The Flying Dutchmen

The second edition of the T20 World Cup began at Lords on an overcast day. It wasnt the clouds that threatened to overshadow the opener but reports of a rift in the Indian Camp made the headlines. Even if it is true, the media should not make a big issue out of it, let the players concentrate on the field. Sometimes such reports may unsettle a team and the media has to understand this. The coach Gary Kirsten has said that the accusations have motivated the team and that is very encouraging to hear for an Indian fan.
On the field the action was just superb. Who would have imagined the Netherlands beating England in a game of Cricket at Lords? Who would have imagined that the minnows would steal the show at the World Cup opener? The Netherlands put England in after winning the toss. The English pair of Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright got off to a very good start and added 102 in 11.1 overs before Bopara was out caught in the deep. From there England never looked in the hunt for runs. They reached 162 in their complete quota of 20 overs. The Dutch seemed to have started badly when they lost the young Kervezee in the 1st over. Darron Reekers then hit two sixes and a boundary to have relieve the pressure. The first six was an absolute slog over mid wicket the second one was just a jab over square leg. These shots left me gaping at the power that the man has. He also has a very interesting technique while playing the fuller deliveries. He stands tall and just times them. One such shot went to the boundary through midwicket. The commentators said that he could take the game away if he stayed until the 10th or the 15th over but that was not the case. He was dismissed in the third over and out came the man of the match Tom De Grooth. He with the help of Peter Borren helped to take the Netherlands in a position from where they could eye a win. The last over was an absolute thriller. With 7 needed the Dutch took a single of the first 5 balls. 2 to win of the last ball and Stuart Broad tried to hit the stumps as the batsmen scampered through to tie the match. The ball then went to the man at long off and the batsmen came through for a second and the Dutch were there. There were jubilant scenes in the Dutch camp and the English were left shocked. What cost England the game was their batting after the 10th over. The middle order did not contribute after the good start given by the openers. When we have a look at England's scorecard we see scores like 5 6 11 12 and 3. Compare this to the Dutch scorecard almost all the batsmen in the middle order have reached double figures and this helped them reach the target.England missed more than 7 run outs which includes 3 in the last over. Had they effected even one, they might have just sneaked through. What this match has shown us is that T20 is anybody's game and the team that performs on the given day wins the match. All the teams must keep in mind that they cant afford to be complacent against the weaker teams. As for England, they have to beat Pakistan to stay alive in the competition. They may have to take inspiration from their traditional rivals Australia. The Aussies had lost their first game against Zimbabwe in the last World Cup but still managed to reach the semis.
Today, the tournament would see 3 matches, they are New Zealand V Scotland, Australia V. West Indies and India V. Bangladesh. If the first day of the tournament is anything to go by we are to witness a fantastic tournament.

Boom Boom T20

One day Cricket started in the early 1970's when it was believed that cricket was loosing fans. 30 years later the ECB evolved the concept of T20. Looking back at the last 6 years this concept has caught the imagination of millions of people world over. Even those who were not so keen on cricket have embraced the sport due to the slam bang entertainment and thrills provided by it.
The ICC World T20 starts tomorrow at the Mecca of Cricket ie Lords. England are up against The Netherlands. Like the first version of the tournament, this one too promises to be a spectacle. The teams that would be contesting for the T20 crown are England, Australia, West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Netherlands, Bangladesh, Ireland, Scotland, and the champions of the inaugural tournament India. There is not much too write before the tournament kicks off, so i will be back with a new post after the opener.