Monday, November 22, 2021

Kevin Pietersen's Team of the T20 World Cup 2021


Posted by Q at Monday, November 22, 2021 Pitched (2)
Kevin Pietersen, the Betway Ambassador has selected his World XI comprising the best performers from the T20 World Cup 2021, that recently concluded in the UAE.

The Openers

MOHAMMAD RIZWAN, 281 Runs at an average of 70.25, with 3 fifties
Rizwan was the third highest run scorer in the T20 World Cup and had the second best average among all batsmen. He was a consistent run scorer at the top of Pakistan's line up and did brilliantly through the group stages and in the Semi Final, where he battled illness to score 67 against Australia.

JOS BUTTLER, 269 runs at an average of 89.66, with 1 century and 1 fifty
Buttler as the 4th highest run scorer of the T20 World Cup and had the best average among all batsmen. He was the only batsman to score a hundred in the tournament, when he lit up Sharjah, with a magnificent unbeaten knock of 101 off 67 deliveries, against Sri Lanka.

The Middle Order

BABAR AZAM, 303 runs at an average of 60.60, with 4 fifties
Babar was the leading run scorer of the T20 World Cup and showed the world why he is best and number 1 ranked T20 batsman in the world. He scored fifties in 4 out of his 6 innings, and was a model of consistency for Pakistan at the top of the order.

CHARITH ASALANKA, 231 runs at an average of 46.20 and a strike rate if 147.13, with 2 fifties
More than the number of runs scored, it was the way he scored them that caught the eye of everyone at the T20 World Cup. He was one of the finds of the tournament and has a very bright future for Sri Lanka. He was the 5th highest run scorer at the tournament, and only Buttler had a higher strike rate than him among all batsmen who scored at least 175 runs.

AIDEN MARKRAM, 162 runs at an average of 54.00, with 2 fifties
Markram played a solid role for South Africa in the middle order and was the mainstay of their batting. He bowled some useful overs as well, at times with the new ball.


The Allrounders

MOEEN ALI, 92 runs at an average of 46.00 and strike rate of 131.42; 7 wickets at an average of 11.00 and economy of 5.50
Moeen Ali impressed with the bat when he was sent higher up the order, and was brilliant with the ball for England. He remains an important member of England's white ball teams.

WANINDU HASARANGA, 119 runs at a strike rate of 148.75; 16 wickets at an average of 9.75 and economy of 5.20
Hasaranga was the leading wicket taker of the tournament, and showed immense potential with the bat too. His wickets included a hatrick and he was THE find of the T20 World Cup. He is a future superstar in the making.

The Bowlers

ADAM ZAMPA, 13 wickets at an average of 12.07 and economy of 5.81
Zampa was the second highest wicket taker of the T20 World Cup; and the highest if you consider only the Super 12s stage. His wicket taking ability in the middle overs, coupled with keeping the run flow in check, was one of the key reasons why Australia won the tournament.

TRENT BOULT, 13 wickets at an average of 13.30 and economy of 6.25
Boult was the leading wicket taker among pacers in the T20 World Cup and proved his worth to New Zealand with a string of timely and important wickets in every match.

ANRICH NORTJE, 9 wickets at an average of 11.55 and economy of 5.37
The only pacers to take more wickets than him were Hazlewood and Boult. Nortje impressed with his pace and his economy was better than all pacers in the T20 World Cup, barring Bumrah.

SHAHEEN AFRIDI, 7 wickets at an average of 24.14 and economy of 7.04
Shaheen single handedly derailed India's campaign and set the tone for Pakistan's with two of the best deliveries of the T20 World Cup. No one swung the new ball like he did in the entire tournament.

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Monday, November 15, 2021

Babar Azam - The Real Player of the T20 World Cup 2021


Posted by Q at Monday, November 15, 2021 Pitched (3)
Yes I know that David Warner played crucial knocks in the Semi Final and the Final of the T20 World Cup, leading Australia to a first time T20 title.

But so did Shahid Afridi in 2009. 

Do you know who was the Player of the Tournament in 2009? 

Tilakaratne Dilshan.

Because he was the leading run scorer of the tournament.

Sri Lanka did not win the T20 World Cup in 2009; Pakistan did.

Similarly, in 2007, India won the T20 World Cup, but the Player of the Tournament was Shahid Afridi. He was the second highest wicket taker and scored his runs at a strike rate of 200!

In 2010, England won the T20 World Cup, and Kevin Pietersen was Player of the Tournament. He was the second highest run scorer and had a better average than the highest run scorer.

In 2012, West Indies won the T20 World Cup, but the Player of the Tournament was Shane Watson. Australia did not even play the Final! But Watson was the leading run scorer of the tournament. Please note that Watson scored 6 more runs than Jayawardene and 19 more runs than Samuels - two batsmen who played in the final.

In 2014 and 2016, Sri Lanka and the West Indies won the T20 World Cup respectively; however Virat Kohli was the Player of the Tournament both times. In 2014, Kohli played the final and was the leading run scorer; however in 2016, Kohli did not play the final and he was the second highest run scorer; however he had the best average.

Then why did Babar Azam not get the Player of the Tournament award in 2021?

Babar was the leading run scorer of the T20 World Cup 2021; he had the most number of fifty plus scores among all batsmen; and he had a better average than David Warner - 12 runs better than Warner's!


Babar was the best performing captain in the T20 World Cup, both in terms of runs scored, as well as, matches won. He was by far the finest captain on show.

For me, Babar Azam was the Player of the Tournament of the T20 World Cup 2021.

Don't really care what the ICC says.

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Saturday, November 13, 2021

The Beginning of something special for Pakistan Cricket


Posted by Q at Saturday, November 13, 2021 No Comments
It is not the morning after, two days have passed, and it still doesn't feel right that Pakistan's T20 World Cup campaign is over.

This World Cup seemed like it was ours, and that is why it hurts even more.

One could have been angry had the team played badly, had the batting collapsed, had Pakistan just not turned up. But they did, and they did everything right for the most part. The match seemed to be in the bag; till some brilliance from the other side that just took it away, leaving us in shock and disbelief.

While the disappointment remains, the past two days have allowed us to heal and reflect. There are plenty of positives, both for the team and its future, as well as, the fans of Pakistan Cricket.


THE TEAM
Pakistan played this T20 World Cup like champions and were the only team that remained unbeaten in the group stages. Overall, they played 6 matches and won 5 of them - the same number as the two finalists; unfortunately the game we lost was the Semi Final.

The team looked united, played very spirited cricket, and were at the top of their game. This is surely not the end, but the beginning of something very special from this set of truly exceptional cricketers.

The cricket these boys played reminded me of the 90s. The difference; however is that this time the sum seems to be greater than the parts.

I have no doubt in my mind that this lot of players, under the leadership of Babar Azam, have a very bright future, and there is an ICC trophy waiting for them just around the corner. 

THE PLAYERS

SHAHEEN AFRIDI single handedly ended India's campaign in two deliveries. India never really recovered from those two bolts. His deliveries to Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and then Aaron Finch were by far the best balls delivered in this T20 World Cup. As this team's pace spearhead, he will win Pakistan many more matches in the future.

ASIF ALI & HARIS RAUF were the two most criticized players of the squad. Their lack of performance leading up to the T20 World Cup was a worry for everyone. Credit must be given to the captain and the management team who kept their faith in them. Both Asif and Haris completely repaid this faith with some exceptional performances.

Asif could not have chosen a better time to display his firepower, which we have all seen in the PSL, than at the grandest stage of T20 cricket. He will finish many more games for Pakistan in the future, like he did against New Zealand and Afghanistan.

Haris bowled some fiery spells against India and New Zealand, and he maintained his strong form throughout the tournament. 

Similarly, FAKHAR ZAMAN and HASAN ALI, also had their fair share of critics. Both continued to fail in the group stages but Babar Azam maintained his faith in their abilities.

Fakhar was not even part of the initial squad of 15 that was announced and was included later at the insistence of Babar. Throughout the group stages, Babar kept saying that Fakhar is a big match player and he will deliver. He truly did by tearing apart Australia's pace spearhead in the semi final!

Hasan, however, failed to perform as per expectations, but one can't blame anyone for persisting with him considering his performance over the past 12 months. All sportsmen go through tough times, and Hasan will surely bounce back!

All those who believe that T20 is a young man's format need to rethink their stance. The experience brought by the presence of MOHAMMAD HAFEEZ and SHOAIB  MALIK was invaluable. Hafeez was superb in the field and with the ball when required. His positive intent with the bat was a reminder to everyone of how this game must be played.

Malik's calm presence in the middle against New Zealand helped finish the game and his ruthless attack on Scotland got him the record of the fastest 50 in T20Is for Pakistan.

I don't know what they have decided for the future, but with the next T20 World Cup just a year away, maybe they will still be around.

SHADAB KHAN was not in the best of forms leading up to the T20 World Cup, but he is a proven match winner and he showed all of us why Babar had so much faith in him. He was fabulous with the ball in all the matches, picking up wickets regularly, and keeping the runs in check as well. With Shadab back at his best, Pakistan truly has the best bowling line up in T20Is.

IMAD WASIM is invaluable for Pakistan with the new ball. He was one of the most economical bowlers in the entire T20 World Cup with an economy rate of 5.7. He completes Pakistan's all round bowling attack, which has more variety than any other bowling line up in T20 cricket.

MOHAMMAD RIZWAN is the Superman of Pakistan cricket, a true man of steel. I am still quite shaken by the fact that Rizwan spent 30 odd hours in the ICU before being declared fit on the day of the semi final. What a champion!

Since his transformation into Pakistan's T20 opener, he has been simply sublime. During the T20 World Cup he became the first batsman to score 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year.


He also surpassed Chris Gayle's tally of 1,665 runs in all T20 cricket in a calendar year, and now has 1,743 runs in 2021. With still some T20Is left for Pakistan this year, Rizwan will take his lead at the top even further, and will likely remain there for a long time.

BABAR AZAM has been the best batsman in white ball cricket for some time now. In this tournament, he also grew in stature as a captain. The way he marshaled his troops, the way he united the team, the way he ensured everyone remains united even after defeat, are all traits of a great leader. He has a bright future ahead as captain and I for sure think that this team under him will reach even greater heights.

Babar ended his T20 World Cup campaign as the leading run scorer of the tournament.


Babar's tally of 303 runs in this T20 World Cup is the highest number of runs by a batsman in his first T20 World Cup. It is also the most runs scored by a captain in any T20 World Cup and it is the third highest tally by a batsman in any T20 World Cup, behind Kohli's 319 in 2014 and Dilshan's 317 in 2009.

I believe he is well on his way to becoming one of Pakistan's and the world's finest cricket captains.

Pakistan has never had a better opening pair in cricket than Babar and Rizwan. Together, they have scripted so many Pakistan victories in T20Is, and I am sure they will continue to do so. They are now 6th in the list of most partnership runs in T20Is, but their average of 62 and 5 century partnerships are unparalleled. We can look forward to many more T20I wins scripted by these two.

Pakistan's performance in the group stages was truly fabulous and exceeded all our expectations. Yes, the semifinal loss was disappointing, moreso because we all felt this was Pakistan's World Cup. They were the best team on show and the triumphant run was just glorious. This is definitely just the beginning for this special lot of cricketers.

PAKISTAN CRICKET FANS
For us, the World Cup came home to the UAE, which made it all the more special.

For the past decade we have traveled the world supporting the boys in green. From ODI World Cups in Australia and England, to T20 World Cups in Sri Lanka, to ICC Champions Trophies in the UK, we were everywhere.

This time, we were with the team from the start till the end, from Dubai to Abu Dhabi to Sharjah, from defeating India for the first time in a World Cup to coming so close to reaching the final.

It was a really memorable World Cup for all of us.

The best part was that Pakistan's campaign reignited the passion for cricket among the youth in Pakistan. All the Pakistani kids were connected to the team and cheered them on throughout the World Cup. What this will do for cricket in Pakistan is immeasurable.


The cameramen in Dubai and Sharjah ensured that we will cherish memories of this World Cup forever. These cameramen are responsible for creating the Hulk Glove Guy and the Hulk Glove Crew. Thank you for that!

Even for this crew, this is definitely not the end. The Hulk Gloves will be back again.

The road to Australia 2022 begins now. Rest assured, we will be there, in all our greens, cheering on this champion team once again!

The Beginning ...


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Monday, November 8, 2021

A Rant for the Cynics & Pessimists


Posted by Q at Monday, November 08, 2021 Pitched (3)
WARNING: This is purely a rant.

I just wanted to document everything that I had been saying on whatsapp over the past week to all the cycnical conspiracy theorists and pessimists.

A week ago, India's T20 World Cup was done and dusted, despite an outside chance. A chance so outside that in my view it did not exist in this world.

Some people however thought otherwise.

Firstly there were the cynical conspiracy theorists. 

Those who believed that the BCCI would flex its muscles and buy out players, teams, and the entire T20 World Cup. Those who believed that BCCI paid off Afghanistan. Those who believed that BCCI incentivized the Kiwis with more lucrative IPL contracts.

The way Afghanistan played against India further fueled such cynical theories. What I don't get is how else was Afghanistan expected to play?

There was one misfield in particular that did the rounds on social media.

The most laughable one was the video of the toss with cynics saying Kohli asked Nabi to bowl first.

If this had been the first match of the tournament, no one would have raised any sort of concern.

On the other side of these cynics were the pessimists who actually believed that Afghanistan stood a chance against New Zealand.

I fail to understand how.

And I am talking about educated, knowledgeable people who know a thing or two about cricket. They felt Afghanistan had a genuine chance.

I felt like banging my head somewhere.

There really was no basis for such confidence in Afghanistan's abilities.

That too against a side that had played the last two ODI World Cup finals, had recently won the Test Championship Final, and is currently considered the best all format team in cricket (not by me, but by the likes of Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain).

What is a tad bit disturbing is that both these cynics and pessimists were Pakistanis. 

None of the Indians I interacted with believed any of it. They were sure their campaign was over and were selling their tickets. Many left Dubai earlier than planned also. They made their decision based on cricketing logic.

Which was missing from the Pakistanis' thoughts.

Maybe it was the fact that Afghanistan always puts up a brave fight against Pakistan. However, despite that fight, they have never beaten Pakistan in a T20I.

Like they have never beaten any of the top ranked teams.

Sure, they have a great T20I record, but they are minnow bashers. 

Not a single T20I win over England, Australia, India, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, or Sri Lanka.

They beat the lower ranked teams, including West Indies and Bangladesh, regularly, but not the top 8 ranked teams.

Sure Afghanistan is a strong emerging cricketing nation. Yes, they have two world class spinners. But that is about it. The rest of their bowling is average; their batting is unreliable; and their fielding is atrocious.

Their star performers like Rashid, Mujeeb, Nabi, Zazai have tremendous records against associate nations. Against the top teams, their records pale in comparison.

So what made all these Pakistanis think that Afghanistan were capable of beating New Zealand?

Beats me really.

When the fixing logic was defied, these pessimists were under some sort of spell thinking Afghanistan would beat New Zealand.

The sadder part was that instead of being fixated with Pakistan's triumphant run in the T20 World Cup and wondering who Pakistan may face in the semifinal, these Pakistanis were fixated on India and how they may qualify.

Javed Miandad's six in Sharjah in the mid 80s scarred an entire generation of Indians who believed they could never beat Pakistan, especially in Sharjah, and especially on a Friday. That Indian generation was psychologically scarred by Pakistan.

It took a whole new generation of Indian cricketers to emerge and start beating Pakistan regularly.

Similarly, I feel, an entire generation of Pakistanis has been scarred by India's stronghold on Pakistan in World Cup matches.

Thankfully, that jinx was broken by Pakistan two weeks ago.

The scars, however, remain.

I know it is easy to say all this in hindsight, after New Zealand has brushed aside Afghanistan, and India has been sent packing.

But all this is what I was saying in those endless arguments with the cynics and pessimists over the past week.

I was called an idealist. Someone living in a fantasy world. Someone who was so naive who didn't understand how this murky dark world of cricket operates.

Ha!

This rant is for all of you.

I hope you are all at peace now; and with all sincerity, I hope that you all now believe, to a certain extent, that not everything is a conspiracy, not every cricket tournament is bought by India, and not everything that happens is to screw you over.

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Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Mohammad Rizwan's Golden Run in T20 Cricket


Posted by Q at Wednesday, November 03, 2021 No Comments
Pakistan's phenomenal opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan posted their 5th century partnership yesterday, helping Pakistan to 189 off their 20 overs, defeating Namibia by 45 runs.

With their 5th century partnership, the pair now has more century partnerships in T20Is than any other pair, surpassing the 4 partnerships posted by Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, and by Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson.


Babar and Rizwan now have the 6th highest partnership runs in T20Is and they have got there in only 19 innings.

The pair's average of 63 is far beyond any other pair's average.

Their highest partnership of 197 is the 4th highest partnership in all T20Is.

Babar and Rizwan truly are a golden pair and together they have taken Pakistan's T20 cricket to new heights.

Everyone knows that Babar Azam is a superstar and currently one of the best all format batsman in the game. He, along with Virat Kohli, are the only two batsmen in the world that are among the top 7 of the ICC batsmen rankings for each format.

And Babar is number 1 in both T20Is and ODIs.

Babar is the most consistent batsman in the T20 format; however, it is Mohammad Rizwan, who is going through a dream run currently.


In 2021, Rizwan has scored more T20I runs than any other batsman in a calendar year, and that too at a bradmanesque average, which has only been matched by Kohli (in 2016).

No other batsman has even averaged 50 in T20Is in a calendar year (min 500 runs).

Yesterday against Namibia, Rizwan posted his 9th fifty in T20Is this year, which is also the most fifties any batsman has hit in this format in a calendar year.

Before 2021 ends, Rizwan will undoubtedly become the first batsman in history to knock 1,000 runs in T20Is in a single year!

With an unbeaten knock of 79 last night, Rizwan created another T20I record - he now has the highest T20I batting average in the world.


Rizwan is on the verge of another world record.

He needs 4 more runs to equal Chris Gayle's record of scoring the most runs in all T20 Cricket in a calendar year!


He went past the run tallies of Babar and Kohli during his knock yesterday.

A year, in which, Rizwan is breaking records held by legends like Kohli and Gayle, is nothing short of a phenomenal dream.

Rizwan is truly living the dream and he is growing with stature with every match. With Babar he has created a magnificent opening partnership for Pakistan, and individually he is undoubtedly the key man for Pakistan in T20Is currently!

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