

Despite these problems, and the almost ‘us against the world mentality’, Associate cricket has gone from strength to strength in terms of quality of cricket and results. Ireland and Afghanistan immediately spring to mind as the top teams out there, those most capable of mixing it up with the big boys of international cricket. The game isn’t just about then though. Other teams have come to the fore with recent performances. Teams such as UAE, Nepal, Hong Kong, Netherlands and Scotland.

 

What is so special about this World T20?

Associate cricket is an underdog story. If the first round of the World T20 is anything, it’s an advertisement for the inclusion of Associate teams going forward. In the opening round of matches, we have seen Oman upset Ireland; while the two full members were pushed to the limit. Scotland ultimately fell to an 11 run loss due to some very good death bowling by Tiripano and Panyangara (Zimbabwe). Heavy favourites to qualify from Group A, Bangladesh beat Netherlands by just 8 runs. This is the same Bangladesh team who comfortably beat both Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup only a week ago. Just yesterday, we saw Afghanistan hammer Zimbabwe. The two best players of the tournament so far, Mohammad Shahzad and Mohammad Nabi simply tore Afghanistan apart. It’ll be very interest to see how they go in the main draw against the likes of England and West Indies. Not only is the inclusion of Associate teams in these tournaments better for the world game, but it’s a chance for the players to chance their arm at obtaining a domestic contract in one of the global T20 tournaments such as the Caribbean Premier League, the Bangladesh Premier League and the newly founded Pakistani Super League.

The thing that separates this World T20 from other international events is that it is the last definite chance for Associate teams to perform on the big stage until 2020. With the reduction in the number of teams playing in the World Cup (ODI), it is unlikely that we will see more than one (if even) Associate team on the biggest stage. The World T20 schedule has been changed to a 4 year cycle, rather than the previous 2. In theory, this will increase the value of the tournament, similar to that of the World Cup. The problem is, the biggest damage that will be felt by the Associate teams. With the World Cup being reduced to just 10 teams, the platform for Associate teams to show their worth is already incredibly small. The ICC needs to find some alternative for the World T20 during that lieu period. Regional tournaments and tri-series might be a solution.

 

With regard to Ireland, William Porterfield, Kevin O’Brien, and Niall O’Brian are competing in their eighth major tournament in 9 years. Much has changed since 2007 when they captured the imagination of the world, beating the likes of Pakistan, Zimbabwe and England.

Although Ireland’s form hasn’t been the best over the last 12 months, there isn’t a need to be overly worried. The structure of Irish cricket has improved vastly. More contracts are being offered almost every year. The new domestic structure has been a massive success in its first year. Victories over full members have become more and more common over time. Yet, despite this, the future of Irish cricket is always in jeopardy. Not because Cricket Ireland aren’t investing enough; nor are Ireland’s stocks getting smaller. The exact opposite actually. The squad depth is better than it’s ever been. But, the ICC is still closing the door on Ireland. Even bigger than that; the ICC are closing the door on a whole group of Associate teams.

What is devastating is that exciting young players such as Andy McBrine, Andy Balbirnie, Stuart Thompson and Craig Young will not be given the same opportunities as the likes of Porterfield and the O’Brien brothers. Even George Dockrell and Paul Stirling who have been around for a number of years are slowly being shut out from the game. The consistency with which Ireland and the other associates upset the test teams makes the ICC’s future plans absolutely mind boggling. Cricket is never going to get a bigger profile in any of the associate nations by confining them to play among themselves. The short-sightedness with which the ICC attempt to protect the test nations from embarrassing losses against smaller nations is going to lead to a serious decline in interest worldwide. The alienation of the associates also leads to complacency on the part of the Test nations. The current problems we see today in West Indian cricket may be solved much quicker if there was a risk that they could lose their status due to poor performances during periods of player strikes. Similarly Zimbabwe are just getting back to playing regular cricket again now and although I love to see them play well against the bigger teams, it is hard to feel like they are not being favourably treated by the ICC. They have nothing that Ireland and Afghanistan do not have except that they have been a test team for a long time. I believe we are currently at a stage where the leading associates are as good if not better than Zimbabwe. The ICC fear what will happen if the associates are consistently beating their ‘elite’ counterparts and have so come to the only solution….prevent them getting any better.

 

The other team which stands alongside Ireland, with an even more heroic rise to the top is that of Afghanistan. Like Ireland in 2007, Afghanistan have almost come out of no where. They have a team packed with experienced players, some who have some invaluable experience in Pakistani cricket. One thing I will say is that I would be very surprised if Afghanistan don’t pick up a win in the Super 10s.

While Ireland and Afghanistan are undoubtedly the leading Associate outfits at the moment – there are a number of other teams who are knocking on the door. Teams such as Netherlands, Oman, UAE, Hong Kong and Scotland are more than capable of performing on the biggest stage. Only yesterday Scotland recorded their first win in a major ICC organised tournament. Netherlands have been around for a long time, much longer than both Ireland and Afghanistan. Their international history has ebbed and flowed over the last number of years, but they certainly have a lot of classy players littered throughout their squad. Anyone who tuned in today would have seen the Dutch cut through the Irish batting line up with ease. Is this because Ireland have taken a step backwards? I really don’t think so. I think it’s the other Associate teams who have started taking massive strides forward. These teams are slowly but surely getting more experienced players & better squad depth. These teams also need county teams and other domestic teams and franchises to take a chance on their players.

Oman have just broken on to the scene, and have already proven their worth by beating Ireland in their first match of the World T20. It’ll be interesting to see how then go against Bangladesh later today! The team with an almost meteoric rise over the last number of months are the UAE. After winning the Asia Cup qualifier, UAE won the chance to play against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh & India. Already the UAE went without a win in the tournament, they created a lot of problems for Pakistan, who managed to hold on only thanks to a fantastic innings from Umar Akmal. The challenge is to ensure that these teams don’t merely fade away into the shadows, similar to the faith that the likes of Canada and Kenya have suffered.

Can the ICC really afford to shut out the Associates? I want to see the likes of Mohammad Shahzad, Mohamamad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Kyle Coetzer, Preston Mommsen, Stephan Myburgh, all the Irish players I’ve mentioned above, mix it up with the big boys.

 

The Solution?

It’s easy to talk about the problems and everything that’s going wrong – the difficult thing is finding a solution to these problems.

At the moment, the ODI world rankings place both Ireland and Afghanistan above of Zimbabwe. Only 12 teams are ranked. What about Netherlands and Scotland? Teams such as Oman, UAE, Hong Kong, PNG and Nepal are in early days of their development. They have made their impact, but they need to stick around a little bit longer to show that they’re here to stay. The only way to go is guaranteed fixtures. If the ICC can hold some sort of Associate tournament, with the reward of guaranteed fixtures against the likes of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, it can only prove beneficial for all stakeholders. One possible, somewhat tricky idea is to create two divisions of cricket. Similar to that which has been suggested for Test cricket going-forward. The difficult side of the coin is that boards may object to this. After-all, money talks. The benefit? Teams are guaranteed fixtures. There is no more playing for ranking, rather teams are playing for their promotion to the upper tier. This would allow the top teams to keep on their toes and to avoid complacency.

Re-open the World Cup to 12 or even 14 teams. What about the World T20? Why did Bangladesh and Zimbabwe even have to qualify for the tournament, if they’re already full members. It would make a lot more sense to have all 10 full members qualify for the tournament immediately, while the remaining Associate teams battle it out for an extra 2 or even 4 places. The T20 game is designed to be short and snappy. Teams can comfortably play 5 games in 10 days without any problem. If anything, this would only add even more value to the tournament and increase the intrigue.

Set a standard number of ODIs and T20s for Associate members to play per year. Geographically, it makes sense for Ireland to host teams which travel to England for summer tours. This summer Ireland will benefit with fixtures against both Sri Lanka and Pakistan. But what about a tournament, maybe the ‘European Cup’? Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland & England. The problem is, the ECB don’t see the financial rewards, so interest immediately drops.

 

If anyone wants to check out Preston Mommsen’s comments on Associate cricket, I’d recommend you check it out! Check the link below: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/video_audio/980827.html

 

And here’s Peter Borren as well!

http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc-world-twenty20-2016/content/story/981269.html

 

 

 

Ones to Watch – The Bowlers

With the World T20 nearly upon us, I want to take a look at a few of the young guns who are set to take the world by storm. For some, they are well-established names in international cricket at this stage. However, due to their recent climb up the cricketing ranks, there might be a lot of people who haven’t actually seen them in action yet.

All I can say is that in a few weeks’ time, you’ll know their names, and they aren’t going away any time soon.

 

Kagiso Rabada

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 4 months, you’ve heard of Kagiso Rabada, The Gazelle of Doom.

There is no doubt about it – Kagiso Rabada is the most exciting prospect in international cricket at the moment. His rise to the top has been more remarkable than anyone could have predicted.

Unfortunately for the visiting England (last month), they were on the receiving end of KG at his very best. Ultimately, he finished both the Test series and the ODI series as top wicket-taker, despite missing the first Test. Although he only took 2 wickets in the 2^nd T20I, it was the manner in which he took them that would have got international batsmen worried. Both times he got the ball to nip back in and skittle the leg-stump. That opening over to Jason Roy was a treat to watch. KG continued to deliver unplayable ball, after unplayable ball. He managed to beat Roy’s edge twice in the first over before hitting that killer ball.

Anyone who saw him line out against Australia will have seen much of the same. His consistency has been key to South Africa taking wickets at the top of the order. Regardless of the situation, he seems completely unnerved. Any bowler who can bowl two at the top and two at the end of an innings is going to be a huge asset.

If he and Dale Steyn can both fire, South Africa have a very, very good chance of bringing home the gold.

 

What makes him so good? He’s aggressive. He doesn’t just try bowl line and length and try bore a batsman out of the game. KG wants to take wickets one way – bowled. And boy, there is no better sight!

What to expect? He will take wickets. No doubt about it. Expect to see a lot of stumps flying.

 

 

Jasprit Bumrah

IPL fans will have known about Jasprit Bumrah for a long time. However, only in the last three months has he gotten the chance to showcase his talent on the international stage. In that time, Bumrah has stood head and shoulders above his Indian counterparts.

Despite playing just 11 T20I games to date, he’s probably one of the first names on the team sheet at this stage. In his 11 games to date, he’s gone wicket-less just once. Funnily enough, this is the only time that he’s batted as well, such is the quality of the Indian higher and middle order.

Unlike KG, he doesn’t possess lighting pace, but he can get the ball to nip off the surface. Sometimes, this can be even harder to read as the batsman is forced to try generate the pace himself.

Anyone who caught some of the India v. Pakistan game will have seen Bumrah throw down 18 balls, 16 of which were dots. With an economy of just 6.30, he could very quickly become India’s most important bowler in the World T20. If someone has told you a few months ago that a pacer could be more important than the likes of Ashwin in a home tournament, you’d have called them insane.

Importantly for India, aside his IPL counterparts, a lot of India’s opponents won’t have faced Bumrah before.

 

What makes him so good? He offers a lot of variety. His ability to dry up the runs means that he can operate as both an attacking and a defensive bowler. He can also bowl at the death, something which India haven’t always been the best at.

What to expect? Consistent line & length, a low economy and a lot of Yorkers.

 

 

Mustafizur Rahman

Anyone who follows cricket, even casually will have heard of Mustafizur Rahman, the most exciting prospect in Bangladesh at the moment. In the shorter format, Mustafizur announced himself to the world with a spectacular 5 wicket-haul against India. In his second match? 6 more wickets. His form has coincided with some of Bangladesh’s most historic series victories as well. Bangladesh’s victims include South Africa and India – two tournament favourites.

He has been incredibly effective in drying up runs – which has undoubtedly contributed to wickets for his fellow bowlers. On pitches which have been known to offer a lot for the batsman, having a bowler who can dry up one end can be hugely important. Mustafizur’s pace could also be very problematic for batsmen. He has an incredibly dangerous slower ball, not too dissimilar from James Faulkner.

He’s currently sitting out of the Asia Cup with a side strain; however it is expected that he will recover in time for the World T20. If he isn’t at full fitness, Bangladesh’s chances will suffer a massive hit.

 

What makes him so good? He bowls a nagging line and length – that can be incredibly difficult to read. Bowlers very often find themselves caught between playing and leaving.

What to expect? Lots of nicks, a lot of edges. Indian pitches will reward bowlers who can get the ball to move out of the hand. The men behind the stumps will need to be on their game.

Martin Crowe – One of the Best

The Gentleman Cricketer.

The news of Martin Crowe’s passing overnight came as a shock to the whole cricketing world. Tributes began to pour in and memories of the New Zealand legend were shared around social media. The untimely passing reminded me a lot of that of Jonah Lomu last November. In the space of 5 months, New Zealand have lost their two greatest sportsmen.

Arguably the most telling tribute to Crowe was that of Wasim Akram, describing him as ‘the BEST I ever bowled against’. That coming from a man who has bowled to many of the cricketing greats over the last number of decades, including the like of Botham, Tendulkar and Lara. Another Pakistani legend, Inzaman-ul-Haq, considered Crowe as one of the three best batsmen he had ever seen; alongside the illustrative company of Viv Richards and Ricky Ponting. Crowe was well loved by his peers, and will be fondly remember by all those who were lucky enough to see him play (and those who still have Youtube footage to look back on).

Born into a cricketing family, Martin Crowe would rise above all expectations and become the greatest cricketer that New Zealand have ever produced. I am too young to have ever seen him play live; I have however watched highlights of dozens of matches, both Tests and ODIs. I have also followed his work after retiring as a player, become a renowned broadcaster and commentator.

Despite the hugely impressive numbers he has posted, the best ever, Martin Crowe represents much more. With a bat in hand – Crowe was a natural stroke-maker. He didn’t rely on any trick shots, his game wasn’t unorthodox, but it was special. Crowe’s impact to the game of cricket goes much further than what he accomplished with a bat in hand. As captain of the New Zealand cricket team, Crowe employed innovative and unorthodox techniques. Not too dissimilar from the tactics employed by Brendon McCullum during his tenure as NZ captain. McCullum himself has been credited with revitalising and reinventing the shorter format of the game, particularly noted during New Zealand’s impressive 2015 World Cup campaign.

 

T20:

Something which I’ve previously written about – T20 cricket is the reason I first started following the great game.  T20 cricket was possible because of pioneers like Martin Crowe. Crowe conjured up a (now defunct) format of the game called Cricket Max. A number of international games were played between 1997 and 2003, before the format was effectively replaced with Twenty20 cricket. Without Crowe’s desire to go out on a limb and try something different, the most lucrative and, now most popular format of the game might never have existed. For the cricket traditionalist, that might have suited them. To me, Twenty20 cricket is something special. It’s a chance for families or friends to get together for a few hours and watch a game of cricket through. Without Crowe, that may not have been possible.  Without Crowe, cricket might have stayed in the shadows.

How many people can say that they personally invented their own format of the game? Pretty special alright.

 

The Records:

A great sportsman is often defined by the records he breaks; or even the records he sets. For Martin Crowe, the records speak a thousand words. In 1995, forced to retire by injury – Crowe had amassed the most Test runs for New Zealand, posted the highest individual score, the most Test 50s and the most Test centuries. To this day, Crowe is still, fittingly, the New Zealander with the most Test centuries. With 17 Test centuries, Crowe sits 4 centuries clear of both Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor. In years to come, I would be surprised to if KW isn’t sitting up there with Crowe himself. Crowe also held the record for the highest score (299 vs. Sri Lanka) by a New Zealander for more than 23 years, before being overtaken by Brendon McCullum in early 2014. Crowe was given the most prestigious award possible in 1985 – aged just 23 years – Wisden cricketer of the year. Again, Crowe sits with highly regarded company.

Crowe eventually succumbed to his persistent injuries; forced to retire at just 33 years of age. Despite finishing his career early, Crowe had amassed more than 10,000 runs in international cricket. In Test cricket, he sits behind only the recently retired Brendon McCullum and Stephen Fleming. That said; Crowe had played substantially less games than both.

 

 

 

Crowe’s last outing on a cricket pitch, saw him inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. The very last game of international cricket that he attended was the World Cup final, where New Zealand ultimately fell at the final hurdle. However; this was by no means a failure. The previously unfancied New Zealand had taken the world by the scruff of the neck with their brand of cricket. Crowe himself described the match as the ‘personal cricketing highlight of his life’.

One of the most insightful cricket articles I have ever read was actually written by Crowe and I recommend that any cricket fan have a read of it (follow the link below): http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/693959.html

 

While we mourn the death of a cricketing great, we thank him for everything he has done for the game, for the entertainment and for providing the template on which world cricket has grown.

 

‘’When folks ask me what the meaning of success is, I reply that it’s accepting who you are.’’

 

RIP Legend.

**Credit New Zealand Cricket (picture above)

Ireland – Taking the World by Storm

The World T20 is fast approaching. In just two weeks time, Ireland will set out their campaign to reach the main draw of the tournament. Before that, they face the tricky Qualifier stage. In this blog I just want to take a look at Ireland’s squad, how I’d like to see them line-up and the teams that stand in their way.

 

Form

Ireland’s form leading up to the World T20 is a little bit indifferent. Following a huge victory over Papua New Guinea in the Inter Continental Cup, Ireland stuttered through to a 2-1 T20I series victory, followed by a drawn series versus the UAE. That said, the pitches in Townsville were a little unpredictable, while UAE are a team on the up at the moment. Ireland did also use the two series as a means of testing out a number of different combinations as a means of identifying their best team.

Personally, I think this will only serve as an even bigger incentive for the lads. The older players in the squad will recognise that this may be the last ICC world tournament that they are involved in. The reduction of the size of the World Cup effectively removes Ireland from featuring in the 2019 edition, while the ICC have announced that the World T20 will be played every 4 years rather than every 2, after this edition. Players such as Tim Murtagh and Niall O’Brien will be looking to leave their mark.

Outside of the Irish camp, the World T20 2016 provides the perfect platform for the Associate countries to make a statement to the ICC.

The Squad

Ireland’s biggest asset is their experience. Despite their Associate status, the squad boasts 5 players who are featuring in their fifth tournament. William Porterfield is also the second longest standing captain in the tournament. Ireland also have the benefit of fielding a number of players with county cricket experience.

As I mentioned above, the T20 series’ against PNG and UAE served as a chance for the selectors to get a look at a number of players and make their final plans for the tournament qualifiers.

My XI: Porterfield, Stirling, Balbirnie, K O’Brien, N O’Brien, Wilson, McBrine, Sorensen, Murtagh, Dockrell, Rankin

Expected XI: Porterfield, Stirling, Balbirnie, K O’Brien, N O’Brien, Wilson, Thompson, Sorensen, Murtagh, Dockrell, Rankin

Depending on how the surface plays, McBrine may miss out for either Stuart Poyntner or Stuart Thompson. A lot will depend on how the pitches are prepared and if there is real spin on option.

 

Ireland’s Key Men

George Dockrell

There isn’t much to say about George Dockrell that hasn’t been said. Dockrell has a very good record in India, managing to pick up a number of key wickets in the 2011 World Cup. Since breaking into the Irish team aged just 17, Dockrell has been one of the best bowlers in the Associate game. Despite being aged just 23 years old, he is featuring in his 3^rd World T20 tournament. If the pitches offer any spin, Dockrell will pose a potent threat for any bowler. The real test will be against the Bangladeshi batmen, who have the most experience against spin.

Paul Stirling

If any man in the Irish team can lead Ireland to a big score it’s Paul Stirling. Sometimes criticised for trying to go too big too often, Stirling is exactly what Ireland need at the top of the order. If you look across the international game, so many teams have an ‘accumulator / big-hitter’ opening combo. Stirling’s bowling could also prove crucial for Ireland. If Ireland favour a 5 bowler strategy, there may be a need for Stirling to throw down a few overs. Even if he doesn’t pick up wickets, his economic bowling could be a much asset.

Boyd Rankin

The most dangerous bowler in Associate cricket. Rankin is exactly what Irish cricket has been missing for the last number of years, a genuine fast bowler. Ireland are blessed to have him back in the team. His bowling will trouble even the best batsmen. Ireland will need something special to knock over Bangladesh, Rankin might just be that something special. In the two T20I’s he’s featured in since returning to Irish cricket, Rankin has picked up impressive figures of 3/17 and 2/16.

Kevin O’Brien

William Porterfield may be the captain of the Irish team, but Kevin O’Brien is most definitely one of the leaders. A man who always leaves everything on the pitch, KOB epitomises Irish cricket. If KOB can repeat his heroics of the 2011 World Cup just once in the Qualifiers, Ireland will reach the main draw. Despite having a high score of just 42 in T20Is, his batting is the perfect middle order foil. His bowling can’t be underestimated either, as he showed by clawing the UAE back just last week. He doesn’t smash the ball into the pitch, but he can certainly help dry up the runs and frustrate a batsman.

 

The Draw

Unfortunately, Ireland have yet again been drawn in the more difficult qualifier group. That said, in previous ICC events, particularly the 2011 World Cup, Ireland proved that they weren’t set to be the group whipping boys. Ireland have however struggled somewhat in the shortest format of the game on the biggest stage. Their most memorable performances (Pakistan, England, West Indies, Zimbabwe) have all come in ODI matches.

Ireland have been drawn against the stronger of the two full-members, Bangladesh; Netherlands and Oman. All matches are bound to be crackers. Ireland have however been separated from the strongest (other) Associate team, Afghanistan.

The Location

All of Group A’s Qualifier Matches are set to be played in Himachal Pradesh Cricket Stadium in Dharamsala, the most Northerly stadium being used in the tournament. For anyone who has followed the IPL, Kings Punjab XI have played a number of games in the stadium. What stands out most is that the stadium is almost 1,500m above sea-level.

What does this mean? When you hit the ball, it stays hit!

The ground is a bit of a mystery, with just 8 IPL matches, a handful of ODI matches, only one single T20I game having been played in the stadium. Any match that I’ve watched in the stadium has favoured the batsmen. Some huge scores have been notched up in the ground. The only T20I (India vs. South Africa featured a whopping 399 runs). Pace off the ball could be a huge factor in preventing the batsmen from getting the ball away.

 

March 9^th vs. Oman

Oman are making their debut in the tournament. Oman have had a Nepalese like rise in Associate cricket. Despite being newcomers to the sport (debut in 2002), they have beaten both Afghanistan and the Netherlands on their way to the World T20 Qualifier. Their team is packed with spinning options.

Irish fans would have kept one eye on the Asia Cup Qualifier, with a hope of finding a few weaknesses in the Oman team. They performed admirably in two of their three matches, beating Hong Kong by 5 runs in a tense encounter, before losing to Afghanistan by 3 wickets. In their final match, Oman went down by 71 runs to the much fancied UAE side, who ultimately topped the group and qualified for the full tournament as a result.

Key batsman

The two openers are the best batsmen in the team. Zeeshan Maqsood finished the Asia Cup Qualifier with the 2^nd most runs, despite the team struggling overall. Pressure has been heaped on Maqsood with Jatinder Singh struggling of late. If Ireland can knock him over cheaply, Ireland should steamroll to a big victory.

Key bowler

This is the tricky bit. Oman don’t really have a single bowler who has stood head and shoulders above the other. They have a crop of spinners, who will prove effective if the pitches offer up anything. They’re best looking bowler however is a medium-pacer. Mehran Khan has twice picked up a 3 wicket-haul against Afghanistan, not a bad feat at all. I really feel like this is an attack that Ireland should look to target.

 

March 11^th vs. Bangladesh

Undoubtedly the hardest match in the whole Qualifier round. Afghanistan will have been very relieved to have avoided the Tigers. Looking at their form in the shorter formats over the last 12 months and you’d put them right up there with the big dogs in the tournament. What doesn’t exactly make good reading for any Irish fans is that Bangladesh have won their last 5 ODI series, including victories over Zimbabwe, South Africa, India and Pakistan. They seem to have the perfect balance, with Shakib in the middle order and Mortaza more than capable with the bat down the order. Unlike the Associate teams, knocking over the top order won’t be the breaking of the team.

As they’re currently playing in the Asia Cup, so I won’t want to write too much about them until I see how that tournament pans out.

Key batsman

There are a few to choose from, but it has to be Shakib Al Hasan. Luckily for Ireland, Shakib is struggling for form. In his last 10 T20 innings (for both Bangladesh & Karachi Kings), he has only scored one half century and has been dismissed for 20 of less 9 times.

Key bowler

Mustafizur Rahman has taken the world by storm. Mustafizur announced himself to the world with a 5 wicket-haul against India, which he followed up with an even better 6 wicker-haul. In ODIs he has 26 wickets across just 9 games, and 10 wickets across 8 T20Is. He bowls a consistent length, which will test even the best batsman.

 

March 13^th vs. Netherlands

Another World T20 Qualifier. Another final match against the Netherlands. The Netherlands are Ireland’s longest standing rival in Associate cricket. Memories of than game in Sylhet will stay with Irish cricket fans for a long, long time. Ireland had a chance to avenge that defeat in the Qualifiers last July, however they struggled to do so. The Netherlands are in a bit of a lull in international cricket, but they always seem to bring their best against the Irish.

The squad includes a number of established players in the International circuit. The loss of Ryan ten Doeschate, arguably the most gifted player to have featured for the Oranje, a few years back definitely hurt. Despite this losses, their squad is still mightily impressive. With players such as Borren, Bukhari, Tom, Cooper, Ben Cooper, Roelof van der Merwe, Michael Rippon and Stephan Myburgh, Ireland will need to be on the top of their game. Their batting is undoubtedly their strength.

Key batsman

When I first published this blog, I chose Stephan Myburgh as the man to watch, despite his indifferent form of late. Irish fans will remember his 63 off just 23 balls for a long, long time. However, this morning (25th February), it was announced that Tom Cooper had rejoined the Netherlands squad for the tournament, having previously ruled himself out of international cricket in order to focus on obtaining more lucrative domestic contracts. Like Myburgh, his form isn’t the best of late.

Key bowler

No competition, Roelof van der Merwe. Van der Merwe has an unbelievable about of experience. Having qualified for Netherlands in 2015, van der Merwe has also played for South Africa, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils and Brisbane Heat. His experience in Indian conditions could be a huge factor.

 

Verdict

What will it take for Ireland to qualify for the main draw? The least Ireland can hope for are two convincing wins and a narrow loss to Bangladesh, in the hope that either Oman or Netherlands can provide an upset against the Tigers. Irish fans will remember that Ireland were unfortunately eliminated from the 2015 World Cup on run-rate.

Oman – big win.

Bangladesh – it’ll take a massive performance, a slice of luck, but our lads are more than capable of pulling off an upset.

Netherlands – a much tighter game than the Oman match, a win which goes down to the wire.

World T20 Preview

 

 

With the World T20 quickly approaching, I thought it best to fire up a preview of the tournament and how I feel like each team are lining up. I just want to have a quick look at their respective squads; their strengths; weaknesses and how I expect them to fare.

I’ve only taken a look at the 8 Full Members who are already qualified for the main stage of the tournament; I’ll get a preview of the Qualifiers up ASAP.

 

India (23/10)

Unsurprisingly India are outright favourites for the home tournament; the odds have even shortened despite the recent loss to Sri Lanka in the first game of the 3 match series. That said, India’s record in the shorter format (particularly at home) is phenomenal. It doesn’t hurt that they often keep their best for tournaments such as these.

The cricket cynics will hate to hear it, but the winning of this tournament may well rely on who has IPL experience and who doesn’t. The Indian team is packed full of players who have tasted a lot of success in the domestic competition over the last number of years. The batting line-up is probably the strongest in the tournament; the bowling is a little suspect. Bumrah is in a great vein of form and will need to continue to perform if India are to have a chance of winning the competition.

Squad: MS Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Harbhajan Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Pawan Negi, Ashish Nehra, Hardik Pandya.

Best XI: Dhawan, Rahane, Kohli, Raina, Dhoni, Pandya, Jadeja, Ashwin, Shami, Bumrah, Nehra

 

Verdict?

The batting line-up is one that no bowler would look forward to facing (Dhawan, Rahane, Kholi, Sharma, Raina, Dhoni).

The team has a lot of depth in terms of spin bowling; however they look to be a fast bowler light. Would Bhuvi have been a better inclusion? If their seamers struggle, India won’t stand a chance.

A lot of people see them as invincible at home, but at such a short price, I wouldn’t back ’em.

 

Australia (5/1)

It’s not a huge surprise that the bookies have Australia as the second favourites, especially considering their success in the shorter format over the last number of years. On the face of it, Australia appear to have the perfect balance of experience and youth in their squad, with power hitters littered throughout the team. Another huge positive for Australia is their ability to field both Watson and Marsh, which can lengthen the batting order and take pressure off the bowlers.

All-rounders are the order of the day. Faulkner is a very handy player to have down at 8 (he should arguably be higher) and is considered one of the best bowlers in the short format. Indian pitches will favour spin bowlers, and seamers who can execute the slow ball.

Peter Nevill is a very strange inclusion. With no international one-day experience, it’s hard to decipher why he was given the nod over Matthew Wade.

 

Squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Aaron Finch, John Hastings, Josh Hazlewood, James Faulkner, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Nevill, Andrew Tye, Shane Watson, Adam Zampa.

Best XI: Warner, Finch, Watson, Smith, Marsh, Maxwell, Nevill, Faulkner, Zampa, Hastings, Hazlewood

 

Verdict?

Lot of power hitters – if Australia get off to a good start, they’re near impossible to catch (particularly Warner and Watson). Their batting is definitely their strongest suit.

Spin bowlers are questionable with little or no experience in India. Would Lyons have been a better option?

 

West Indies (6/1)

Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.

For anyone who has been following the news lately, or even over the last number of years; West Indian cricket is in disarray. The WICB is an incredibly poorly run organisation. The suspension of Phil Simmons in September 2015 showed how poorly aligned the system is. Fast-forward 5 months and they’re at it again. The board is currently in a stand-off with the players over their contracts (which on the face of it, are farcical).

If everything does get sorted out, they’ll be able to field a full strength team. If they don’t; it looks like a fully new squad will have to be sent to India.

 

If they stick with their squad?

It’s hard to know what to make of the West Indies. On 1 hand, they’re the number 2 ranked team (were number 1 up until yesterday). That said, places 2-6 are only separated by 3 points (or rating). The West Indies squad is the second most experienced in Indian conditions (only after India themselves). Chris Gayle has arguably been the best batsmen to feature in the IPL, ever.

Other players such as Darren Sammy, Samuel Badree, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons and Sunil Narine all have had successful careers in India. Andre Russell is in the form of his life; Narine is unplayable in Indian conditions and Badree has been one of the most under-rated players in domestic T20 cricket over the last number of years.

 

If they don’t?

It’s hard to know who’ll make up squad, but they won’t get out of their group.

 

Squad: Darren Sammy, Samuel Badree, Sulieman Benn, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Jerome Taylor

Best XI: Gayle, Simmons, Ramdin, Dwayne Bravo, Russell, Holder, Badree, Narine, Taylor

 

Verdict?

With a full strength team, the West Indies are worth a punt. It’s just impossible to predict how this whole contract situation will sort itself out / explode even further.

Player’s won’t be in the mindset regardless.

 

South Africa (6/1)

Placed in Group 1, the easier of the two groups, South Africa have a very good chance to reach the semi-finals at least.

The three biggest issues for South Africa are;

• 1) Have South Africa finally have an all-rounder who can bowl a number of tight overs (Morris)
• 2) Will Dale Steyn be fit? Or will be break down again?
• 3) Will this be the tournament that they can overcome the pressures of the semi-finals?

I would have preferred to see Eddie Leie in the squad than Phangiso. This was probably Leie’s best chance to make his mark on international cricket.

JP Duminy’s form leading up to the tournament isn’t the best, however he is very experienced in India. Similarly, one look at his stats and it’s easy to see why he should be in the team. Is capable of throwing down a few overs as well to take the pressure of the front-line bowlers.

 

Squad: Faf du Plessis, Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Chris Morris, Aaron Phangiso, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn, David Wiese.

Best XI: De Kock, Amla, du Plessis, AB, Miller, Duminy, Morris, Steyn, Rabada, Tahir, Abbott.

Verdict?

Looks like a much more balanced team with Morris.

A lot will rest on Tahir’s ability to bowl economically and chip in with a number of wickets.

If Steyn goes down, their bowling looks a very light.

 

England (13/2)

At 13/2, England are a very useful outside bet. This England team is not the same as the one that struggled in the 2015 World Cup. Since the failed World Cup campaign, England have adopted a much more attacking approach, to great effect. Jason Roy and Alex Hales at the top of the order finally provide England with openers who can give it a whack. A lack of experience in India for a lot of these players may prove crucial.

The inclusion of Liam Dawson was pretty surprising; especially considering that Bayliss said that he’s never seen him play. What is more surprising is that England already have two spinners in their squad, both who are very capable with both bat and ball. Was there a need for another spinner?

The inclusion of Finn is dependent on his fitness; if he doesn’t come through, will it be Woakes or Broad to get the nod? For me it has to be Woakes! I was surprised that he wasn’t in the squad in the first place; but then again very few expected to see Liam Dawson get the nod. Woakes didn’t have a great Test series against South Africa, but his T20 stats speak for them-self; batting average in excess of 28 and a bowling average under 27. Not bad stats for an all-rounder by any means.

Anything less than a semi-final will be a failure.

 

Squad: Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey

Best XI: Hales, Roy, Root, Morgan, Buttler, Stokes, Ali, Rashid, Jordan, Willey, Finn

 

Verdict?

We might just see an Irishman lift the trophy on 3rd April.

The only problem I see on the face of it is the lack of experience in Indian conditions.

The above XI provides batting down to 10, 4 pacers and 2 spinners; a lot more than many teams have to offer. James Vince is knocking on the door if any of the batsmen struggle.

The squad has a number of good batsmen (Billings & Vince) in reserve, with Topley ready to step up should one of the seamers struggle.

Worth a flutter for sure!

 

New Zealand (8/1)

Why Brendan McCullum has chosen to retire before the World T20 is beyond me. The man is the master of the shorter format, with vast amounts of experience (and success) in Indian conditions. Were he playing, I would put New Zealand as near favourites for the tournament.

How New Zealand adapt will be interesting; but I don’t see them taking their foot off the peddle. Indian pitches encourage batsmen to come down the field and take it to bowlers. Of all the full-members, New Zealand are one of the best teams at this. It doesn’t hurt that (despite the retirement of McCullum), they’re still fielding a squad packed with experienced players.

 

Squad: Kane Williamson, Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Adam Milne, Mitchell McClenaghan, Colin Munro, Nathan McCullum, Henry Nicholls, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.

Best XI*: Guptill, Williamson, Taylor, Nicholls, Elliot, Anderson, Ronchi, Santner / McCullum, Southee, Boult, McClenaghan

*probably the hardest XI to pick

 

Verdict?

Williamson, Taylor, Anderson, Southee and Boult are all very experienced in India. Whether New Zealand know their best XI may be one of their biggest problems.

A lot will rest on Santner / McCullum and Anderson to bowl some tight overs.

 

Sri Lanka (11/1)

On Tuesday, an understrength Sri Lankan side convincingly beat India, on home soil. Sri Lanka were without a number of the usual starters (Dilshan, Matthews and Malinga).

Admittedly Sri Lanka are always a strange one to watch, but they are defending champions and won’t give up their crown easily.

Another important factor sees Sri Lanka placed in the weaker of the two groups, so a semi-final must be the absolute least for them.

 

Squad: **not yet announced – will update at a later date**

Best XI: **will update when the squad is announced**

 

Verdict?

11/1 is worth a punt. They’re defending champions; ranked number 1 in the format (at the time of writing). It doesn’t hurt that Sri Lankan conditions are too dissimilar to those in India.

A lot will also depend on which Lasith Malinga shows up – on his day he’s the best T20 bowler in the world. Over the last 9 months he’s struggled somewhat for form however. That said, India is where he has produced some of his best spells of bowling.

 

Pakistan (11/1)

Of all the teams in international cricket, Pakistan are the hardest to read. On their day, Pakistan are capable of beating any team.

Rather surprisingly, Pakistan don’t have a single full-time spinner in their squad. A lot will rest on the likes of Afridi, Malik, Nawaz and Wasim to up their game. The loss of Yasir Shah is a massive blow to the team.

Something which I wrote about recently was the return of Amir, and how he will perform going forward. Although he hasn’t quite lit up the world yet, I don’t doubt that he’s slowly but surely working his way back to his best.

 

Squad: Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz, Khurram Manzoor, Rumman Raees

Best XI: Sarfraz, Hafeez, Malik, Afridi, Umar Akmal, Nawaz, Imad Wasim, Wahab, Anwar Ali, Amir, Irfan

 

Verdict?

This may well be Afridi’s swansong in international cricket, or at least in a major international tournament. It’s the perfect stage for him to go Boom Boom one last time.

Irfan, Wahab and Amir are all are good bowlers; however each can tend to be a little enigmatic at times.

A lot of things will have to come together for Pakistan to win the competition.

 

India’s Young Guns: Iyer, Sarafraz & Samson

I will however have a quick look at the three of my favourite emerging Indian players, who I expect big things of in 2016. I’d be very surprised if these three guys don’t make their stamp on the IPL this year, knowing that there is a real chance for them to break into the Indian national team over the next 12-18 months.

As I mentioned in my last post, Test cricket is the holy grail of the international sport. A lot of traditionalists look towards the T20 leagues (such as the IPL and Big Bash) with a lot of displeasure. Regardless of your preference, all forms of cricket are cricket. Just like different types of music; some like it, some loathe it. It doesn’t mean that it’s bad or wrong, it’s just not for you.

Arguably the greatest success of the IPL is the foundation it provides for young and uncapped players to make a name for themselves and perform under pressure. It doesn’t hurt that they get to face up against the best bowlers in the world while earning a tidy wage.

Without trying to sound too cliché, I have a bit of a love affair with the IPL. The IPL is the reason I first got hooked on cricket. The pace of the game is second to none, with a lot of whacky advertising and moments thrown into the mix. The IPL is also one of the few places that you can see a 44 year old throw the ball down to a 17 year old. Add in Danny Morrison on commentary and you’ve got yourself some first class entertainment!

Three guys who I’m expecting big thing from are Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan and Sanju Samson – each are more than capable of breaking into the Indian set up over the next 12-18 months.

 

Shreyas Iyer – Delhi Daredevils

If 2015 was the breakout year for anyone, it was Shreyas Iyer.

Scoring 439 runs at an average of 34 is a seriously good return for any player, yet alone a 21 year old featuring in his first IPL tournament. For those who follow domestic cricket in India it’s easy to see why he was rewarded by Delhi with an IPL contract. Iyer finished the 2014/15 Ranji Trophy 7^th on the top run scorer list; with 809 runs @50.56.

Fast-forward one year and Iyer has gone from strength to strength. By the time the Ranji Trophy 2015/16 rolled around, Iyer was becoming a household name. However, few would have expected him to reach the heights he did, which included a remarkable 930 runs at an average of 72! Top run scorer in the whole country, not bad at all.

No matter what format you look at, Iyer appears to be a very complete batsmen. The Indian selectors would be insane to keep this guy away from, international cricket. I don’t care what format it is; first class, list A and T20 his figures are seriously impressive The way in which he has dealt with the pressure of the IPL clearly shows that he has the pedigree to perform on the big stage.

 

Sarfaraz Khan – Royal Challengers Bangalore

While Shreyas Iyer reminds me of Ajinkya Rahane (an accumulator who goes bang every now and again), Sarafraz Khan is more of a stand and deliver batsman. Aged just 17 at the start of IPL 2015, Khan didn’t wait around to show the older guys what he’s capable of.

At the moment, Khan is smashing every bowler who dares take him on in the U19 World Cup in Bangladesh. Scores of 74, 74, 21* and 76 aren’t too bad. Considering the current make-up of the RCB team, Khan’s role will be to provide quick runs down the order. Is he capable of smashing a few quick fire 20s and 30s down the order? You bet he is!

I would be very surprised if the Indian selectors didn’t get Khan into the T20 squad over the next 18 months, despite his lack of experience. If India don’t perform at the upcoming T20 World Cup, a few senior players may seem themselves pushed out of the squad going forward. Unlike some countries, India have never strayed away from rewarding young players who impress in the IPL. Maybe even more important than that is the success of Khan for the U19s.

 

Sanju Samson – Delhi Daredevils

Despite being just 21 years old, Samson has already featured in three IPL campaigns. One might look at his IPL averages (20, 26 & 26) and question whether he really has it. The simple fact is that Samson has much more talent than he has even shown us so far. It doesn’t hurt that he’s very solid behind the stumps, a position which India aren’t too sure about in Test cricket. Saha hasn’t quite cut it for me. The selectors will and should stick with him for the foreseeable future in order to give him a chance, but I just don’t see him making the grade. In the one day format, Dhoni is the man, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt India to give Samson some international exposure as Dhoni’s future replacement.

The big benefit of Samson’s game is that he is very adaptable; when he needs to stabilise an innings he is more than capable. Similarly, the 30 6’s and 60 4’s he has scored across 3 editions of the IPL shows that he doesn’t struggle to find the boundary when he needs too. I’m hopeful that his move to Delhi will provide him with the chance to improve his figures that little bit more.

 

Notable others: Deepak Hooda & Hardik Pandya

 

I’ll get an IPL 2016 preview up as soon as I can!

Ireland’s biggest Test

Since 2012, Cricket Ireland have expressed 1 ultimate goal: to play Test cricket. For any Associate country (non-Test playing nation with Associate status), this is the holy grail of cricket. To the most hard-core or traditional cricket fans, Test cricket is the only form of cricket. I’m not quite as traditional and see the value in both ODI and T20 cricket (particularly the growth it has inspired in countries such as Nepal and Afghanistan). After years of campaigning, as well as making its mark on the international game, Ireland are finally presented with a chance to play the most sacred form of the game.

Their passage? In January 2014 the ICC (in a rare moment of inspiration) announced that the winner of the 2015-2017 ICC Intercontinental Cup will be rewarded with a four match five-day (can we call them Tests?!) series against the lowest ranked Test nation, currently Zimbabwe. The series will be made up of two home matches and two away matches, meaning it’s highly likely that we’ll see some five-day cricket in, presumably Malahide and Stormont in 2018.

 

Ireland in the World Cup:

Ireland have played in three World Cups to date (2007, 2011, 2015), however there is a very strong chance that they won’t feature in another, at least for the foreseeable future. In each of their World Cup campaigns, Ireland have performed better and better, and beaten a full member. In 2007, Ireland managed to tie their first game with Zimbabwe and more remarkably, beat Pakistan in their second. Ireland managed bowl out a Pakistan line up which included a number of Pakistan’s best ODI batsmen (Hafeez, Younis Khan, Inzaman-ul-Haq, Shaoid Malik and Mohammah Yousuf). It’s difficult to put this into context, but it was undoubtedly one of the biggest upsets in the recent history of Irish sport. For a lot of the Irish public, this was also the first taste of cricket. Ireland ultimately managed to reach the Super 8 stage, where they did not fare as well. One win against Bangladesh was by no means a disgrace.

By the time the 2011 World Cup rolled around, there was a lot more interest, and a lot of dodgy haircuts in Irish cricket. The 2011 World Cup for every Irish fan will be remembered for one simple reason – Ireland pulled off the biggest heist in World Cup history. Simple as. After being battered by a strong English line-up for 327 runs, few people would have expected Ireland to even reach 300, and record a respectable loss. Kevin O’Brien had other plans and led Ireland to victory with the fastest World Cup century, a record which still stands. The win over the old enemy was particularly enjoyable because, well you know! Ireland finished the campaign with another high-scoring win over the Netherlands, although they failed to progress.

 

Fast-forward to 2015, Ireland’s best performance in the World Cup to date, which included a hugely impressive win over the West Indies, a narrow escape against the UAE and a somewhat lucky win over Zimbabwe (did he touch the rope, didn’t he?). What was important is that the investment in Irish cricket was providing tangible returns. Ireland were playing better and better, competing better and better and wins over full members were becoming less impressive. Why? Well we expect them nowadays.

2019? Well, hopefully the ICC get their act together by 2023. The ICC should took towards to World Rugby (the governing body for rugby union) as to how to correctly expand an international sport. While the ICC continues to restrict expansion, the WR have taken every measure to increase funding to smaller nations and try to grow the game globally. Such ventures include the addition of Rugby Sevens to the Summer Olympics 2016 as well as the rewarding of the 2019 World Cup to Japan (largely seen as a developing team in the world of rugby). The 2019 World Cup will consist of 20 teams, while there are plans to increase the number of teams to 24 or even 32 teams by 2023. In stark contrast to this, the ICC have been seen to reverse the number of teams competing in so-called ‘world events’. In 2011, 14 teams contested the World Cup. In 2015, the same number of teams competed, albeit in a different tournament structure. The 2019 edition however will only feature 10 teams, effectively removing the chance for any associate team to qualify.

 

Achieving Test status:

Cricket Ireland set a ‘Vision to 2020’ list of goals, which included gaining Test status by 2020; increasing the numbers of participants in the game to 50,000; to reach 8th in the world ODI rankings by 2015; to establish a domestic first-class structure and to reinforce cricket as the 4th-most major sport in Ireland. Over the last 3 and a half years, Ireland have achieved or begun to achieve a number of these goals. Unfortunately it is very difficult for an associate nation to climb through the ODI rankings as their fixture list is limited (in 2016 Ireland are scheduled to only play 6 ODI games).

Without trying to take to many swings at the so called ‘Big 3’, there is a need for these countries to support Ireland’s push for Test status. A number of people have expressed particular displeasure with the ECB, who would geographically be Ireland’s closest ally. While it is not the job of other cricketing boards to lobby on Ireland’s behalf, it is their job as members of the ICC to help grow the game internationally.

Back to the Intercontinental Cup. At present, Ireland stand top of the table with 60 points, the maximum number of points after three games. Ireland have more impressively recorded an innings victory in all but one of their matches so far, which also included a convincing victory against Papau New Guinea (they’ve managed to take 60 wickets across the 3 matches, while only batting four times themselves). Although the remaining fixtures include some of the more experienced and better fancied teams (Netherlands, Scotland and Afghanistan),I am of no doubt that Ireland can comfortable win all the remaining four matches and advance to the all important Test challenge against, well, Zimbabwe!

 

More Irish cricketers are playing county cricket at the moment than any other associate nations. Ed Joyce has been the standout player in the tournament so far, racking up 2 double centuries already; once again proving why he has been a stalwart of both Irish cricket and English domestic cricket for more than a decade. He may be retired from the shorter format from the game, but while there is chance for Ireland to obtain Test status, he won’t be going anywhere!

Ireland also have their own domestic first-class tournament which again, provides the players with a better basis to acquaint themselves with the longer format of the game. If anything, I would be very surprised if Ireland didn’t go on to record 4 straight wins from here on out.

A final point: Zimbabwe without Brendan Taylor? Let’s have ‘em.